Cherry Springs State Park

Amazing park, been twice for star gazing. The public area can be crowded and is not “monitored” or staffed by any parks people, but people are mostly respectful with lights. There are bathrooms and ample free parking. Can get crowded during peak viewing times (new moon etc). Absolutely worth the trip.

What a wild experience. We stayed on the observation field side (rustic camping). It was such a neat thing to lay out in the field with all the other folks oohing and ahhing over the perseids meteor showers. Such a one of a kind experience to be up til 3AM in campground with everyone. Remember your red lights!

Truly a gorgeous and unique experience for anyone on the East Coast. The drive back at night is pretty terrifying but the venue is gorgeous and is something I believe everyone should go to do at some point. The security guards were very kind and knowledgeable and maintained order very well. I would absolutely go again at any point that I could!

This is a beautiful place to visit. I was on the side without camping. Paved parking lot, typical state park restroom facilities. There is bench seating for maybe 150 people, behind a high bank between the seats and parking area. There was a food truck there, serving some good food at a reasonable price. I had the dbl cheeseburger, made from fresh ground beef. Now for the good stuff. I witnessed a beautiful sunset, and the sky was clear enough to see two shooting stars when the sky was still a little blue. Unfortunately I received a call and had to leave before it got dark. I will go back. It's a 4 hour drive for me

We drove from far south of the US, to spend a night here for milkyway photography and watching starts. Unfortunately the weather didn’t allow that but it was the best feeling to be here. The road to Cherry springs state park and the park itself both are amazing and needs to be on your bucket list.

Nice park and pleasant at night, but more often cloudy than not. Milky Way barely visible at 1AM. Bathrooms with cold water only, no showers, or any other facilities. 10 miles you town.

Great view of the night sky even if you forgot your telescope

Went off peak and though we didn’t see the Milky Way because that was the weekend the clouds came and rain came, it was worth it for us. There is a hiking trail next to the developing star gazing lot and camp site, but it’s a hunting trail. Not sure if that’s all year round but be sure if you go, to wear bright colors. Pack warm clothes if you off peak and get there early for a spot if you go during peak season. Bring a red light flashlight for the night time and pull down your trunk and look up!

Such a beautiful place with even more amazing views! The park lived up to the hype the stars were just beautiful and it was fun to see all the people enjoying a beautiful summer night together. I was impressed by the inclusion of park staff for educational programming and talks about the the galaxy stars and more. They had telescopes for people to use as well which was pretty cool. Neat place well worth the visit on a beautiful starry night! If I had one complaint and it isn't park related, people really need to abide by the red light rules. We were absolutely blinded on several occasions by people with cell phones and other white light sources and it definitely takes you out of the experience. It really is that dark and it matters!

Wonderful space to star face. You're able to see the Milky Way and so many constellations. Make sure to check the weather and official website to see if it's a good time to visit. There were so many friendly rangers that had learning activities, laser pointers and telescopes for the public. Would definitely come again and would probably camp or stay within cherry springs next time.

Awesome experience! Open field to do some star gazing. Plenty of parking and there are restrooms available.

AMAZING TREASURE! This dark sky park has it all- space to camp, space to sky watch, forests and a basic hike trail, the main highway that borders the parks are very new and smooth. I went for the night sky programs and it was fantastic. The people running all seem like long time pros and ran a fantastic educational evening. The program on bats was very well researched and had good information to take home. The star tour was enjoyable and focused. They had very fancy telescopes for people to check spots out in. I was a bit worried about that but they repeatedly reminded people to keep hands in pockets. Bonus points- they even had safety goggles to use if you wanted! The grounds looked very well kept and there were plenty of camp spots open. However be warned- the true campfire spots are further away and book a year ahead. There are special programs you can pay extra for as well to give a deeper dive into star gazing. They had people come in from all over the country and lots of people brought blankets and a night time picnic. It was a truly glorious view and a wonderful treasure to escape from city life. Parking is plentiful but I recommend arriving by sunset. Bathrooms are constructed latrines but were very clean and stocked with sanitizer.

