File Image: A Joshua tree stands in the high Mojave Desert against a twilight sky October 23, 2004 in Mojave, California. The Joshua trees is not a tree at all, but a large yucca belonging to the lily family and one of the Mojave Desert’s oldest and most distinctive plants. The Joshua grows very slowly (about 3 inches per year) in the Mojave uplands, above 2,000 feet, in a soil made up of coarse sand and silt.
Joshua Tree National Park reopened to the public Sunday, though many of its campsites remain closed.
Roads, parking lots, trails, most restroom facilities and family campsites can now be accessed by visitors, according to the park's website.
While entrance stations will be staffed, fees will not be collected, park officials said.
The visitor center and group campsites -- which accommodate more people than the family campsites -- remained closed.
Additionally, all programs and permits for special use activities through May 31 have been canceled.
Joshua Tree park closed April 1 in response to the coronavirus pandemic and park officials said they will take a "phased approach" in reopening the park.
