![]() ![]() It doesn’t take much stray light to wreck someone’s night vision… and even less to ruin some poor astropbotographer’s long-exposure photograph. Most headlamps these days (even cheap ones) come with a red light setting. Red-filtered light doesn’t interefere with astronomers’ and fellow campers’ night vision. If you are walking around outside at night use a headlamp with a setting for red-filtered light. It is really important to keep all outside lights off, and shades drawn at night if you are camping in a RV. This bears mentioning: please be considerate and cautious regarding light pollution. You Can Find Them at any Walmart for Under $15 in Sporting Goods. Come Prepared with a Red-Filtered Headlamp. The campground is very quiet for the most part, but astronomy activity picks up around the time of the new moon, when skies are their darkest. There are binocular observing tips, a “clear sky” prediction chart, and a listing of notable astronomy events for the current year, such as meteor showers and new moons. If you take time to dig into the website, you will find some great information to help you enjoy your stay here. …and here is a link to the official Cosmic Campground website: Here is a link to a video that describes the evolution of the project: The Cosmic Campground has been designated as an “International Dark Sky Sanctuary” the first of its kind in North America. This is the scenic west at its best, and it’s free. I think we found the “nowhere” that we were looking for. The Gila National Forest contains 3.3 million acres of public forest and rangeland. The Gila Wilderness and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness reach eastward, and the Blue Range Wilderness is to the west. The Blue Range Wilderness Extends to the West toward Arizona The Gila Wilderness and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Extend to the East. Looking East Towards the Gila Wilderness from Cosmic CampgroundĪs soon as we pulled in we were awed by the natural splendor… in every direction… as far as the eye could see. This year we added Cosmic Campground and wow, does it ever fit our parameters. These are places that are just right for our style of camping… remote, quiet, and surrounded by natural beauty. “Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?” – Aldo LeopoldĮach year that we travel we try to add a few more places to camp that we consider “anchor spots”.
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