Star Party at Spruce Knob Lake - June 1

REMINDER ONLY - Don will not be in attendance this year. This weekend is the best time of year to shoot the Milky Way. Temperatures are usually quite nice and the Milky Way arches over the eastern side of the lake as shown in the above image.

Spruce Knob Lake is located in the Monongahela National Forest in beautiful West Virginia and offers some of the darkest skies in our area.

Reservations are open and I recommend you secure your campsite as soon as possible. This campsite typically sells out well in advance. While they do hold back a couple sites for late arrivals, you can not be assured a site will be available should you arrive on the day of the event.

Here is the link to secure your campsite.
https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234132

Free camping in the national forest is also an option, but these sites are a few miles from the lake and campground and also fill up.

Another option would be to find a Hotel Room in Davis or Elkins. Both are about an hour away.

We will be able to see the Core or Galactic Center of the Milky Way from 10:00 pm until 3:00 am. In addition to shooting the Milky Way, this also a great location to shoot star trails. Just move to the opposite side of the lake and you have a great view of the northern sky.

Spruce Knob is the highest peak in West Virginia and offers an amazing view of the sunset. The Knob, is about a 30-45 minute drive from the lake. Sunrise at the lake is often stunning with fog on the water. After sunrise take a walk around the lake with a close focusing lens and you will see spider webs covered in dew.

I encourage members to explore the area during the day or just relax and bring a good book. Put your phone in airplane mode or turn it off, because there is No Cell Phone Coverage in this area.

Getting to Spruce Knob Lake. Many GPS units will take you over the mountain assuming you are coming from the DC area. Don’t do that, it is a very long dirt road with a lot of switchbacks. I recommend you take Rt 33 to Harmon, WV. Continue on RT 33 toward Elkins, about 1 mile outside of town you will see a left turn on Whitmer Rd. Follow Whitmer road into the forest and follow the signs to Spruce Knob Lake. I do not recommend you use the GPS on your phone, because of lack of coverage. Although if you choose to do so, use Google Maps and download the area map in advance.

If you have never shot the Milky Way or the Night Sky I recommend you visit the website Lonely Speck. You will find a wealth of articles on this type of photography. If you do a little studying in advance you will likely have better results. While I'm happy to help, this is not a workshop on night photography.

https://www.lonelyspeck.com/
Please send me a message if you have any questions about this meetup.