Joshua Tree Braces for Influx of Stargazers Hoping to View Meteor Shower

Traffic delays are expected in the desert area, which has the darkest skies in Southern California.

A photo composite of stars, made in Joshua Tree during a dark sky photography workshop, led by Desert Institute, on Sept. 16, 2023. Julia Carmel/Los Angeles Times/TNS

California park rangers expect a traffic surge in Joshua Tree National Park—about two hours east of Los Angeles—as eager stargazers prepare to flock to the California desert to glimpse an annual meteor shower, called Perseids, that will peak between Aug. 10 and 12.

The meteor shower is an annual event that attracted heavy traffic and thousands of visitors in 2023, according to the National Park Service.