Joshua Tree National Park urges people to view Perseid Meteor Shower at home instead of at park due to overwhelming traffic

The Perseid Meteor Shower lit up the night sky in Joshua Tree, and thousands of people saw it, while many dealt with heavy traffic and long lines to get into the park.

Many meteor watchers were surprised to find themselves stuck in traffic on their way to the park from Interstate 10 all the way up Highway 62 and into Joshua Tree National Park.

The park issued a statement Sunday urging people to consider not visiting to enjoy the meteor shower due to massive crowds and traffic jams throughout the area Saturday night.

The statement from Jennie Kish Albrinck, the park's Chief of Interpretation, Resource Education & Volunteers said, "All campgrounds are full. All parking lots are full. Park managers are urging the public to consider enjoying the meteor shower from home and coming to see us at a time when your visit will not be impacted by the crowds."

Park officials also sent us these photos of the backup.

Just take a look at these videos and photos viewers sent to KESQ News Channel 3 Saturday night showing the lights in the sky. Officials say every campground was booked solid and traffic was backed up from the entrance for miles down to the nearby highways.

"We have certain techniques that we'll use to get people in and out of the park," says the Joshua Tree Interpretive Ranger, Donovan Smith. "As I mentioned flushing the line, we try to encourage people it might be a drive-thru sort of experience."

"We drove from LA, made a quick turnaround, hung out with my wife and two of my friends," says a Joshua Tree tourist, Sam Koh. "It was his birthday, actually, too. So happy birthday, West. Yeah, we'll do it again. We do it every year."

Officials say the Perseid meteor shower happens at this same time every year so if you missed it, you can plan ahead and rent your campground spot more than six months in advance.