12 of the Best Stargazing Spots in Pennsylvania To Take Your Kids To

If you are looking for a way out and some fun nature activities for your kids and yourself in Pennsylvania, the best thing to do is plan a stargazing trip. Pennsylvania is known for its historical significance and mind-blowing stargazing spots for groups and families to enjoy. 

It is the ultimate destination that people can look up to for a perfect stargazing experience because the light pollution in the rural cities does not affect the night sky. Therefore, plan out a trip right now to take your kids to the best stargazing spots in Pennsylvania to experience the breathtaking night skies with myriads of beautiful twinkling stars and constellations.

Here is a helpful tip before starting with the list of stargazing spots in the state. The key to ensuring that your kids thoroughly enjoy themselves in the stargazing getaway is to give them time to relax their minds and bodies. Therefore, taking it slowly from one location to another is the key to experiencing the adventure thoroughly. 

The following are the twelve popular stargazing spots in Pennsylvania to take your family and kids to and experience the awe-inspiring natural beauty of our world.

Cherry Springs State Park

Perhaps the best stargazing spot in Pennsylvania, the Cherry Springs State Park is located in Coudersport, a small town near the state border’s cusp. This state park is a stargazer’s paradise and should be on the top of your list among all the stargazing spots, as it is the first Dark Sky park internationally and on the second rank among the top Gold Tiers in the world. 

The Coudersport town has little to no pollution, making the sky pitch black at night, perfect for the best stargazing experience. The sky here has to offer some breathtaking views of the Milky Way, unidentified astronomical objects, planets, and thousands of other stars and constellations. 

When the night is clear, and if you get lucky, you and your kids can look up in awe at up to 30,000 twinkling stars, making for a memorable stargazing experience unlike any other. 

Sara’s Campground, Lake Erie

Sara’s Campground is located along Lake Erie’s shores, a perfect location for family camping. Spend the day exploring the nearby spots, splashing in the lake, and enjoying the sun on the beach. Watch the mesmerizing sunset, with the sun reflecting on the lake waters, filling the sky with blazing colors. 

Wait for a little more while when the night sky takes over the sun, loaded with stars and other celestial bodies, giving a fantastic glow to the surroundings. Set your tents right there, as there will be no trees or other distractions as you experience the mindblowing star clusters and galaxies, offering an incredible stargazing adventure.

Raystown Lake

The dark waters of the Raystown lake make it a perfect spot for stars gleaming and reflecting in almost 8,300 acres of the clear water. Surrounded by the Appalachian ridges, the lake is an ideal spot for a stargazing experience with millions of stars shining brightly. 

The lake is surrounded by 2,300 acres of mountains and slopes, offering tons of different activities for kids and adults during the day. When you are done, get back to your camps, freshen up, and gaze at millions of bright stars and constellations in the clear dark skies.

Sproul State Forest

Located in the center of Pennsylvania Wilds, the Sprout State Forest offers the perfect skies for stargazing, spread to more than 306,500 acres. You will have a unique, undisturbed experience with your kids, only with the sound of the surrounding forest woods. 

There is no electricity, no networks, no neighbors – just you and your family gazing up at the thousands of gorgeous stars, galaxies, and other celestial bodies! However, you have to cross some challenging steeps and trails in the deep forests to reach the exact spot. We promise you will not regret it once you get to the perfect paradise of uncountable constellations.

Ohiopyle State Park

Ohiopyle is most commonly famous for its whitewater river rafting, but the clear skies at night make it an ideal place for gazing at the great galaxies. Hence, plan a river rafting trip during the day, then set your camp under the skies for a great stargazing experience.

Laurel Hill State Park

If you are planning a stargazing trip with your kids during the summer, Laurel Hill State Park is the place to go. Laurel Hill Lake is more than 1,200 feet long, with deep forests, sandy beaches, and various challenging hiking trails.

There are many campsites set up all over the state park for you to relax during the day and give yourself away to the uncountable beautiful stars magically appearing on the clear dark skies at night.