Four words: out of this world! Bring at least 3 layers of blankets to make a nice lil spot to lay down, or just a straight up mattress pad/sleeping bag. Highly reccomend bringing a red light, because it is hard to see around you! Went in late August and it was chilly at night, so would also reccomend a hoodie and light jacket. Layers, baby! I took these photos with a iPhone 12 on a 10 second exposure, so deff possible to get cell pics! Wasn't super packed, but deff try to avoid large groups if you want a quite viewing by walking as deep into the field as you can go.

If you're looking for a long hike or different trails to walk this is NOT your place to be. It is strictly for star gazing. We went for the full moon on June 5, 2020. It was a scenic ride up the mountain to the middle of no where. Situated far enough away from any cities or light it produces an extreme darkness or "advanced dark" as spongebob would say. $25 a night for a camp site. Some are under trees and ours thankfully was not. Great view of some stars and the moon looked otherworldly. Coyotes howled for a good portion of the night which was cool. Due to it being 5 plus hours away I don't think we would be returning but it is definitely a spot to check out.

If you're looking for a place to see the stars, this place is as good as it gets. It's one of only two International Dark Sky zones in the country. It's most likely the best place to see the stars on the eastern side of the U.S.

Dark park. It's a drive...so cool to be so close to the Milky Way. It is absolutely dark. There were 2 astronomers leading a discussion describing what we were observing. The weather was 15 degrees cooler up there! Dress warm. We laid on a blanket with a mohair blanket over us.it was fun and different.

The summer months are supposed to be the best time to view the Milky Way so I took a chance and drove 5 hours from NJ on August 22nd. Getting away from city lights to see the stars has always been on my bucket list and unfortunately I still did not check that off after coming here. The clear sky chart showed that the night was going to be mostly clear and good for stargazing so I was prepared to be mesmerized. Alas it was not to be. While conditions were good and the moon had set the view was only marginally better than from my backyard. Granted, there were more stars, especially looking through binoculars, still I was disappointed. I was there till midnight, maybe I left too early? Perhaps other Yelpers here can tell me? On the bright side - clearly not talking about the stars now - the drive up route 44 was fun, lots of winding roads and dips with your headlights the only source of illumination on the way back at night. Be warned, there is only one gas station on 44, between route 220 and Cherry Springs, and it closes at 8pm. I was sweating as the bars went down on the gauge!

Outstanding stargazing. I might have had the best weather on my trip after the 4th of July, not a cloud in the sky for 4 straight days. The sites are clean, some are not on level ground and their are only about 1/2 of the sites that have no shade. Keep in mind that these are "roughing it" campsites. There is no electricity, showers or running water in the bathrooms. Even though you are using a pit to go to the bathroom in it is actually rather clean. Bring something for personal washing, I recommend a product called "The Shower Pouch". Little piece of info as well, Verizon had a perfect LTE connection, AT&T had literally no service. I did not participate in the tours so I can't review that portion of the park. But, overall this place is a five star ;) resort for stargazing!

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Super fun watching the stars at night. You have to reserve a camp site early, I'd say check a couple months or more early since they're usually booked. You can BBQ by your camp. Use red light and not white light at night when people are star gazing or you'll get yelled at.

What a unique and fantastic park! While this park is not large, and not really for hiking, it is a haven for rustic camping, astronomers, and stargazers of all kinds. The night sky here is like non other. You can actually see meteors, satellites, and the Milky Way here! This park is an official "dark sky" area. The camping spots are great. They are well marked, spacious, and quiet. Once you arrive, the check-in kiosk will have a paper reservation ready for you (provided you made reservations). You attach the tag to your campsite post, pitch a tent, cook dinner over fire, and relax. Then, prepare yourself for an amazing star display. Can't wait to go back!

