Cherry Springs State Park, Dark sky park in Potter County, Pennsylvania, United States
Cherry Springs State Park is a protected area within the Susquehannock State Forest in Potter County, Pennsylvania, covering roughly 82 acres of open fields and woodland. The site includes meadows, forested edges, and a designated viewing field for nighttime observation, all surrounded by dense stands of conifers.
The park was established in 1922 as a state forest picnic area, initially serving as a recreation spot for loggers and their families. In 2000, the site received designation as a Dark Sky Park after astronomers documented the exceptional darkness of the region.
The Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks designated Cherry Springs as its first Dark Sky Park in 2000, acknowledging the importance of protecting natural darkness for astronomical observation.
The site sits at an elevation of roughly 2,300 feet (700 meters) in a remote part of Potter County, about an hour and a half drive from larger towns. Visitors should bring warm clothing and a red-light flashlight, as temperatures drop sharply at night even in summer and bright light disrupts night vision.
On clear nights, up to 30,000 stars become visible here to the naked eye, compared to just a few hundred in urban areas. The Milky Way appears bright enough to cast shadows on the ground, a phenomenon experienced only in the darkest locations on Earth.
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