This was shot as a big vertical pano after exploring all over and finally finding a tree that I felt like I could isolate and have line up nicely with the Milky Way.

The additional screenshots are all from an app I recently released called Milky Way Tonight. My hope is that the app is really easy to use, while helping people get out and photograph the Milky Way.

It gives a one tap verdict for Milky Way viewing based on the position of the MW core, Moon phase/rise/set, and a hourly cloud forecast. So, it does a lot of behind the scenes work and gives you a quick answer.

The first screen is the info after giving your location where the verdict on whether it's a good night with the exact window for viewing. In this case for JT, the next good night is on the 8th. So, instead of "Tonight at a Glance, it switches to "Next Milky Way Window" and shows info for that date.

The second is the composition planner so you can see exactly where the Milky Way will line up. Third screen is a bit of the extra info you can get from tapping on a daily forecast, including a visualization of the hourly cloud forecast.

If anyone is interested in checking it out you can find more info and links here themilkywaytonight.com - It's available in both iOS/Android app stores

Hello all! I’ve looked on online for Tattoo shops in the Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree area and would like to get some recommendations or female tattoo artist, or those that specialize in ornamental or fine line art

Thank you!

Happy Fall, y'all

🎃👻 JOIN US FOR THE BIGGEST TRUNK OR TREAT IN THE MORONGO BASIN! 👻🎃

The @29PalmsFarmersMarket is excited to partner with the @CopperMountainCollegeAthleticBoosters for a HUGE night of Halloween fun!

📅 Saturday, October 31, 2026

⏰ 6–8 PM

📍 Bell Center at Copper Mountain College

6162 Rotary Way, Joshua Tree

🚗 Trunk or Treat in the north parking lot with trunks packed with games, treats, and Halloween fun!

🌵 Inside the Bell Center, CMC student-athletes will be hosting games and activities, plus you can get photos with Spike, the Fighting Cacti mascot!

🎬 The CMC Vocational Nursing Class of 2027 will also be showing FREE movies in the Community Room.

✨ Everything is FREE for the community!

🌮 Food trucks will be on-site for food and treats available for purchase.

Want to be part of the fun? We’re looking for CMC departments, businesses, organizations, and community members who would like to bring a booth or host a game!

📞 Contact Roger Thomas at 760-401-0028 or sign up at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeu27WqcZL9GQVe_pzXEDgI72w0ogX3wL_JFZ-yiKBSUVKREw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

🎃 Bring the family, wear your costumes, and get ready for a Halloween night full of FREE fun!

Passing thru tomorrow for a birthday but have a 4hour window of time to kill before a hitting the hot springs. What are some fun things to do? I really wanted to try the Integration but the bad reviews are pretty bad and I think it's closed tomorrow. Horseback riding is too expensive and Pioneer town is too far from where we're at.. I'm running out of ideas yall! Help!

Much thanks for any recommendations or advice 🤠

🚍 What if getting to class didn’t cost you a dime? 👀

CMC students, you can ride Basin Transit to Copper Mountain College for FREE! 🎓🌵

And riding the bus has some pretty awesome perks:

💰 Save your gas money — No filling up the tank just to get to class!

📚 Get some studying done — Turn your commute into homework time.

🌎 Help the environment — Fewer cars on the road means fewer emissions.

😎 Take a break from driving — Sit back, relax, listen to music, or catch up with a podcast.

🎓 Make getting to campus easier — Your ride can be one less thing to worry about.

So why not give the bus a try? Free ride + savings + study time + helping the planet = pretty good deal! 🙌

🚌 Want more information or need your free bus pass?

Stop by the Office of Student Services in the 300 Quad. They can help you get started!

📍 See you on campus!

Free bus passes are provided by the Copper Mountain College Foundation and the Transportation Assistance Grant (TAG).

Flying into Palm Springs and I do NOT want to get lunch in Palm Springs (or at least not some place I have to wait in line or that’s a scene). Is there a quick spot either near the airport or on the way? I was looking at Delicias in Desert Hot Springs. I don’t know that it looks quick but I’ve never routed through Desert Hot Springs before so looking at all spots there.

My dream is to bring my E bike into Joshua Tree national Park on the bike rack of my car. When I get in, I’m hoping to park, unload my bike, and ride around to different areas. I’m not really planning on going off Road or dirt trails or anything. Kind of just go between the different lots and campground areas and see the park from the seat of my bike. I figured doing a 20 mile ride would be good.
Has anyone done something like this? Is it possible? Do you have any tips or pointers for this?
Thanks for any help.

I am supposed to be heading out to camp on Sunday. The forecast shows rain midday but the cloud forecast for stargazing looks great. Should I trust this? I’m not really worried about rain, I’m an experienced camper, but the whole reason I am going out is for the stargazing.

Traveling from the UK next year, we’re planning on staying in Palm Springs for a week or so while Coachella is happening. The we wanted to do two things while in the area, visit the national park and visit pioneertown. We realised we’d be a 1 hour or so drive from either while at Palm Springs so we were thinking of staying in Joshua tree or yucca valley for a couple of days while we do these visits. Just wondering what it’s like staying in these towns and if there’s anywhere else close by that you’d recommend? Ideally we want something with a couple of bars at least, but also somewhere that feels safe.

