11 In California/ Travel

Joshua Tree National Park, California

Michael and I drove from Sequoia National Park to Joshua Tree National Park, back below LA.  It was really great!  We got there right around sunset which made for some pretty spectacular photographs!

IMG_6969

IMG_2282

That night, Michael and I setup our campsite and built a fire.  Then, Michael taught me how to take pictures at night of stars.  So we climbed up on top of some of the rocks and took pictures!  It was a lot of fun, and I was really excited to have such a cool new photography trick!

IMG_2249

IMG_7026

IMG_7034

Check out the Big Dipper in this one ^

The next morning we attempted to rock climb, but honestly, I have very little experience climbing in a gym and no experience climbing outdoors at all, and when Michael was getting ready to set the routes, we realized just how little I knew how to do and how unprepared I would be if he fell.  So, we opted out of that so Michael would be safe!  Instead we went over to the Hidden Valley area and climbed around over huge boulders!  It was still a ton of fun!  We did the Hidden Valley Nature Trail and got to see some pretty spectacular view of the Joshua Trees.

IMG_7059

IMG_7062

IMG_7065

IMG_7073

IMG_7093

IMG_7103

IMG_7107

IMG_2283

IMG_2284

IMG_2273

It was a really pretty park, and completely different looking than Sequoia National Park.  If I had only time for one of the two parks, I would have gone to Sequoia and Kings Canyon Parks, but maybe my opinion would have been different if we had been able to rock climb!  However, I’m very glad that we didn’t because it could have ended badly.  Plus, we still got to see so many beautiful things!

For more posts and travel articles I find interesting ‘like’ the For the Love of Wanderlust page on Facebook.  Simply click HERE.

You Might Also Like

11 Comments

  • Reply
    Little Fingers
    August 25, 2013 at 11:29 pm

    Great pics, those star pics at night are my favorite , my husband and I love to watch stars !!

    • Reply
      ashleypaige4
      August 28, 2013 at 3:24 pm

      Thanks! I was soooo giddy when I learned to take them. I was literally dancing with glee 🙂 You and your hubby are too cute 😉

  • Reply
    Shelli@howsitgoingeh?
    September 10, 2013 at 2:12 am

    OH JOSHUA TREE!!!!!! One of my favorite places in the world! I used to go there every year for New Year’s Eve for about 9 years straight until I got trapped up in Canada! Thanks for the beautiful pictures + the star photos are GORGEOUS!!!

    • Reply
      ashleypaige4
      September 15, 2013 at 6:19 pm

      Thank you so much for the compliments! What part of Canada are you in? It’s pretty beautiful in its own right!

      • Reply
        Shelli@howsitgoingeh?
        September 16, 2013 at 10:30 am

        I was in southern Alberta for the summer, but now I’m back in Vancouver! It is gorgeous, but being born + raised in Los Angeles, I miss the desert SO MUCH!!!!!!! I’m a desert girl!

  • Reply
    liz
    September 15, 2013 at 3:20 pm

    WHAT?! Those night sky photos are insane! Great job! Now, I need to learn the secret. 🙂 And I also need to get to Joshua Tree State Park.

    • Reply
      ashleypaige4
      September 15, 2013 at 6:27 pm

      Thanks, Liz! Do you use a DSLR? If you do I can give you the settings!

  • Reply
    Meghan
    September 15, 2013 at 10:52 pm

    These are just stunning photos. Wow!

    • Reply
      PaigeBrown
      December 16, 2013 at 5:38 pm

      Thanks, Meghan! I loved it out there in the desert!

  • Reply
    Forrest
    October 27, 2013 at 9:29 pm

    Amazing photos! Joshua Tree and the desert are high on my list for a day trip!

    • Reply
      PaigeBrown
      October 30, 2013 at 8:24 pm

      Thank you! I really enjoyed Joshua Tree, but I wish I had been able to rock climb while I was out there! I hope you make it soon!

    Join the Conversation!

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.