On a recent visit to Utah, we ended up getting to Arches National Park right at the tail-end of the of the recent government shutdown. That meant the parks were “open” (because it’s impossible to physically close a 120 square mile swath of red-rock canyons) but not exactly “open for business.”
Joshua Tree National Park is a strange beast; and not just because of the alien-looking trees that give the park its name. Arriving at the park, it's not immediately obvious what makes it National Park worthy. There’s no deep canyon to peer into, no snow-capped mountains to summit, no herds of bison roaming along the plains.
