Cherry Springs State Park — Attraction in West Branch Township

Cherry Springs State Park is an absolute gem for stargazers, astronomers, and nature enthusiasts alike! It was so worth the 3.5 hour drive to see the park's darkest and clearest skies on the East Coast. The unadulterated night sky is far away from light pollution/smog, making it a prime spot for astrophotography, roughly 2300 feet above sea level. I recently visited during a new moon, and the Milky Way was incredibly vivid and unreal, stretching across the sky like a celestial river. Be sure to choose a visit time when the night skies are clear and it is a new moon, so the sparkling stars are unobstructed! The best viewing time for the stars and Milky Way galaxy during the summer is around 11-12 pm when there is no ambient light from the sun, and it peaks before astronomical dawn roughly 2-3 am.

The park is well-maintained and has excellent facilities. There is a free public field without any restrictions and a paid field (closes gates catered towards overnight astrophotography and stargazing. In the overnight astronomy observation field, you can only have red lights (you even have to apply a red filter on your phone in accessibility settings!) You can either lay down a blanket for a picnic, set up a tent for camping, or find a cabin or airbnb nearby. Bring blankets, lawn chairs, and telescopes! We paid a $15 donation for a lot on the paid field and slept underneath the stars in a sleeping bag - watch out for the dew in the morning!. The paid astronomy field is spacious with electric plugs (RV friendly), and it's great that they have designated areas specifically for stargazing on the concrete telescope pads. There is a manual water pump, a small pond, and an eco friendly bathroom (even the lights in here are red lol)

During the day, there are plenty of hiking trails nearby to explore, providing beautiful views of Pennsylvania's nature and wildlife. The rustic campsites are clean and well-spaced, giving a great sense of privacy and tranquility. Overall, Cherry Springs State Park is a must-visit for anyone looking to experience the wonders of the night sky. Can't wait to come back in the winter when the skies are even clearer!

One tip: make sure to bring warm clothing, even in the summer, as it can get quite chilly at night.

(The pictures below were taken on a Samsung phone on a tripod with astrophotography mode in the expert raw camera and edited...

We went there June 1-3 2022 for camping and stargazing. It was a wonderful experience! We reserved the reservation on the park website in January and the weekends in summer were all sold out. It was not an very easy drive to get there as the road has a lot of turns and slopes (hairpin turn!). The check-in was easy (get a paper from a box at the wall of an office). The campground seemed to be relatively well maintained. It was clean, the grass was recently mowed, and the restroom was equipped with enough toilet papers (I see campsite 10's grill and the well water faucet near us were not working). There are about 30 campsites and all are equipped with a charcoal grill and wooden table and benches. The campsites are on a slope so not much water puddles, good for even rainy day camping. Cars can be parked next to the tents. Most campsites are close to each other so privacy is minimal. We can hear our neighbors' voices, although not the content. I was sure everyone in the campground heard our kids when they were screaming 🤣. But in a sense we felt pretty safe because everyone was close by. The stargazing is the best part. We unfortunately experienced two days of thunderstorms and rains, but considered ourselves lucky to see the clear sky on the last night at 3 am. The stars were so visible and were like pouring into you. Even with our phones, we captured stunning stary pictures. The only really down side is the restroom. A few reminders: Bug spray Foil for the grill Cell phone signal was very weak for most carriers (ATT had sporadic signal). If you need to search information, download star map apps, or navigate to a place, better get prepared before arrival. The multi day reservation is valid even though you do not check in the first night. Try to use red lights or wrap lights with red cellophane to mitigate interference...

We had a wonderful time at Cherry Springs State Park! The park is well managed and clean. The campground is a very short walk to the public viewing field and there are shortcuts through the tree line if you want to shave a minute or two. They will sometimes have trained helpers with telescopes to guide guests through the night sky but these do not happen all the time. You can find out about events on the state park site.

If you forget supplies, there is a campground store a short distance down the road where you can buy drinks, ice cream, lawn games, and other various supplies. I consider it driving distance because there is no safe path to walk the mile or so down the road. The bathroom at the campground is clean but if another camper leaves the lid open, it can make the smell almost unbearable in there (there are signs hung to encourage guests to close the lid once they are done). There is also a "potable water" spicket near the bathroom if you need drinkable water. No electric or water hookups fyi.

We saw a couple sleep in the back of their truck and we wish we had done that because it is truly beautiful out there and cool enough in October that you could cuddle up and stay warm in the right sleeping bag.

As for the drive up from our hometown in PA, we took the non-toll roads which meant a lot of windy roads! Not very fun in the RV or with a family that might have any motion sickness but definitely beautiful views of the autumn leaves. Also, we stopped at the The Sticky Elbow in Williamsport, PA. We recommend the Crack Chicken Bread. Portions were great.

Other than wishing there were more kids/families there (which I'm sure there are during most of the summer) and having some trouble with our telescope (newbies trying to use it for the first time), we...