Forum Discussion

RWDIII's avatar
RWDIII
Explorer
Apr 22, 2015

Dark sky camping

Gets pretty warm in Ariz from now on so this last weekend went camping in the KOFA area north of the YPG.
nice dark sky to the north.At Casa Grande the north sky is light because of the Phx lights.
really got serious,had my red flashlight,star chart and my new 20x80 Celestron bincocs,and O gravity lounge chair to lay back on.
Found out I couldn't read the chart with the red light.
its a little late in the year for gazing at orion,but always enjoy looking at the nebula in the sword.
after putting the binocs away,enjoyed looking at the stars,after a while I could make out the small dipper,something I cant see in Casa Grande.

still debating whether to go to Chaco Canyon for the summer solstice

If anyone has done this please let me know
sorry for double pic of the new truck
Boondocking
Dry Camping
Public Lands
  • cadman70454's avatar
    cadman70454
    Explorer
    May 03, 2015
    My best views thru my 16" telescope were at an astronomy resort in Mayhill, NM at 7400'. I could see intricate detail in the dark lanes of M31 & M51. Photograph like views. There are a lot of research grade telescopes in the area. The arrangement of the mountains make for good telescope viewing. The resort stopped taking guests and I'm not familiar with camping in that area. If someone knows of an RV campground or boondocking site in the area Cloudcroft, NM or Mayhill, NM, please let me know. I'd like to go back.
  • mtdew999's avatar
    mtdew999
    Explorer
    Apr 24, 2015
    Alvord Desert, SE Oregon. Angel Lake, near Wells Nevada, 8500 ft.
  • TexasShadow's avatar
    TexasShadow
    Explorer II
    Apr 22, 2015
    Death Valley is spectacular on a winter night.
    West Texas area has some great night skies.
  • DougE's avatar
    DougE
    Explorer
    Apr 22, 2015
    I have to plug Big Bend NP on the Mexico border south of McDonald Observatory. Not only does it have "gold" status for its night sky, but since receiving that classification the park's outdoor lights have been eliminated or replaced with limited-output, directional LED fixtures.
  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    Apr 22, 2015
    Apache trail not any good... Too close to big towns...

    Did find the Wupatki Indian Ruins 30 miles north of Flagstaff, Az was pretty neat for star gazing... The view of the Painted Desert was great as well in the the early evenings... A couple of the ruins would be perfect place to setup cameras. We TENT camped back in there a couple of nights way back then just off the main roads... Never checked if it was legal camping or not - no one bothered us...

    Another strange event there was you could sometimes hear people talking and kids playing but no one around for miles. Must be perfect spot for sound to carry from long distances away...

    Roy Ken
  • VegasBT's avatar
    VegasBT
    Explorer
    Apr 22, 2015
    Gotta put a good word in for Great Basin NP in Northern Nevada. A designated Dark Skies location, it's awesome for stargazing!

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