Carters Lake Astronomy Field — Attraction in Ranger

Carters Lake is a man made nature gem... Get yourself there early in the morning, before sunrise, so you can sit by the lake, and observe the majestic sun rising up above the mountains, and casting its marvelous ray of lights upon the water's crest. Than take a waking trial to the top of the nature center, where you can see a variety of song birds playfully singing and flying all over the place. You could also make a stop in one of the 3 overlooks they have in the trajectory there. Then.... Head to the dam... Just a wonderful place to walk around, take picture, unwind, rest, have your morning coffee (before it gets crowded) and contemplate the views of the lake from up there.. So. Don't wait no more. Get up early tomorrow, and...

Courteous area with a lot of space to setup your telescope and camera. Not a perfectly clear from haze sky bortles wise but one of the better and friendlier places I've found in the southeast. Didn't realize my federal army of engineers pass worked here and the gate keeper was extremely friendly and pleasent and took time to not only tell me it works but also answer questions and have suggestions.

Restrooms were accessible and the only scary thing was driving over the dam, but that's a me problem and not an issue with the location itself. I'm afraid of heights :).

The lake is beautiful. It's a reservoir so it looks very man made, but if you are going there to star gaze or astrophotography it's worth at least a...

This place is very cool. It has some great learning plaques and would be even cooler at night. This is just one of the awesome things to do around Carters Lake. It is pretty and well maintained. There is a playground, basketball and volleyball. Would be a great place...