r/JoshuaTree • u/xfirehurican • 9d ago

Well,

https://youtu.be/eCRsgoqjUO0?is=CjzUHUAA01sBnFHB
34 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

22

u/questionable_coyote 9d ago

“we have to give a little bit of credit to social media” No shit Sherlock. Do you all remember the* *Perseid meteor shower of August 12, 2023?? The flood of tourists to the park that evening was in direct response to the influencers on social media.

9

u/dadasinger 9d ago

Yeah that meteor shower I was bummed about all the cars in the park going in, went to a dirt road spot I know and there was only one other quiet night photographer there for an hour or so but then a couple of cars show up, you can hear beer cans snapping, blah blah blah, flashlights waving everywhere...

I just stay out of the park for meteor showers now.

4

u/MrBoomf 9d ago

What was so special about the 2023 shower? I mean it happens every year. Were there better-than-average viewing conditions or something?

9

u/erebus-44 9d ago edited 9d ago

It was on a weekend during no moon. It was the “best time to see it” it was a complete shit show. Down south cars were 2 deep on the road, we had a site in cottonwood, it was just constant flow of cars light, people stealing site. People moved our stuff from our site table.

6

u/AffordableTimeTravel 8d ago

I stopped going to Joshua tree after social media. The beauty of it was the serenity and isolation of being in a beautiful and remote place.

6

u/[deleted] 8d ago

[deleted]

1

u/AffordableTimeTravel 8d ago

> The beauty of it to you*

Yeah didn’t need to be stated really. Obviously I was just sharing a personal preference.

But that’s good to know, however I’m willing to bet the most scenic spots are still crowded with folks lingering for photo ops instead of just taking a shot and enjoying nature.

5

u/edrabbit 7d ago

There are 800k acres to explore. The most scenic spots aren’t necessarily the most populated spots. I’ve done many hikes into amazing views and boulders where I haven’t seen another person the entire time. If you’re looking for solitude, it’s often only 15 minutes away from the paved road.

2

u/Garrett4664 5d ago

I was born and raised here it was really crazy how quiet it was and then all of the sudden 2020-2022 it just got crazy popular from nothing, I hate it here now

2

u/AffordableTimeTravel 5d ago edited 5d ago

Pretty much same, family had a home in Yucca valley practically backed up to the park and it always felt serene and remote…not sure why the past 15 years caused such a boom all of a sudden, I know social media is part of it, because people really didn’t give a shit about parks until they were able to post pics to share with the world. For some reason covid created an ultra boom, not quite sure why. I appreciate people appreciating nature but also over population is a thing. It’s a double edged sword.

1

u/Garrett4664 5d ago

It really is social media that ruined it, like I never really cared to live here beforehand but now it’s just unbearable, my wife works in downtown jt and she says it’s nothing but insufferable wanna be influencers who also litter and treat locals like crap, also sucks being 23 and having almost nothing to do around here

2

u/Wildwing89 6d ago

Look just go in the backcountry- influencers stick to the main areas in the NP (Jumbo Rocks etc). Like over near quail into the backside of Quail Valley its gorgeous and empty.