Joshua Tree National Park Back Country
The backcountry of Joshua Tree National Park offers some of the darkest skies in Southern California, making it one of the best places in the American Southwest to photograph the Milky Way and star trails. Far from the light pollution that bleeds into the main visitor areas, you get genuinely dark skies where the galactic core comes through with striking clarity. Pair the sky with the park's signature twisted Joshua trees as silhouettes in the foreground and you have a composition that is hard to replicate anywhere else. Wide angle lenses in the 14 to 24mm range work best here; shoot during new moon phases for maximum contrast. Plan your visit around the Milky Way core season, roughly March through October, and arrive early to scout foreground elements before darkness falls. Bring a red headlamp, extra batteries, and be aware that desert temperatures drop sharply after sunset. (Joshua Tree National Park, California, United States)
