Covington Flats closure in Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park has announced the temporary closure of the Covington Flats part of the park ahead of the Independence Day holiday. Covington Flats is one of the most critical habitats of the entire park.

This area of the park will be closed from July 3rd through July 7th (it will reopen on July 8th). The park has done this preemptively to help protect this area from any potential fires or harm during the busy holiday.

This is all thanks to the rains from last year which have caused a lot of grass and brush to grow throughout the park, especially in the Covington Flats area. It doesn't take a lot for fires to start and if the dry grass catches fire, it will spread to the brush which can then impact the Joshua Trees, a protected species.

The National Park Service recommends you check their website before heading out to the park to see if there are any restrictions or closures and to always be prepared before exploring the park!