Visited this spot during the new moon for star gazing so I’ll review it from a star gazers perspective. I saw ahead of time on a dark sky map that this spot was a low Bortle level 2 (for those unfamiliar, just about the lowest light pollution level you can get in WA) and was intrigued.
The road to get the trailhead is remarkably civilized and easy to drive on at night. The restrooms are well maintained and I imagine a crew comes to this spot relatively often due to its accessibility. At the lookout spot itself, I found 2 astro photographers. Both left within an hour and I had 12:00-3:30 AM all by myself. Cars come through maybe once an hour at such late times; it truly is a spectacle to watch if you’re willing to ruin your night vision. There were probably shooting stars every 5-10 minutes; as an inexperienced star gazer I have no idea whether such a number was influenced by the Perseids which I’ve heard can influence higher late July meteor activity.
All my photos were taken using my iPhone 15 with the main camera, no focus tap (funnily enough, tapping ruined my photos), 15-30 second exposure time (I avoided 30 when I could because of star trails but the iPhone camera app is very limited in control), and a tripod. The Milky Way is certainly visible but the camera makes it look otherworldly :) Have realistic expectations and enjoy your experience.
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