Hello from the PNW!

LittleBlue

Hello! I’m not a new T@B owner at this point, but I finally got around to making a profile. In fact, I’ve been lurking on the forum for so long I’d forgotten I didn’t actually have an account! Thank you all for the great info here—just this month I used the extensive discussion about changing the Alde fluid to get the job done. 

I’ve been having a wonderful time exploring the PNW with my 2022 320 BD. I went on my first out-of-region adventure to Southern California this year and I desperately wish the Eastern Sierra region was closer to home so I could visit more often. I’m hoping to make it out to the SW or the Tetons next year as my next big trip.

If anyone has recommendations for favorite dark sky locations, I'm all ears. My other hobby is astronomy and I'm always on the hunt for dark skies with good camping.

I’m excited to be a more active participant here on the forums!

Sharon_is_SAM

Welcome to the forum!

elbolillo

@littleblue Big Bend is one of our favorite places with great dark skies. Black Canyon of the Gunnison was also great.

californication

I liked Joshua Tree NP and Death Valley NP. However, I thought they're more in "Dark Sky" zone, until I found this map: https://www.darkskymap.com/nightSkyBrightness
This seems to be a nice one too: https://www.darkskymap.com/map (where black dots mean the best location, then dark blue and light blue).

pthomas745

I was going to post up some campground photos today from my trip in September.  Almost all the CA deserts are "fairly dark", but some are better than others.  There is one spot in particular that I have been to a couple of times: Grandview Campground, at 8500 feet in the White Mountains east of Bishop/Big Pine on US395.  A popular spot for amateur astronomers.  Very quiet, pit toilets, no water, no amenities except picnic tables at the sites. 

There are other campgrounds along the west side of 395, south of Mammoth.  Many decent spots, probably not as "dark", but I live in Socal so it seems wonderfully dark to me.  I went to McGee Creek Campground, which had a decent view of the sky over the surrounding terrain.  Except for the group with the most blinding flashlights I had ever seen, it was a nice spot.

Picture below is from Grandview.  There were several astronomers out with their scopes on the first night, when is was very clear, no moon.  Smoke from fires filtered down from the north over the next 24 hours, and the campground cleared out.  (It was mid week).  Grandview is one of the quietest campgrounds I've ever visited. The Milky Way, and a couple of satellites traveling west to east.  You can see the slight glow from probably Big Pine on the lower section of the photo.  I'll put up details of the campgrounds in the "Post Up Some Shots of Your Tab Setup" thread.

Binghi

Rusty’s RV Ranch is a very dark park. It is near the NM/AZ boundary west of Animas, NM, and east of the Chiricahua Mountains.

LittleBlue

@pthomas745 On our 395 trip in May, we stayed right next door to McGee Creek at the Crowley Lake BLM campground! Absolutely beautiful skies -- I'm sorry you had to fight some white light. I also have really lovely skies down at Tuttle Creek Campground, even though it was a little close to Lone Pine.

It's so great to hear a vote for Grandview -- your photo is gorgeous. It was on the list, but we just ran out of time to make it it up there. How nerve wracking was the road with the trailer?

LittleBlue

Thank you @Binghi and @elbolillo for the recommendations! I'm adding them to the google map for when I go farther East.

@californication thanks for the great links!

Cherokee

I'm fortunate to live in California. The entire milky way is predominate at night in Death Valley. A trip to BIG Bend National Park in Texas from the North West will take you to "dark Sky's road and an observatory in the RV park in Marathon TX !     

pthomas745

@LittleBlue I have been to Tuttle Creek several times, and it was the first place I ever took my trailer.  I have also camped out in the Alabama Hills a couple of times. Even though Lone Pine is very close, the skies are excellent and I've had some good luck with some Milky Way shots there.

The road to Grandview is CA168 out of Big Pine.  It is well maintained, one of the few roads that cross the mountains East-West from the Owens Valley to Nevada.  Not too crowded, but it is a sort of slow 28 mile climb to the campground from Big Pine. Slow mostly because of the curvy nature of a mountain highway.  The turnoff from 168 puts you on another curvy road, well maintained, to the campground.

There is one spot on 168, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 miles long, that is simply blasted out of the rocks, and this is the "narrow one lane road" that comes up when you search for the campground. Picture below.  The road is not too busy, there is plenty of "line of sight" to see if anyone is coming.  It really isn't "that" narrow, but it is good to know about it anyway.  Borrowed this photo of the area from Google Street view.

 

Grumpy_G

If you're in the PNW you probably know that South Eastern Oregon is one of the better places for stargazing and such because few people live there. Owhyee Canyon area, Alvord desert, Steens mountains come to mind. Hart Mountain Antelope Preserve might be good as well but my plans to go there this year have been scuttled by a massive wildfire :(

LittleBlue

@pthomas745 great to hear the roads to Grandview are well maintained! I'll make sure to go when I go back down that way. Wow, that is an exciting one-way canyon. Thanks for the heads up.

@Grumpy_G, yes I've been meaning to make my way further East and South, especially the places you mentioned! I've heard mixed reports on the road difficulty with a trailer out to the playa at Alvord--have you done it before? I hadn't heard about the preserve--thanks so much for the recommendation, though I'm sad to hear about the fire closure and I hope it can recover. The fires were so bad this year. They also forced me to cancel plans this summer as well. Note quite as far, but I did make it out to Summer Like Wildlife Area on my way south to 395 and it was really lovely and has dark skies, though I know it can get dust storms.

Grumpy_G

Antelope, Oregon just became a dark skies community. 

https://ktvz.com/news/environment/2024/12/06/historic-town-of-antelope-certified-as-oregons-first-international-dark-sky-community/

As for the Alford desert I have not been to the playa with the trailer. There are a few places where the playa is not far from the road on the west side so it shouldn't be too difficult to get to it. The playa itself is flat, they even do land speed records there. 

NorthIsUp

Take a look at Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada and the town of Baker right outside. 

Binghi

NorthIsUp said:

Take a look at Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada and the town of Baker right outside. 

Thanks for the tip. We drove past that park a couple of years ago and I wondered about it. I think we’ll stop there next year on our trip out west.