More like 4.5 stars--but i'll round up. Mother nature deserves more than we give her credit for. My friend convinced me to drive 5 hours to go stargazing and camping. We had a side trip at another state park so it made for an eventful weekend. A very scenic drive and equally charming sleepy towns (or can i call them a few houses in a row?) while making our way there. For those that like spirited driving, this is an AMAZING course. I wanted to be adult about it and not be too reckless, but i couldn't help myself... i love my car and attacking the course up and down the mountain. The roads were completely empty but i was careful to always look far ahead for animals or not be too aggressive on the blind turns (which there were plenty). So the drive up and down the mountain deserves 5 stars if you like that sort of thing (even the road back home is equally fun). There are two options when you get near the entrance. The left has those observation pods and a few camping spots. The right side included the short term visitors (non-campers) and entrance to a viewing area i believe. Then further down, there is the camp ground for both trailers and traditional campers. We found a spot and setup. The space is decent, with some trees here and there. Paths are compact gravel so i wouldn't be speeding around. Camping spots were delineated and easy to find. There is a bathroom in the middle...but it was more of an outhouse (for the men.. probably for women too). I just couldn't deal...But that's how camping goes. I appreciate the picnic table, but they were pretty worn out and i wouldn't sit or place anything on them if it was wet..there was obvious wood rot and algae. Perhaps invest in plastic/fiberglass ? The ring for the camp fire was standard. The weekend we went there was 50% chance of rain...and of course, it ended up raining when we JUST got our fire started....AND while i was cooking dinner. LOL. Either way, we made the best of it. We ended up chilling in the tent and knocked out until about midnight when my friend woke up and peered outside. The sky was filled with stars. We got dressed and grabbed our cameras and blanket (day was 70s, night dipped to about 50s). We made our way up the hill to get a better look and to have a place to set up tripods. I saw 2 shooting stars, and one i managed to get on camera!!! Super exciting. I actually didn't think my tiny camera could capture it, but after some post production work, we were super happy with the results. Our DSLR was damaged during our day trip hiking...sigh..BUT we made the best of it. Woke up, cooked breakfast, and everyone was prob jealous of the smell of bacon filling the camp ground. Overall, it was an enjoyable weekend. I would suggest those really interested in scenery and a no fuss break from the city to experience this at least once. If you are a photographer at heart, this is definitely a must. PS. We didnt' get firewood at home since there were places that sold it near the camp. Ended up finding Ron Fisher firewood. Super nice older man that helped us. I don't know the standard price for logs, but we got about 10-13 for $7? I gave him $10 and called it a day.

"'Cause you get lighter the more it gets dark, I'm gonna give you my heart.... You're a sky - a sky full of stars... such a heavenly view." -Coldplay, Sky Full of Stars ************************ For my hundredth Yelp review, I wanted to review somewhere that was near and dear. Matthew P.'s review of this place is the best so read that first. My review can't be as good as his especially with his pictures but I will add my experience since this place deserves many many kind words. As the sun creeps beneath the horizon, slowly the stars emerge one by one until you are blanketed above and all around with the warmth of starlight - likely more stars than you've ever seen! When I was in the Navy, we would see such stars in the middle of the ocean surrounded by water all around. While there are just as many stars here, there is a different beauty with the smell of trees and campfires and feel of the grass as you lay on your back and smile up at a sky swimming with stars. There's a beauty and quiet that descends and makes your heart catch its' breath. If you bring some binoculars, you'll probably be able to see Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons. You could also try seeing if any of the stargazing aficionados will let you take a peek through their telescope. The campsites cost around $18 if you're an out-of-state resident but I usually come with 3-4 people so it's reasonable to split the cost. The game plan in coming here is simple. Bring plenteous blankets since the elevation is a bit higher and it gets COLD at night. Also, besides a warm blanket, nothing helps you sleep so good as a good hot meal. Bring some firewood or else there's a store close by that sells it. The campsites have firepits with gratings over them so bring some good sausages, steaks, and veggies to grill. We have had some great meals here before spending the rest of the evening with a cup of beer and great conversation around the fire interspersed with walks beneath the stars. I usually bring my hammock to sleep (there's good trees at several sites for hanging hammocks) and that way I can fall sleep with the stars visible above me. Staring at the sky here, it isn't easy to imagine why people of ages past dreamed other worlds, gods, and something other than blind chance bringing us here. The beauty of the stars truly makes your heart still and puts you in awe. Surrounded by such beauty, it feels silly to not believe in something "beyond". As a Christian, I love the reminder of how small I am and how the same beauty the fills the stars, fills me too. As King David wrote in the Psalms, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." This area has the darkest skies on the East Coast which is why I try to make it out here once a year. You're not supposed to use white lights after sunset in order to protect the visibility of the stars. I'm really glad they have this policy. The park's whole appeal is stargazing so I appreciate the fact that they do a great job of protecting that atmosphere at night while also providing you with red filters for your flashlights and cell phone. Awesome stuff. While there aren't any hiking or daytime activities at the park, I think that's fine. Most people that camp here are here for the stars and just here for one night. For the park to create hikes wouldn't be reasonable considering not many people come here for multiple days and the ones that do are people crazy about STARS! If you want amazing hikes, just drive north a bit into the Finger Lakes area and you'll have hikes full of waterfalls and trees. If you're looking for a good place to eat on the way out in the morning, stop by Fezz's Community Diner near Coudersport. It's a nice retro diner that gives you tons of food at a reasonable price. I honestly don't see how you could give this place anything other than 5 stars. I would give it as many as fill the sky.

