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In 1995, another photographer and I were driving across the
southern U.S. and saw on the map that we'd be passing close
by Joshua Tree National Park. I quickly read some information
about the park in a few travel guides we had in the car. After
brief consideration, we decided not to go to the park. In 2003,
I discovered that had been a mistake.
Joshua Tree is one of the nicest national parks I've been to.
Two distinct temperate zones offer a wide range of scenery and
wildlife; the camp sites are plentiful, picturesque and mostly
out of sight; the park staff is friendly, knowledgeable and
helpful; and the back roads (4-wheel-drive recommended) and
trails give plenty of access to remote areas.
Drive from south to north in the morning, north to south in
the afternoon; this will assure that you see most of the landscape
in its best light, rather than having the best lit scenes behind
you as you travel.
Joshua Tree National Park is a great example of an area where
getting off the paved roads will show you so much more of the
park. It'll also get you to areas more remote, which means fewer
people around to potentially muck up your nature photos. (If
you want people in your photos, stay near the trails that branch
off from parking lots on the paved roads. Also, I've never seen
a better place than Joshua Tree National Park for photographing
rock climbers; they're all over the place, easy to find, and
there's more than enough room to work without having to climb
yourself — unless, of course, you want to).
If you're going to venture off the paved roads, then either
hike, bike or bring a 4-wheel-drive. Hiking and driving are
the best options. Hiking will get you to even more remote places,
but driving a 4-wheel-drive onto the back roads will get you
far into the outback of the park. Queen Valley Road is a good
one to try. Biking is permitted only on the public roads (paved
or dirt), but not on back roads or hiking trails.
If you hike, bike or drive into the wilderness, be prepared.
And I'm not referring to film. Have plenty of water, a first
aid kit, knife, clothes, or anything else you may need in an
emergency.
Even if you decide to stay on the paved roads, that still presents
you with plenty of good photo locations. Also, the main roads
have lots of pull-offs, so you can safely pull over to get out
of the car and work for a while.
Either way, bring food and lots of water. There's nowhere in
the park to buy either.
There's also a huge tract of land at the northeast corner of
the park that is not accessible by roads. You can hike into
there, but you have talk to park rangers first.
The Trees
Joshua trees are rather unique plants,
and you won't have much trouble finding ones with character.
The biggest challenge is photographing them in groups; even
in Joshua tree "forests," the trees are spread out
enough so that composing them all into one compelling photo
is difficult. It's much easier to isolate one or a few trees.
You can do this against dramatic skies, against mountainous
horizons, or against shaded rock formations as backdrops. (The
latter example is most possible toward the beginning or the
end of the day.)
But don't stop with the Joshua trees. The park has lots of
other photogenic vegetation, such as catci, fan palm trees,
ocotillos, junipers and yuccas. In the lower region of the park,
check out the Cholla Cactus
Garden, especially in late-day, when warm light bathes the
cacti (one hint: shoot the cacti backlit at this time, when
the warm light makes every needle stand out). This spot, I've
heard, is also good at sunrise, but I haven't seen it then myself.
Keep in mind, though, that at the Cholla Cactus Garden, you
must stay on the trails. There's plenty of room to work as long
as not too many other people are around. (Spring is the busiest
time of year.) Also, when people are around, it's hard to shoot
anything but close-up and portraits of the cacti.
Spring Wildflowers
This is a crapshoot. Sometimes the wildflowers
come, sometimes they don't. A lot depends on the rainfall in
the winter and early spring. If they're going to be there, it'd
be between March and May. My advice is to call before you go
and talk to a ranger about wildflower conditions (760-367-5500).
If you're going to shoot wildflowers, do it in the morning,
because any dew at dawn (which could provide for good photos)
will evaporate very quickly in the heat of a desert morning.
Wildlife
You are almost guaranteed to see a coyote.
This is good and bad. The good part is that if you're into wildlife
photography and want some coyote photos, then you'll get them
in Joshua Tree. The coyotes are wary of humans, but not scared,
so they don't avoid being seen. The bad part is that they're
like that because humans have fed them. The coyotes may seem
tame, but they're still wild animals and should be respected
as such.
There's no need to use a blind; you'll see coyotes while you're
just driving around the park. If you stop your vehicle, sometimes
one will even approach you. The biggest problem for a photographer
is trying to get photos of the coyote in its natural environment,
rather than on a paved road..
Tarantulas are also common in the park, but they don't come
out in public unless it's October or November. (Must have something
to do with scaring people on Halloween.)
Other wildlife in the park include fox (most commonly seen
in Pinto Basin), Yucca Night Lizards (which you're not apt to
see), jackrabbits, bobcats (also rare to see), golden eagles,
tortoises (another rarity — they're a threatened species
and spend most of their time in burrows), roadrunners and rattlesnakes.
Wood rats can be seen at the end of the day at Cholla Cactus
Garden.
Sunrise and Sunset
I didn't bother photographing the sunset,
because the mountains block the sun about half an hour before
sunset at any location that I'd want to shoot. A ranger told
me that Cholla Cactus Garden is good for sunsets, but I can't
imagine it would be, because the Hexie Mountains very effectively
block the view of the western skyline.
I've heard that many photographers like Keys View for photographing
a sunset, but I didn't like it. 1) The San Bernardino Mountains
would block the view of the sun about 15 minutes before true
sunset. 2) There's nearly nothing at Keys View to put in the
foreground of a photo. 3) It can get somewhat windy up there
(elevation approximately 5,200 feet/1,600 meters), making tripod
work a challenge.
The only photo possibility I liked at Keys View was a simple
sun setting behind the San Bernardino Mountains. But the distance
across that valley is huge, and with anything less than perfectly
clear air, the visibility will ruin a photo (in my opinion).
A hazy background works fine when there's something sharp in
the foreground, but, as I've mentioned, there's not much foreground
fodder at Keys View.
At sunrise, check out Sheep Pass.
Specific Spots
Check out the Geology Tour Road (4-wheel-drive
a must) and Hidden Valley. Also, you can get some great dusk
photos along Park Boulevard, the road that leads to the West
Entrance Station.
The road to Desert Queen Ranch provides some nice landscapes,
and a few wooden fences
to add to them. However, access to the ranch is permitted only
with a tour, and no tripods are allowed.
Some of the most impressive Joshua Trees in the park are at
Covington Flats, at the west side of the park.
Also, just about anywhere on just about any night is good for
shooting star trails.
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