Joshua Tree N.P. -- Where to shoot?

MooreDriven

I'm headed to LA the first week in March on business. I plan to take one day and spend it at the park. Having never been there, I'm looking for advice on where to shoot. I'll likely stay close to the park the night before, and plan to leave in late afternoon.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,
Dale

fiatsurf

I spent an extended weekend out there about 7 years ago or so and went out without a game plan per se so mostly drove around the park looking for interesting angles, shots. I hit the place a bit early in the afternoon to scope out potential sunset scenarios and took a few black and white shots with my medium format (back when I was still shooting film ) before sunset hit (when I had a few rock formations/Joshua Tree setups I thought might make good shots). So, I don't have any "set" spots to recommend. I believe I stayed in Desert Hot Springs and made the drive each day but one thing I might suggest (though you may not have time for it, nor interest) is the abundance of windmill farms around that area. The fields of windmills against the starkness of the desert made, IMO, an interesting juxtaposition to shoot. I keep meaning to get back there (I was born in Palm Springs) but alas, the seductive siren song of the sea keeps me pretty much on the coast. Perhaps some other desert rats can suggest some better locales. In any case, enjoy and post your shots!

Toby

MooreDriven

Thanks Toby. I found a photo guide online and will purchase prior to the trip.

Dle

Vrungel

There are bunch of places depending on what you are aiming for. Hidden Valley/Real Hidden Valley and Wonderland of Rocks are in the upper part of the park if you are looking for rock formations or if you want to stick to lower/warmer parts then Indian Cove campground area could be a good choice. Desert flora can be found all over the park, for example you can try Geology tour road or do Oasis hike.

However, if you first time there and weather is good I'd recommend explore Hidden valley areas.

MooreDriven

Thanks for the info Vrungel. I'm looking forward to the trip.

toddlio

Here's some from a recent trip to Joshua Tree
http://www.pbase.com/toddlio/joshua_tree&page=all

Let me know what you think. As others have said I drove and hiked around during the day to look for the type of sunsets I wanted. I think the best classic Joshua trees are in the middle/north end of the park. When I was there the colors really came alive after the sun actually sets. My personal favorites are the Cholla Cactus as the far southern end of the park.

MooreDriven

Thanks for the information. Nice shots. That's exactly what I'm looking to find.

Dale

BeachBill

I was there for the first time last year over president's day weekend, almost exactly one year ago to the day. I had two and a half days of shooting. My gallery of images from the trip are posted here. If you have any questions about a specific location I photographed, I can probably point to it on a map. We stayed in a motel in Twentynine Palms, just outside the park, giving us easy access to come and go.

jwear

http://www.joshua.tree.national-park.com/map.htm take a look, this is a map may give you a few ideas .I have gone 2 times a year with the scouts for awhile but never have the time to cover the whole place

MooreDriven

Thanks Bill and Jeff. I'm going to be putting together my preliminary plan tomorrow. Hopefully I have some good weather and plenty of time to see everything.

MooreDriven

I just returned from a short trip to Joshua Tree. I thought I would share a few shots from the trip.








It was a good trip, but I'm not real excited about the shots I got. Because I only had one day, I felt rushed the entire trip.

Anyway, I appreciate the information everyone provided.

Thanks,
Dale

scottV

I am hitting up joshua tree next weekend with a good friend for a photo only expedition w/ camping.. any recommendations?

MooreDriven

My favorite place to shoot was Cholla Cactus Garden. I was there just after sundown (too late), and then again right after sunrise. The NW portion of the park has a lot of interesting rock formations and beautiful colors. I did not have time to, nor the right kind of car, to drive on Geology Tour Road. If you do, I would give it a try.

I had also read that Lost Horse Mine is a good place to photograph. It requires some hiking. If you want to visit Keys Ranch, then make a reservation with the Rangers station in advance. They have tours at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. I had wanted to do this, but ran out of time.

I visited Barker Dam, but would save that for last if you have time. Most of the trees are dormant, so it's not very picturesque.

If your into photographing rock climbers, they are everywhere.

Hopefully that helps. Post your photo's when you return.

Dale