CHERRY SPRINGS, PENNSYLVANIA
Feel like taking a glimpse of the Milky Way from the comfort of your Grand Trunk hammock? Pick a date and head on out to Cherry Springs State Park in Coudersport, PA. It’s the second darkest location in the entire USA! It’s so dark that stargazers, photographers, and campers head out to see the Milky Way with their own eyes, while being showered by the hundreds of thousands of breathtaking stars in the night sky. But before you are engulfed by the nighttime view, there are just as many great spots to stop and take in sights on your ride to the campground.
Before you head up, be sure to bring your hammock, straps, warms clothes, a water bottle, sleeping gear, a camera, tripod, and FOOD! My friends and I assumed we’d grab groceries when we were about an hour away, but there is literally no easy access to a grocery store within an hour of Cherry Springs if you are coming from the Philadelphia area. We survived on gummy worms and donuts for a night. Don’t make the same mistake as us…
Campsites are available for purchase online and they run for about $15-$20, but they must be booked in advance.
About a half hour before you arrive at the campground, you’ll find yourself on some beautiful parts of State Route 44 (coming from Philadelphia). In late June, you’ll noticed these puffy white flowers that almost look like cherry blossoms. They are Mountain Laurel bushes in bloom. They are EVERYWHERE and I definitely encourage you to pull off at one of the many trail parking areas along the way, get outside of your vehicle and appreciate how pretty and quiet this road can be.
About five minutes before the campground, you can park at the highest elevation point of 2,400m at Cherry Springs Visit A. Definitely a good photo opportunity. From there, we headed down the road to unpack our gear at the campground.
Rolling into the campground you’ll notice plenty of great trees to strap up and hang from. As soon as you unpack and are all set up for sleeping, definitely head over to your favorite pair of trees to save a spot for the sunset and the night sky. As long as no one is camping in the space, I recommend snagging the two huge trees to the left of the forked path. This spot was THE BEST for the sunset. For my squad, we stacked three high and put on a show for all of the campers in the area. If you’re adventuring up here with a group, stack your hammocks. Totally worth it for the photos on the sunset and underneath the stars.
This was crazy - we glimpsed a bear on the campground. We were able to catch sight of the bear stealing food from the picnic table no more than ten feet away from our campfire. So be prepared for bears when you make this trip! Lock you food in your car and don’t leave food wrappers laying around, or you might be getting a visitor.
When the night finally came around and all the clouds faded away, I could see how amazing this place really was. No haziness in the sky from city lights, just a perfect mixture of moon and starlight. Most campers bring red lamps or flashlights, as a courtesy to other campers (photographers especially), so that standard fluorescent/incandescent flashlights do not ruin the beautiful view.
The best time to head out is right around 2:00 AM. At this hour, the sky is nothing but stars on a clear night. It really is just amazing to hang between two trees and stare at the Milky Way with some great friends. Definitely one of the most breathtaking sights I’ve ever seen, in the comfort of a hammock nonetheless.
To the adventurers out on the east coast, head on out to Cherry Springs State Park for an experience you won’t forget. Grab your Grand Trunk gear and a camera to document the trip. Before heading up there I thought I’d have to fly out to Utah or all the way up to Maine to catch a glimpse of the Milky Way with my own eyes.
