It is an amazing place to take kids and dogs on the 2-mile loop that goes through the park to see the stars with the San Francisco Peaks and Mount Elden as part of the backdrop. Situated on McMillan Mesa northeast of Downtown Flagstaff, it is a 215-acre park that used to be the home of a western-styled, animal-viewing park, complete with, you guessed it, buffalo. There are also multiple forest roads that branch off and leave Sunset Crater Volcano Park itself, meaning you can camp! This is probably the best place to take your photography star-scapes of the Milky Way because you can get those beautiful ponderosa pines to frame your shot.įor those who don't feel like driving out of town or have limited time, Buffalo Park is also a great spot to catch some stargazing. Simply drive around the area and when you see a great spot, stop and enjoy. There is more tree cover and the trails also close at sunset but there are some amazing spots out there to see some awesome stars. With the same entrance fee and hours as the Wupatki National Monument, this is also a great place to look for the stars. Just 14 miles away from the Flagstaff Mall on Highway 89, this park has amazing views of the night sky. That's a lot of time to watch the stars cross the sky. If you are a super fan of the stars there is a Flagstaff Annual Pass ($45) that covers the entrance fee to both Sunset Crater and Wupatki for a whole year. So if it is cloudy one night, you can always try again the next night. There is a $25 fee to get into the Sunset Crater- Wupatki area per private vehicle, but it lasts for 7 days. Just don't plan on camping overnight that is still not allowed and there are no designated camp spots to do so anyway. While access to the monument's visitor center itself closes at 5pm and the trails around it close at sunset, there are technically no rules to just stopping in the parking lot for an hour or more to check out the stars. North of Flagstaff off of Highway 89, it is a little out of the way for most visitors, but it is definitely worth it. Big bonus: There is almost nothing blocking your view across the horizon due to lack of trees and other obtrusive items, meaning you can see from the horizon in the west to the horizon in the east. (Yes being in a Dark Sky City still means there is some light pollution). It is far enough away from the city proper to have almost no light pollution. Lowell Observatory is the epicenter of Flagstaff's stargazing community and a huge part in Flagstaff's history, so we highly recommend this as your first stop!ĭoesn't sound super promising when the words "parking lot" are involved, does it? But trust us, this is arguably one of the best places to see some killer stars. In addition, they now have the Giovale Open Deck Observatory, which is a collection of 6 advanced telescopes that allow you to see the stars up close and educators on hand to help answer questions or discuss various constellations. Lowell Observatory also has various tours throughout the year that you can attend. Regular admission rates apply ($22 per adult, $12 per child) for this event, but that also means you can come during the daytime to check out the rest of the observatory. An informal discussion with a Lowell Educator, they will answer your questions about astronomy and will let you see some of the constellations through one of their telescopes. Every Friday night, (weather permitting, 8-10pm), they have their highly popular Cosmic Questions event. Right next to Downtown Flagstaff, Lowell Observatory is where they discovered Pluto and where astronomers still watch the night sky.
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