Pine Grove Furnace State Park

Having incredible historical and natural features, the Pine Grove State Park is located near Harrisburg in the South Mountain. The park is around 700 acres big, offering various campsites for families to enjoy and experience the adventures of the beautiful star-lit playground.

In addition to the naturally-occurring stargazing spots, you can also plan a visit to Pennsylvania’s famous observatories. They have high-powered telescopes to offer a highly-magnified view of the planets, galaxies, stars, and other celestial bodies. 

Observatories Offering the Best Stargazing Experience

Make a trip to one of the many astronomical centers in Pennsylvania with your kids and enjoy the beautiful close-up views of the incredible space. The following are a few observatories where you can take your kids to:

Wagman Observatory

Gaze into the cosmos at the Wagman Observatory, owned by and operating under the Amateur Astronomers Association Of Pittsburgh (AAAP). Located in Tarentum, in the Deer Lakes Park, this observatory loves to invite travelers to its incredible stargazing parties. 

It is a lovely place to take your kids to, as you will experience a magnified view of many celestial objects by using the observatory’s telescopes. The two larger telescopes at the observatory include a Manka Memorial telescope and a Brashear 11-inch refractor. You will also find various other smaller telescopes set up throughout the observatory.

Perry North

Talking about Pittsburgh, another popular spot ideal for stargazing is the Perry North. The highest point in the city is the Riverview park, where you can enjoy the city’s landscape, along with the Allegheny Observatory, located 1,370 feet in the air. 

The observatory offers fantastic views of the stars and the galaxies, with various telescopes set up throughout. In addition to the starry skies, you can also enjoy Pittsburgh city’s beautiful views and Ohio River Valley.

Naylor Observatory

The Naylor Observatory is situated in Lewisberry, owning many high-powered telescopes set up for visitors for public stargazing at night. You can watch the beautiful views of the moon, star clusters, constellations, planets, nebulae, double stars, and galaxies.

Peter Van De Kamp Observatory

Pennsylvania’s newest observatory, the Peter Van De Kamp Observatory at Swarthmore College, offers spectacular views of objects lying in the outer reaches of the space. 

It houses one of the finest telescopes in the industry, the 24-inch f/7.8 Ritchey Chritein, owned by the Dutch Astronomer Peter Van and consists of complete instrumentation for spectroscopy and photometric, with entire imaging suites.

Public stargazing events and other open houses are held every month in the observatory.

Widener Observatory

The astronomers at the Widener Observatory located in Chester welcome everyone to share their experiences with the public and novice astronomers. The observatory is an excellent place to plan your trip, as it offers spectacular views of stars, planets, nebulae, galaxies, clusters, and other space objects through high-powered telescopes. 

The telescopes used are the 16-inch computerized Meade Cassegrain telescope and various other 12-inch ones to experience the best stargazing sessions held every Monday evening during fall and spring.

Additional Tips for Stargazing

Now that you know where to take your kids to the perfect stargazing spots in Pennsylvania, here are a few valuable tips to keep in mind before planning the ultimate getaway.

Move Away From Artificial Lights

Artificial lights like streetlights or lamp posts cause light pollution, affecting the sky and dimming the natural light from the stars.

Find a Spot Closest to the Horizon

Make sure you choose a clear spot for an ideal stargazing experience. Move away from trees or other view-blocking items. Get up to a high mountain for an excellent vantage point for stargazing.

Check the Weather

Be sure that you check the weather forecast before you plan any getaway, as you do not want unexpected clouds to ruin your family trip. Also, make sure that you and your kids are dressed accordingly, as clear grounds and the night often makes the weather chilly.

Final Thoughts

No matter which spot you choose for stargazing in Pennsylvania, every location has its own worth, offering unique stargazing experiences to all. The places mentioned above are some of the best stargazing spots in Pennsylvania you may head to and give your kids an astronomical experience like none other.

Watch the sky in awe and delight filled with the twinkling stars, the cosmic dust burning up the atmosphere, the shooting star if you get lucky, the constellations, the Milky Way, planets, and much more! Happy stargazing!