Chasing The Milky Way in Joshua Tree National Park
In most cases, we like to spend time planning our trips and book everything in advance. But occasionally, like this particular trip, was really a last minute idea of ours. We were able to make it happen because Joshua Tree National Park was our most visited national parks, so luckily we were kind of confident about where we needed to go.
So why this trip all of a sudden? Though we’ve taken plenty of road trips this year, we just unfortunately missed all visible days of the Milky Way. At the end of the Milky Way season this year, we decided to hop on another road trip to catch its tail.
Wandering Before Sunset
We arrived at Joshua Tree National Park about an hour before sunset, which gave us enough time to visit a few sites and do some quick location scouting. One place we’ve been wanting to see but didn’t get a chance previously is called Penguin Rock and Juniper Tree, it is a cute place that is very easily accessible and requires minimal hiking. However this is located inside a campground, so definitely be more mindful during the visit.
We also explored the nearby area while waiting for the sunset, and was able to capture some unique rock formations and of course some quirky Joshua Trees.
Capturing The Magic Hour
Magic hour is no doubt our favorite photography time of the day, and many of our most memorable shots were captured during these hours. Lighting is so much softer during this time, and in Southern California, this means we get to take our sunglasses off and yet still keep our eyes open.
During the second half of the magic hour, the cotton candy sky colors were absolutely stunning, creating a perfect backdrop for everything we were capturing.
Stargazing At Night
As the primary purpose of our trip, we’ve waited patiently for this moment to come. When the sun went down and sky darkened, the excitement and expectations simply grew exponentially. The stargazing location we’ve selected is Hall of Horrors and we hiked about half a mile into the trail, however the entire Joshua Tree National Park is known for its minimal light pollution and darkness at night, so anywhere away from the main road (no disruption from traffic headlights) generally works. When we arrived, turned off the flashlights, gave our eyes some time to get used to the darkness and then looked up, the Milky Way across the entire sky is something simply striking and unforgettable.
Though the trip was last minute, the experience was impeccable. We were glad to be able to capture the Milky Way on camera, but further more, we were even more grateful to be able witness this remarkable creation of nature in person.
Hotel of our stay: Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Twentynine Palms
As we booked the trip last minute, the choice was simply based on that the hotel had good reviews and geographically it provided us easy access to the park. Spacious hotel rooms, above average experience.
If you’re interested in our glamping getaway in Joshua Tree area, click HERE to check out our experience.
If you’re interested in visiting Joshua Tree National Park, click HERE to check out our previous 2-day adventure for more recommendations.
To view all California road trip destinations, click here.