Guests flock to Joshua Tree National Park to watch Perseid Meteor Showers; park advises star gazers to go elsewhere
Joshua Tree is seeing an influx of visitors ahead of the Perseid Meteor Showers with Monday night offering the best opportunity to catch a glimpse.
"It's an annual meteor shower, and it typically happens from mid July until the end of August," said Donovan Smith, an Interpretive Park Ranger with Joshua Tree National Park. "It's one of the most visible meteor showers. So that's why a lot of people like to come out to see it, because you can typically see it even at your backyard, you know, from from your own home."
The visitor center parking lots were all full, and most of the campsites were booked on Sunday night. Some families booked areas months in advance, in anticipation of the celestial event.
“I'm here for it," said Dominic, a camper who spent the night at the park with his mother and family. "The meteor shower, the nature, the plants, the rocks, all of it.”
Tourists could be seen walking around town checking out the local stores and restaurants, but stargazers are most excited for the big meteor.
"For the past week we were at work and we were just chilling. My friend was like, 'dude, that meteor shower. I cannot wait for it,'" said Trenton, a visitor. "So, yeah, we're excited.”
The park has extended its hours with all Visitor Centers remaining open until 10 p.m.
The peak of the shower will be between midnight and 2 a-m Monday night.
Viewers will be able to see up to 100 meteors per hour according to NASA.
Some tourists we spoke with say the park was certainly busier than normal. Others said they couldn’t get an overnight campsite because the entire park was fully booked.
"We were only able to get midweek because everybody was coming out for the meteor shower. It's wild, crazy, busy traffic's been insane, but we're excited to be close," said Joshua Tree visitors, Heather and Brittany.
Earlier this month, Joshua Tree National Park asked tourists to try to avoid the park if possible.
Last year's meteor shower led to over-crowding and traffic concerns.
"We've seen sort of some people kind of spread out over the course of the past few days," said Smith. "So you know, with tonight being advertised as the peak, the park is definitely still prepared. You know, we've got people out there on trails. We've got those visitor center open, so we're ready to help visitors if they come out. Being prepared as best as we can. But people so far have been very respectful."
They say any dark, rural location should provide a good view for the night.
"The really cool thing about the International Dark Sky Association is that they also certify several other locations in the Southern California area," said Smith. "So that's a really great opportunity to check them out and see what areas are closest to you to actually access a dark night sky.”
Don’t worry if you miss the show Sunday night, you’ll have another chance to see some more meteors throughout the rest of the month.