As others have noted, there's not much to do here in the daytime! We came a few hours early to make sure we knew where to go, and there didn't seem to be much in the way of hiking trails or other facilities beyond camping and stargazing in the immediate area. The star gazing area is a big grassy field with a few benches for viewing. There are small red pathway lights, but these did not come on during the night we visited. There is red plastic cellophane and rubber bands available at the map kiosks so you can cover your cell phones and flashlights. For the most part, people were very considerate about their lights and conversations (especially since sound carries really well here). We brought a blanket for the ground, and you'll probably want a sweater or some sort of throw to keep yourself warm as the night progresses. The stargazing is fantastic -- we were too early for the peak of the meteor showers, but saw a few. No luck on the Northern Lights this time though! When we visited, there was some roadwork being done on the 44 which made it seem like you could not access the park (and our B&B) from both directions, but we later learned (after a many mile detour) that we could have come in from either way.

This is one of the best places to stargaze on the whole east coast. The real deal is its surrounded to mountains and forests on all sides and the lack of towns in any direction really prevents the skies from becoming "light-polluted" not bad at all, i think it costs about 8 dollars to register and reserve some space and camp. stats: 48 acres, surrounded by the 262,000 acre susquehannock state forest. has mountain biking, camping, hiking and an annual woodsman's show.

An absolutely fantastic park especially for astronomy, it is pitch black. The people who stay here no not to use white lights which will ruin your night vision; only red flashlights are used pretty cool. I saw "shooting stars", planets and ones telescope as well as the rings of Saturn and Jupiter's moons. I guess the general gist of the whole thing is that it's a pitch black field on a big open field on a mountain. There are "sanitary facilities" and plenty of room for camping.

So, my friends and I went here this past weekend. We all live about 5 1/2 hours away from the park (Clinton, MD). Our sole purpose was to go see the stars, so I can't elaborate on the campgrounds or anything like that. Anyhow, the trip up was absolutely amazing. The scenery was breathtaking, especially the mountains. It should be noted that the last hour of our drive consisted of driving up Mt Broadhead. Please ensure that your car is in good enough condition to conquer this terrain!! I have a 2014 Nissan Sentra, and my baby got through it with no problem. There are a lot of sharp, dangerous turns, in addition to rivers that you won't be able to see in the dark. If possible, try to make this trip while you still have sunlight. We were running behind schedule and had to navigate in the dark. It wasn't impossible, just tedious and really creepy (but, fun!!). Once we finally made it there (missed the turn twice), we all got out and looked up at the sky. I immediately got tears in my eyes, because it was so beautiful. The trip was worth every hour. The skies back at home can't compare. The night we went, the sky was about 90% clear. Unfortunately, the moon was at the waning gibbous phase, so it prevented us from actually seeing any nebulae or a bit of the milky way. The sky was still incredible. I even got to see my very first shooting star! (yes, i made a wish) I would also like to note that, because we were at such a high altitude, it was absolutely freezing. Of course, we were prepared and wore layers. However, my friends definitely want to plan a second trip back when it's warmer...and when there's a new moon. This time around, we're going to use the observation field and bring telescopes (by the way, that costs about $15 to use. However, if you're just there for casual public viewing, you can use the field on the right side of the road, which is free). If you're thinking about coming here...don't think. Just go. Just ensure that's it's on a clear night with little to no moonlight. You won't regret it. I promise. There is also a website that predicts what the sky conditions should look like. I used that to help me to decide when to go. Just google "Clear Dark Sky Cherry Springs State Park".

