The Hiker’s Guide to Finding a Good View of the Stars

If you’re not just hiking, but camping, then at some point, you’re going to find yourself looking up at a dark night sky. That is, if you can even get out of the wilderness for a little bit to find a good view of the stars. If you’re an astronomy nut and want to bring your telescope out to a location far away from the city so you can finally get a great, unobstructed view of all the stars up there, you’re not alone. But you’ll need a few tips to help you avoid some of those trees that might be hiding a few constellations.

Remember that preparation is the key. If you’re hiking in the woods and decide to come back to your camp area where there isn’t a great view of the night sky, you probably didn’t do a whole lot of preparing. Instead, take a few hiking trips where you enjoy hiking, and do this during the daytime. Try to find a view that exposes a lot of the sky: take a look around the horizon and imagine that it’s night time. If you notice a lot of trees blocking the views around the sky, just make a note of that location and see if you can find something better.

If you live in the city, finding a weekend campsite that gives you a clear view of the stars can be a real treat, so don’t give up very easily if you don’t find a site like that right away. Sometimes, even a partially-obstructed view of the night sky is amazing compared to what you might get in the light-filled city.

Next, remember that it’s not a good idea to go exploring at night. If you want a good view of the stars at night, it should be where your camp site is, or at least somewhere where you can easily navigate to and from. Do all of your exploring in the day time, and don’t venture too far off the beaten path.

If you live in the city during the week and can’t do any exploring, then check out web sites that show you the positions of the stars given your time of the year and location. This will help you to identify the stars you do see when you’re looking at a more clear sky; you’ll also find this even helps you navigate – though you shouldn’t need the stars to navigate while hiking!

Photo Credits: VinceHuang

This post involves:

astronomy, beaten path, campsite, clear sky, constellations, dark night sky, day time, horizon, little bit, night time, stars at night, telescope, trees, unobstructed view, whole lot, wilderness

... and focuses on:

hiking, hiking tips

Posted by Hike Camp Fish on April 10, 2010 in hiking, hiking tips. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.