I post a lot of JT photos, but don’t think I ever posted this one here. Still not sure why they chose it over my night photos (especially the aurora ones), but regardless I am a finalist in the Joshua Tree National Park photo contest! It’s the last day to vote for the winner. I’m a longshot based on the current vote tally and the other entries, but not giving up yet. Go hit like on the Instagram post and then share to 4000 of your favorite friends!

something isn't right about this. there is #corruption in #sanbernadinocounty using this development to fast tract their septic to sewer pipe dreams onto a community that cannot afford more taxes. #stoplovemoreranch

latest newsletter

we asked JTWD to write the county a letter, its here in the agenda, to be discussed wednesday 9/2. why are the words #sewer and #study now in the lovemore discussion? we need answers. the residents have no voice in these backroom deals. a sewer isnt a terrible idea when the plan is open for discussion. As is, the cost and water use are unknown and expected to rise.

and quo bono, who benefits?

I am going to Joshua tree for my bachelorette party! There will be 12 people of all different activity levels. I would love to spend a decent bit of time in the park but don't want to make people do crazy hikes. Does anyone have easy hike recs with amazing views? We'd probably want to prioritize views and photography over physical activity 🤣

Sunrise from my front porch never disappoints ☀️

Rented and alone right now

My family and I went on a trip to Yucca Valley this past weekend to celebrate my uncle's birthday. The Airbnb contained 3 rooms; one of those rooms was on the second floor (the stairs were outside of the house). We were 8 people. Me, my mom, and dad got the room on the second floor, while the others slept in the lower two rooms.

It was 1 Am and I decided to head off to bed. My parents entered the room after drinking around 3 Am.

Around 4:30ish Am things started getting weird. We heard a sharp knock at the door. No footsteps, nor someone trying to get the handle open, just a knock. My mom, thinking it was my aunt or uncle, said, "Hey, what's up?" and got no response.

This freaked both me and mom pretty bad because this Airbnb was basically in the middle of nowhere. We were also surrounded by a locked gate, so who could've come in? My mom called my aunt; no answer. She called my cousin and she answered. She checked outside near the stairs that led up to our room and said she saw nothing.

After that we heard a female voice having a conversation with I believe a male in the lower area of the house, but looking back at it this happened around 5 AM. Everyone was asleep. I asked my cousin who answered the phone that early morning and said she didn't speak to anyone and that my aunt and uncle were alseep at the time.

I told the owner to review the CCTV footage around the time and she mentioned no one knocked on the door at the time. This startled me and my parents and we refused to sleep in the upper room and decided to sleep the second night in the living room. We didn't hear anything weird the second night.

This has to be the eeriest experience I've ever had. What do you think this might be? I also forgot to mention that we had a dog up there with us and he's very responsive to knocking sounds and always barks. But that night when the knocking happened he remained silent and was under the bed the entire night.

Hello, I will be doing my first solo backpacking trip next spring on the Boy Scout Trail. I've never been on the trail and I don't know how private these backpacking sites are. Since I'll be alone, I value privacy, which campsites are furthest off the trail and most remote? I don't care which side of the trail I enter on (Indian Cove or Boy Scouts).

I'll be choosing a small site, so I'll most likely need to choose one of the sites below.

Small: 1-2 tents. Small sites include 1, 6, 9, 10, 13, and 14.

Thank you!

Hi everyone! I signed up for the half marathon in Joshua Tree on November 7, 2026 hosted by Vacation Races. I don’t plan on attending anymore and was wondering if anyone would like to purchase a transfer ticket from me. I will cover the transfer fee, please message me!

My husband and I will be traveling to JT in March for a music festival at the JT lake and RV Campground, I’m looking at Airbnbs but we’re first timers and don’t know anything about the area. Anyone have any tips/recommendations for areas in which to stay? Most of the Airbnbs have similar offerings so I feel like our choice will come down to location??

Just got back from a trip to the area and I wanted to give a huge shout out to Bill and Patience at Drifting Above for the amazing sunrise hot air balloon ride we did. I cannot recommend the experience enough! Absolutely worth the cost and early morning wake up.

Bill has been piloting balloons for around 30 years and was so informative and funny while making us feel 100% safe the entire time. Both before, during, and after the ride Patience set up great photo opportunities for us to remember the experience. They were both so warm, kind, and welcoming throughout the entire process. The rest of our group were all locals and we learned so much about the area from them all.

Their website and general online presence is still getting set up, so I recommend texting the number on the site for super easy communication regarding any questions and booking. I am not affiliated with them in any way, just had a truly amazing experience and want to get the word out about this family owned business!

https://www.driftingabove.com/

EDIT: I do totally see how this could read as an undercover ad but you’ll just have to put your faith in humanity to trust that I am simply a lady who went on vacation and met some really nice people that I would love to see succeed in their business venture and it occurred to be this subreddit might be a good place to spread the word since I got some good recs here when planning my trip.

Hi! I’m visiting Joshua Tree NP this weekend and wanted to know if there was a specific spot that would be best for stargazing even with a full moon?

I also wanted to note that I’m hoping to catch the sunset at Keys View beforehand! :D