Chris S.
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 p.3 #7 · Milky Way photography --- September 2026 in USA/Canada | |
Regarding Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania, (sorry, not "Cherry Hill"  ) My family has a cabin near there, so I know it well.
Cherry Springs is indeed dark. It doesn't feel like a mountain top, and lacks sweeping views of surrounding land. But it does have a broad expanse of sky. It is a broad, flat ridgetop with deep valleys around it. It used to be a grass airfield with surrounding potato farms. The extensive lands around the state park are deeply forested. The nearest city--a small, charming one--is Coudersport, PA. This and other inhabited areas sit in valleys; the combination of valleys and heavy forest cover does a lot to absorb light pollution, which helps keep Cherry Springs dark.
You can get very good sky shots at Cherry Springs, though not with dramatic foregrounds that tie them to Earth.
As said, community is one of the reasons to go to Cherry Springs. If there is an event, rangers and many amateur astronomers are very friendly and helpful. Do check the calendar, as at times, the place is empty and you will be on your own (not a bad thing, if that's what you want!) If you can go when there is a star party (I was there when a Harrisburg club was meeting--an amazing event), you can have a great time looking through people's telescopes. These folks often know a great deal, and delight in showing folks around the sky.
There is rustic camping in the park, and there are bed & breakfasts/motels in the area. There is excellent hiking in the vicinity. Folks up there are friendly, and the area has a lot of charm. (Good restaurants, sadly, are lacking, and if you have an electric vehicle, good luck finding a place to charge.)
It's about a five-hour drive from Manhattan; the first portion of the route is Interstate 80--so straight and fast. The latter part is a state highway that is well-paved but winding, dark, and thickly inhabited by deer--if you drive it at night, expect to slow down for safety.
"Seeing" at Cherry Springs is cloud-dependent. If you are there on a very clear night, the Milky Way can look thick enough to walk across. On a slightly hazy night, however, you may see much less Milky Way or none at all. The elevation is about 2300 feet, and the air carries humidity typical of the eastern US. Even though I spend a few weeks every year not far from Cherry Springs, I rarely shoot a night sky photograph in the area, as I prefer higher, drier locations in the American West.
But dark skies and helpful people are great when you are learning your way around the sky. So if you can, by all means watch the calendar for a suitable event at Cherry Springs, check the weather for clear skies, and if the fates align, go.
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