Camping Trip and Couples Portrait Photography at Joshua Tree National Park

NATHAN & MELISSA:

11-23-19

For the last couple years, it’s been a tradition for me to plan a camping trip with my cousins and closest friends. This year I decided to take them to Joshua Tree National Park in November, which I think is one of the best times of the year. The weather averages around 65-70 degrees during the day but does drop to 30 degrees at night.

Since we were going to spend a couple days at Joshua Tree, this would be a great opportunity for me to photograph a couple. My cousin Melissa and her boyfriend Nathan kindly agreed to be my couple for this trip. They were seriously more than happy to. This place is too gorgeous not to.

Our campsite was located towards the south entrance near the 10 freeway. Cottonwood Campgrounds was the only available site in November. Most of the hiking trails and beautiful spots are located closer to the north entrance.

So we decided to enter via the West Entrance Station from the 62 freeway. The entrance fee is $30 per vehicle https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/fees.htm However, if you purchase the $80 America The Beautiful Annual Park Pass https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm You will have unlimited access to all the National Park Pass for an entire year. Also, if you can use it as an Adventure Pass if you decide to park at certain areas such as National or State Wilderness Parks.

From here, we stopped by a few locations before we got to our camp sites. A few of my favorite spots are Skull Rock, Cholla Cactus Garden, and Baker Dam.

Honestly, you can pretty much pull off the side off the road and every view is beautiful. Here’s a portrait shot of the couple in the middle of the road.

The Cottonwood Campgrounds were actually pretty nice. The restrooms were clean, which was a bonus. The campsite itself was large enough for tents and had a pit for fire.

The next day we decided to stop by the Hall of Horrors, recommended by my cousin Jan. This is actually a prime spot for rock climbers, but also a really cool place with a bunch of caves. So many perfect spots for wide angle shots.