Skies Wide Open
A Glimpse into Northern California’s Night Skies…
Miles of wilderness marked by large swaths of forest, impressive peaks and lack of light pollution make Northern California the place to be for astrotourism, as there are countless places to go to see the stars. Here are some of NorCal’s top stargazing spots where you can catch the Milky Way, comets, constellations or have prime viewing for special events like auroras and eclipses.
Houseboating on Shasta Lake: Fortunately, this year the lake is full and there’s something special about being able to motor out into a quiet cove on a floating cabin, rolling a sleeping bag out on the roof of it, and falling asleep to shooting stars overhead. The Shasta Marina at Packers Bay, Holiday Harbor and Jones Valley rent houseboats, as well as Bridge Bay Resort where sometimes astronomers will go out and set up telescopes on the shoreline. www.bridgebayhouseboats.com
Camping at Castle Crags: Recognized as a Class 2 site on the Bortle dark-sky scale (a nine-level scale that measures the brightness of a night sky), Castle Crags is a California State Park that’s known to be “protected” against light pollution. For a longer hike up toward the dramatic granite spires, take the steep 5.5-mile (roundtrip) Castle Dome Trail up towards the sky. If you’re not up for such a strenuous hike, the short Vista Point trail leads to a spectacular overlook.
www.parks.ca.gov
Listen to Rushing Water While Looking Up at the Stars: Along with the 129-foot tall cascades at McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park that Theodore Roosevelt called the eighth wonder of the world, there are some great stargazing spots along the Pioneer Cemetery Trail on the path to Lake Britton. Burney Falls also holds a Bortle Class 2 rating, and stargazing is mentioned as one of the top activities to do at the park in Moon’s upcoming Best of California State Parks guidebook coming out this winter. The best time to go to Burney Falls is in the off-season when it’s not as crowded.
www.parks.ca.gov
Stargaze From a Volcano: One of Northern California’s proudest features is Lassen Volcanic National Park, a 106,372-acre haven for wildlife and nature aficionados. The meadows and lakes are the most popular spots in the park to view a larger swath of the sky; Cinder Cone and Lassen Peak trails are also ideal for full moon hikes. Lassen Volcanic National Park has a whole webpage and video dedicated to how to best see the Milky Way and other awe-inspiring cosmos; sometimes rangers lead stargazing programs in the summertime, too. www.nps.gov/lavo
Soak in the Celestial Spirituality of Mt. Shasta: Standing at 14,180 feet, Mt. Shasta’s altitude alone puts one at an otherworldly height where the air is cleaner and less turbulent, subsequently lessening the effect of light pollution. The cleaner air and lack of atmospheric disturbance gives astronomers more illuminating views of the night sky. Long before settlers arrived, the Shasta, Karuk and Modoc tribes have believed Mt. Shasta acts as a spiritual gateway to the rest of the universe, connected by the stars. One of the best places to view the dark skies is from the Mount Shasta Vista Point heading
north on Highway 97; the Mt. Shasta Stargazers also meet a couple of times a month and often send
out information about astronomical events in the area. www.mtshastastargazers.com
The best time to view stars is during a new moon or when the moon is below the horizon. When heading out at night, be sure to pack:
✓ Warm clothes. It gets chilly in Northern California at night!
✓ A red light. These are better for preserving night vision. It takes 15-30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark, and a flashlight can disrupt your night sky acclimation. If you don’t have a red light, consider putting red cellophane over your flashlight.
✓A planisphere, star chart, or stargazing app so you know what you’re looking at.
✓A pair of binoculars, unless you have a telescope.
✓A reclining chair. This can help relieve your neck from staring up at the sky.
✓Check out the Sky & Telescope website to see what’s in your area. Besides pointing out the Big Dipper, impress your friends by doing a little research ahead of time to see what you can spot.
To find out more about the stargazing spots mentioned above and other great stargazing spots (like the Trinity Alps and Whiskeytown Lake), check out the “Moon Northern California Road Trips” guidebook written by Stuart Thornton and me. Enjoy the dark! •
