Cherry Springs State Park

Cherry Springs State Park is a beautiful 80+ acre park located on top of the Alleghenies in a wild setting. This state park is mostly noted for being a “dark skies” park. Due to the remote setting and lack of light pollution from nearby towns, Cherry Springs offers astronomers a unique place to make astronomical observations that few other places in the Eastern United States can. The park has observation areas for both public and amateur astronomers, a large campground with primitive amenities, and a large pavilion with scattered picnicking areas. Time your trip accordingly with astronomical events and the weather and be prepared to be in awe of the beautiful night time skies!

A great place for stargazing and astronomy. The campgrounds are pleasant and well-maintained. The young park ranger we encountered was very friendly and helpful. Some of the picnic tables are old and weathered, but we glad to have them. Picnic area: Clean, well-groomed and relatively spacious.

Great campground. Quiet and good star viewing. Each site had a steel fire ring. Bathroom had urinal and dry toilet. For proper night time light etiquette bring your red cellophane to cover your white lights or bring red lights. There is one water spigot. There are no showers. 20 minutes from Galeton PA hardware store, grocery, gas etc

Surreal and unforgettable experience I would recommend to anyone. We travelled from Northern Jersey for a couple nights in 2020. The park is perfect for an incredible view of the Milky Way after dark due to its remote setting and lack of light pollution.

Camped here for a week and I can say I had a good time. Overall a great time with family and friends and well worth the drive we took to get here. Well monitored and cleaned. There's plenty of viewing areas for the night sky. I brought my telescope and it was so hard to pick where I wanted to point it at first. Highly suggest checking weather and cloud coverage on your trip and viewing the camp ground via satellite images when making reservations. Some of my neighbors complained about not having shade because of the lack of trees at their site. If that is something that will be a problem for y'all, try and pick one close to the tree line. Restrooms: The restrooms were kept pretty clean for a rustic campground. Pleasantly surprised.

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: 1. Bug spray 2. Foil for the grill 3. 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. 4. The multi day reservation is valid even though you do not check in the first night. 5. Try to use red lights or wrap lights with red cellophane to mitigate interference with photos.

I only stayed one night, was hoping to catch some Perseids, alas, it was not meant to be lol The moon was near full to burst, bright and majestic. I could hear the coyotes baying in the distance as well. The campsites are equipped with parking, fire rings/grills and a picnic table. I stayed at the rustic field, so no running water or electricity, but there are bathrooms available better than a port-a-potty imo. Not suitable if you're seeking uber privacy, some campsites are close, I could actually hear snoring lol Overall, I'll be back. FYI it's VERY damp, make sure you have a decent tent and warm clothes if you're staying during the cooler part of the season.

Our 4th visit the only place I look forward to camping at. Definitely plan out your trip during new moon and wish for a clear sky. Sky tours are done Friday, Saturday and Sundays weather permitting near the public parking. Park rangers come out every once and while and heather one the rangers is very friendly. She helped with the sky tour schedule. Great place for the little kids. However, no electric hook up and rustic restrooms. Cherry springs store has fire wood $10 for a stack and gas. Fire wood can be purchased even after hours just drop money off by the door.

Definately a once of a lifetime experience , I spent the 4th of July weekend here !!! N i will definately be coming back traditionally , the stars are so beautiful to look at, and the skies are so clear n its super dark , n it gets super cold at night i suggest bringing a sweater n some sweatpants n a long sleeve for the night n a comforter to be warm. I never thought it was gonna get eeally cold but it gets so cold at night to the point that the air starts to condensate n it looks like it rained at night , early in the morning , the sun does shine really bright as well. There is a pit that you can create a campfire to either roast marshmellows or to cook, thw space was very spacious , n my favorite part was going to the bathrooms actually , to be a state park this has to be one of the first bathrooms ive seen CLEAN. And with paper toliet i was shocked !!!! Lol , but i didnt feel disgusted with going to the bathroom i felt comfortable. The sites are spacious n its limited to whoever is making reservations so I like that too that its not overly crowded. People over there are very friendly. The shop that they have the employees are very friendly n helpful , i brought ab $135 worth in merchandise they also sell ice cream n u can pump gas into ur car before leaving too ! Very unforgettable experience n i will be coming back every year !!!

We went to see the Milky Way. We knew that there was not much of a chance because the moon was almost full. But still! The sky was gorgeous. What a view. Highly recommended.