What am awesome experience! We arrived here on Saturday 9/23/17 for a stargazing party. There were so many friendly astrology people, willing to share some knowledge and their advanced telescopes. When we arrived the parking attendant said there was no need to bring chairs. I'd definitely recommend bringing chairs or a blanket with you. On Saturday, it was a brisk cool night with clear skies. It was a breathtaking view of the milky way galaxy! Also, we were able to view the moon up close and planets, such as Saturn. Truly an amazing experience!

Scenery: Never been here during the day, so I can't really comment on the daytime scenery. That's not what the park is known for anyways - it's known for being designated a Dark Sky Park by the International Dark sky Association, which is related in a feedback loop to its popularity as a stargazing site. So, of course, my comments will be largely on my preference for naked-eye stargazing (rather than astrophotography or telescope viewing). The sky is largely unoccluded, as the stargazing field is relatively flat and wide open. It's probably pretty nice for getting an expansive view. That's about where my praise ends. 21.5. That's a fairly typical MPSAS of this site. In other words, it's frequently barely a true dark sky site at all, and based on both satellite and SQM records from the past few years, it's been getting worse. On the day I went, I saw orange-ish light domes. I'm not sure if that's from fracking or the small towns that have been growing near the site, but either way, it's not worth... Accessibility: The long drive that it takes to get there from any major city. The park is seriously far away from any cities (good) and reasonably good hotels (bad). If you're averse to local motels and are not a camper, be prepared for at least an hour of driving past the stargazing time before you even get to a room with a bed. I've done that before, and I'll gladly do it again, but the roads to get there also go through a large number of the aforementioned small towns, several of which have obvious speed traps in the form of sub-25mph speed limits - not fun for substantial distances of driving in the dark. There are better access sites of adequate, even similar darkness for the naked-eye stargazer. Facilities: Didn't use them, so can't comment. Probably pretty decent, given they host star parties. Personal Notes: It can get crowded on any given nice night on weekends. Other people might find it fun, but I stargaze in part to enjoy the solitude and feeling of the vastness of the universe. It feels rather more like a small world when there's a dozen others nearby, especially if they're rather loud college-aged kids who may have seen the bottom of a bottle or five. The two points off are for the declining darkness and the lack of good accessibility. Despite being willing to drive five hours to and from parks for a good hike or stargazing site, I don't think I'd readily make the effort to go to Cherry Springs again.

Great experience watching the Milky Way! Definitely would recommend it to everyone. Park rangers manage the traffic almost till 11 pm.

This was a worth while trip! You won't regret it! We went on a night that was rated average by all means on the star gazing forecast and it was still breathtaking! I will definitely do it again when the stars are aligned...

Stunning sky on a new moon, cloudless night. Put away your connections to the world...and just awe in the light of billions of stars entering your humbled retinas. The park proper is OK, nothing special. The views are grand so consider the two as separate entities. They can do better than porta potties.

Went to Cherry Springs Park to stargaze and what a wonderful experience it was! A breathtaking view of the stars and meteor showers. I was skeptical to drive 6 hours just to see the stars but was definitely worthwhile. Arrived there around 12:30 am and we were greeted by the entrance security, parked the car and followed little red dim lights to where the benches are to have an amazing view of the stars. Very organized park and would highly recommend.