WOW! Harvest Moon 2019 at sunrise. What a treat to be in the path of light illuminatating the full moon. The drive up the hill (over 10k feet) took a little over an our and is a little rough to make the drive in the pitch dark of night, but certainly well worth the effort to do it you the chance to do this.
Being at the top of the crater and above the trees made for an out of this world experience that I challenge you to try. I felt capable of exercising up there but tbe lack of oxygen quickly put in check. The temperature at 5:30 a.m. was a little bit over 45 degrees. Can I used to be cool weather, be sure to pack some layers since the wind can get pretty rough up there. Observatory was available for invited guests only, so the road up there was closed off. There are trailheads that can be explored in the surrounding area. There is an endangered species, we are strongly encouraged to stick to the trails only. Access to watch the sunrise at this time in the morning is available by invitation only. Be sure to check the website for...
Read moreA nicely short hike which rewards the curious with a nice view of nature. The view of the parking lot at the top of the hike is obscured by a rock, so keep that in mind if you have anyone in the car or on the ground taking pictures. The trail has some fairly steep steps, and at roughly 10,000 feet up, and I strongly advise not to overexert. I dropped a phone that was gimbal attached and luckily it only got sand near the lenses. Any of these rocks can seriously scratch your phone up though.
There is no additional entry fee once you have paid to enter the...
Read moreAn absolutely incredible spot to watch the sunrise. It’s just a short hike from the visitor center but much less crowded.
If you’re coming for sunrise be sure to have a reservation, you can’t get into the park without one before 7am. Tip: there is a batch of reservations released 48 hours in advance. We were able to score one of those by ordering right when they came online.
After you see the sunrise, hike the Sliding Sands trail. But be cautious, it’s exposed and the elevation makes the hike tougher...
Read more