Heads up if you're planning a trip to Cherry Springs State Park this summer

I was there last weekend for the dark sky viewing area. The rangers mentioned they're doing major construction on the main road leading in starting June 1st. The detour adds like 45 minutes and the lot fills up by 8pm now. Just a heads up so you don't show up and waste a night of clear skies.

2 comments

2 Comments

faith_smith1d ago

Yeah totally seconding this. I drove up there last August and ended up sitting in construction traffic for over an hour because they were doing road work then too. The lot was completely full by 7:30 and we had to park way down the road and walk up in the dark. Honestly it kinda killed the vibe because by the time we got set up half the sky was washed out from car headlights still coming and going. Ngl I'd recommend going on a weekday if you can or showing up super early like 5pm to grab a spot. The detour this year sounds even worse so definitely plan ahead.

janahenderson1d ago

I wasn't totally sold on the weekday thing before, but your story about the headlights washing out the sky really hits home. I had a similar thing happen at a spot in Colorado where I didn't think the timing mattered that much. Showed up around 8pm on a Saturday and the place was a circus with people coming and going constantly. Definitely changed my mind about just showing up whenever. I'm planning a trip up there next month and I'm gonna aim for a Tuesday or Wednesday for sure.