Cherry Springs State Park Astronomy Observation Field

It was a wonder to come here and observe the night sky in all it's glory. The tree line is surrounding you and protecting you from light, as best as it can at least. I think that the light fence needs some updating as you can see the headlights of cars passing by and headlights of cars parking in the public viewing area. Not enough to blind but noticeable (can even tell from one of my timelapse photos). When we went on 9/28 there were only a couple other people in the astronomy field, but even then there was one disruptive guy turning on his headlights every so often (red flashlight strobe towards him made him stop). I think we got lucky with the lack of people as I'm not sure if everyone will abide by the no light rule. Maybe some larger signage and threat of a fine? But those are honestly small complaints, the whole experience was wonderful and I will be coming back, on a weekday to avoid the crowd. Don't forget your red flashlight! Another thing to note, the Milky Way is gorgeous, you will need pretty perfect conditions to see it and either a new moon or a moonset during the night. Saw Andromeda, the rings of Saturn and a moon, and the eye of god through binoculars (couldn't find it on the telescope). This place is HEAVILY weather dependent, if there's bad cloud cover you won't see what you want to see, keep that in mind.

Wonderful educational experience with the park rangers today with enrichment classes from several different school districts. Students participated in activities and discussions such as: sun color facts, moon phases, meadow exploration, monarch butterfly tagging and release. There's a great view of the sky here and it is definitely a wonderful place to go if you're a stargazer. Cherry Springs is the only International Dark-Sky Park of Gold Level on the East Coast.

It's a wonderful place, and definitely worth protecting, but I couldn't help feeling the sky wasn't as dark as I was led to believe it would be. I was really hoping to see the milky way. Honestly I think I saw it, but I'm only 70% sure what I saw was it. The area close to the ground was way brighter than the "inner circle" if you're looking straight up. I also kept getting distracted by the bright headlights from the cars in the parking lot, which was visible from the bench area. I can't fault the park for the visibility of the stars though, they can only do so much.

I love this place. So peaceful clean and safe. Its 15 bucks to stay the night. Has electric for your equipment and the bathroom was so clean. No smells, well stocked, the lights are red inside so hard to see at night. No white light here allowed. Make sure to cover anything with white light. The close the gates as dark comes. So get there early.

There was a guided presentation, and I saw the rings is Saturn through a large telescope! Awesome skies, and pretty much everyone respects the light restrictions at night.

Great place to camp out, see more stars, and the Milky Way. Restroom needs updating and cringe-worthy as it is a basic outhouse, no sink, although there is a water faucet outside. The whole restroom looks decent outside but very spartan inside. There is a better, modern restroom in the astronomy field. It has lights, sink, proper toilets, but no shower. Overall, this is a nice campground, but they could make it better.

It was the most horrible sky gazing experience you could imagine. Hundreds of people were there, many of them carrying bright LED flashlights as they traveled to and from the parking area. I am sure they were the same ones that arrived after dark with thier headlights (some even on high beams) blazing full on as they circulated the parking lot looking for a parking spot. We stayed for about 90 mins after dark and then left. I realized it was not going to get any better as the ones leaving early were blending with the ones arriving late. Nearly 25% of the time, I sat there with my eyes shut and covered to try and develop some night vision. It is really hard to watch the stars with your eyes shut.

Great place to view and capture nightscapes, or just view the stars with your telescope. My biggest complaint is the burm they built to shield the field from vehicles leaving the parking lot for the public viewing field is not high enough. Every car leaving flooded the field with white light making capturing and viewing the stars problematic. The only other complaint I have is that there are no signs on the water spouts in the field indicating it is not safe for drinking. There are, however, signs in the main bathroom. Everything else was great. The rangers and field ambassador were very friendly, and the other guests were respectful of everyone else and followed the red light only rule. I can't wait to go back.