Gaze Into the Milky Way with Cherry Springs' Dark Skies

The word about Cherry Springs is getting out! If you're planning a trip, make sure you have a campsite reserved online or a place to stay, because you will be up all night - there are a few cabins and small motels within a half hour drive if you're not crazy about camping or all the sites are reserved.

If you're going to see the Milky Way for the first time, the best time to visit is during a new moon - you'll have completely dark skies. If you go during a full moon, or a moon-lit evening, you will still get an awesome view of more stars you've ever seen in your life!

The low down is this: you have two areas to stargaze, the long-term and short-term star gazing. These areas are simply across the street from each other. The long-term camping area restricts you from using any white light at night, and you're not allowed to enter or exit the area after dark - you're literally gated in. You can camp here, but it's a little pricey. You can also walk to either viewing area at anytime.

The short-term camping area is my personal favorite. You are a MAYBE 2 minute walk from your campsite. This area is a huge open field with an amphitheater to view the darkest skies in the Eastern US. The parking lot is a very short walk away (if you're not at the Cherry Springs Campground) and you're welcome to arrive and depart at your discretion! They have erected some grassy hills around the field to keep any car lights from disturbing your night-adjusted eyes! There are not any light restrictions in this area (white light is allowed, but be conscious of others' already adjusted eyes!) and you have a ton of free-roaming area to photograph, walk around or just have a romantic evening with your lady friend.

The BEST time to go is during one of their Star Parties! Amateur astronomers from all over the country bring out their big telescopes and allow you to look through them and most are happy to educate you on the nebula, stars or even galaxies you're seeing! I ended up at a Star Party one year and the setup was amazing! There was a food truck with hot chocolate set up and people everywhere! Great time to visit with a family!! Check the events tab on their website!

As a heads up, you WILL need red lights or red cellophane for these evenings, white light is restricted in the long-term star gazing area.