Stargaze at Deerlick Astronomy Village

Crawfordville, Georgia

Description

The darkest skies close to Atlanta, GA. Stay up all night and stargaze close to home.

Before any trip I take I pull up the dark sky map: darksitefinder.com. This incredible tool is great in finding low light pollution areas nearby.

However, when I don't feel like driving many hours away on dirt roads, this is a great alternative in the Southeast. Spend a night with professional and amateur astronomers at Deerlick Astronomy Village. Whether you are looking to image deep space objects with your telescope or are just tired of city lights drowning out your stars, this place is as good as it gets for night skies close to home. This gated astronomy village has strict rules on lights only allowing red lights for head lamps to be used. An annual membership is required by at least one member of your party. Memberships are easy to get here: deerlickgroup.com

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Features

Chillin

Photography

Bathrooms

Dog Friendly

Forest

Picnic Area

Scenic

Wildlife

Reviews

Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Camp Mistletoe State Park

Mistletoe State Park is located on the beautiful Clark’s Hill Lake created by the J. Strom Thurmond Dam. The park offers an array of hiking trails, but is most well-known for its numerous camping spots and bass fishing. The park offers a whopping total of 100 camping sites, 4 of which are backcountry campsites. The other 96 campsites offer 40ft lot that can easily house a large trailer, motorho...

Hike Cliatt Creek Loop to Rock Dam Trail

Mistletoe State park encompasses 15 miles of hiking trails that lead both along Clarks Hill Lake and the river adjacent to it. Although not a necessarily strenuous hike, the 3.75-mile Cliatt Creek Nature Loop (white blaze) begins at the park’s nature center and features some amazing wildlife as it loops it way from the park entrance, to the creek, and back around the nature center with multiple...

Photograph the Stars Over Clarks Hill Lake

The Cherokee Boat Ramp is easily my new favorite place for astrophotography in the Augusta area. If you drive around the boat ramp area for awhile, you'll notice plenty of spots to set up your camera and aim it down the beautiful Clarks Hill Lake. The ramp area creates a loop. Near the end of the loop you'll see multiple concrete pads leading down to the lake for boat entry. I like to set up my...

Photograph a Sunset at West Dam

West Dam is located across the road from one of the most prominent structures in area: J. Strom Thurmond Dam. Thurmond Lake is created by the dam and the park is located on this lake. Fishing is extremely popular here, especially for largemouth bass and striped bass. There is a large swimming area that is roped off with a large beach and a volleyball court for fun in the sand as well. The park ...

Kayak the Savannah River at Thurmond Dam and Lake

Starting at Thurmond Dam, drop your kayak in just below the dam and travel down the Savannah River. There are a couple places to you can choose to end your adventure:The first, and closest, is Riverside Park. Around the 7 mile mark downstream, Riverside park is a right hand turn towards a boat ramp. From there you can easily take your kayak out of the water and explore the park.If you choose to...

Kayak Betty's Branch

Beginning at Riverside Park, put in either at the concrete boat ramp or the beach. Paddle along until you exit the inlet and now you have a decision to make: right or left?Left: Turning left takes you on a longer and more difficult route than turning right (3 hours total), but it’s absolutely worth it. The wildlife you’ll see along the riverbanks is unlike any other you’ll find along the river ...