RE Loc: California

Thank you Mark Bski, we love the desert (husband's famiky is from Arizona) so i am very excited to finally make it there.

RE Loc: California

Thank you Photographer Jim, that all sounds very interesting!

camp154

Joshua Tree Hidden Valley https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/upload/HiddenValley.pdf

NorthPacific

I go to Joshua Tree NP quite often...though maybe not on this first trip for you, I love the entry canyon on the south entrance area about 4 miles north of I-10...in the Spring if you hit the ocotillo and yucca just right, it it like being in a totally different national park. At sunset you can get some really different looking photos...there are pull outs in the 3 mile long canyon and also a very expansive dry wash that you can easily walk along...the canyon wall on the east side of the road is spectacular with a full moon rising.

This south entrance area is nowhere near the popular rock formations at the NW side of the park. ......with limited time, it is not best spent on this south side of the park that once you pass the ranger station has wide unlimited vistas on the way up to the cholla garden stand....Make sure you watch where you walk around the cholla since they lie around the ground in pods also depending on a host to get impaled and carry them beyond the original area...I cannot emphasize this caution enough!! The cholla spines will go right through the thickest boots and will penetrate you hand if you brush up against one ...and you need pliers to take them out...don't use your free hand ....or go to a ranger station for help...

The south and central SE part of Joshua from the cholla garden to the south exit is worth the effort AFTER you have exhausted the infinitely more visited NW section...

Joshua Tree underlies a very busy FAA L.A. Center high altitude sector and one night I caught it under a max arrival/departure effort period with a full moon and jet contrails everywhere....I tried to mix it up a bit with the lights from my SUV to see what I could get...

During the a good part of the year, be situationally aware for rattle snakes,mojave greens.....also there is NO food in the park so make sure you take a good amount of drinks and sandwiches etc in a cooler...bring folding chairs as well.

You would be surprised on how many SOCAL residents have NEVER been to this park!!! One of SOCAL's best kept secrets IMHO.

From a photographers point of view, you could enter 1 mile in and spend two days just there!! I find it one of the most photogenic parks in the system...you have macro..panoramic...black and white possibilities....time of day/night vast variations....it is a virtual photographic studio....doesn't get that crowded...and even in the summer due to the high plateau elevation of the NW section, it is much cooler than the surrounding low desert areas like the Coachella Valley...

If you can go when there is some sort of cloud coverage, the better yet will be your experience. This is not a one time only venue but a place to be mined all year long...

A full moon up there can be like daylight!!!! Pretty amazing.


.and like I said it is divided into two distinct parts...the NW rock part and the desert part from the cholla garden to I-10...conceivably you could say there is a central part as well ..the roads in the park are EXCELLENT BTW...

good luck......i have taken thousands of photos there over the years ...the amount of post production tweaks and special effects and hue/tone alterations you can do with images from this area are endless as well...

So have fun in a relaxing atmosphere ...just stop the car and take walks...enjoy this very accessible park.

I am just an amateur photographer and surely most can do a lot better than my stuff but to be able to put yourself in this kind of environment SO EASILY really makes this hobby just bubble alive with opportunity...lets you fully use your equipment without a lot of pros and semi pros crowding you out.

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

The Tree is pretty much my second home. I kinda grew up there. When I get to my PC, I'll post locations that are a must.

Russ

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

It's a photographers paradise.

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Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

Be sure to hunt down Carey's Castle too. 😁

Sburgess

Do a quuck search on instagram #joshuatreenationalpark
It is a treasure of photos.

Ratta Loc: California

Short answer: Everything!!!
Long answer: Read all the replies. Explore. Be on the lookout for birds, reptiles, coyotes, spiders, snakes and other goodies. The sun illuminating the spines of the cactus in the Cholla garden can give your camera a workout. There are areas which attract rock climbers and you can get some awesome pics of the climbers during magic hour. The nights are dark and beautiful.

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

I spent most of my youth in the Tree, honing my climbing and shooting skills.

Ratta Loc: California

Oh, by the way! Be very careful of the jumping Cholla. The spines are barbed, numerous and quite painful should they 'jump' on you. And they are difficult and painful to remove. (Refer to the pic of the hand being attacked by a jumping Cholla.

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

Do the hike into Carey's Castle 👍

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

Everything. Instead of running from 'gotta have spot' to 'gotta have spot' , slow down and look around. Get a feel for the area and then photograph that which engages you. Be sure to look behind you, because that is frequently the source of many good compositions.

fergmark Loc: norwalk connecticut

sharing a couple of my shots from my last time in Joshua Tree, august 2013

Texzen Loc: Sugar Land, Texas

Some snapshots for you to get a look. Was not in the mood to shoot this day and so used my backup instead of my Nikon. Still, you can get a feel for the place. Hope your visit is profound.

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