🏜️ Park Access — Still Open (With Some Limits)
Despite the federal government shutdown as of October 2025, Joshua Tree National Park remains open to the public.
National Park Service.
According to the official National Park Service page on the park’s “Status During 2025 Lapse in Appropriations,” gates, roads, trails, and open-air areas are being kept accessible wherever possible.
National Park Service
However, visitor centers, ranger programs, and some support services may be scaled back, delayed, or temporarily closed due to staffing constraints.
The “Fees & Passes” page of the official Joshua Tree National Park site still outlines standard entrance pass rules (e.g. private vehicle, per person, “America the Beautiful” pass) — note, though, that under the shutdown many of these mechanisms for collecting those passes are disrupted.
So in short: you can still visit, but expect fewer services and possibly unstaffed gates.
🎟️ What About Wilderness / Pedestrian Passes (aka “Wilderness / Pedestrian Passes”)
Because your tour is commercially authorized, your guests don’t need to worry about purchasing a separate pass. Here’s how the current situation works:
Wilderness or Pedestrian Passes cannot currently be purchased via the government’s website due to the shutdown.
At this time, no pedestrian pass is being required at the park entrance (i.e. there is no paid attendant collecting fees for foot or bike entry).
This is rooted in the fact that gate attendants are largely unavailable or furloughed, and the park is essentially operating in a “free entry” mode in many areas.
Because your company holds a commercial use authorization (CUA) for group tours, your guests are already covered under that permit — no additional permits or passes are needed for them.
To put it plainly: in the current shutdown environment, your guests don’t need to acquire a Wilderness/Pedestrian Pass, because there is no mechanism being enforced to collect it.
✅ What This Means for Your Adventure Hummer Tour (and Guests)
Here’s how operations proceed under these conditions:
Feature Status / Notes
Park entry (road access, trails, scenic drives) Open
Entrance fee collection (at gates or online) On hold / not being enforced in many locations
Visitor centers, interpretive programs, guided ranger walks Likely suspended or limited
Restroom & maintenance services Basic services may remain, but reduced
Wilderness / pedestrian pass requirement Not enforced; passes currently unavailable for purchase
Your guided tours (with CUA) Fully allowed; your guests’ access is covered under your permit
So your guests can arrive, ride through, explore, and enjoy — without worrying about buying permits or encountering closed gates (at least for now).
⚠️ Things to Watch Out For (and How to Prepare)
Because the park is operating with minimal staffing, certain conditions may be less reliable than usual:
Restrooms may go without regular cleaning or supplies. Bring extra toilet paper, hand sanitizer, or wipes.
Trash bins may overflow — follow pack it in, pack it out strictly.
Ranger support is limited. If someone gets hurt, there may be delays in response.
Trail, road, or site closures may happen without warning, due to emergencies or lack of staffing.
Cell service and signage may be poorly maintained — download maps and info offline ahead of time.
Environmental risk increases — with fewer staff monitoring for off-trail driving, vandalism, or wildfire risks, visitors need to be extra responsible.
🌵 Final Word
Yes — the shutdown introduces uncertainty. But the good news is: Joshua Tree remains accessible, your tours can still run under your CUA, and your guests don’t need to scramble buying pedestrian passes (because they can’t).