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Posted by Ballpark Frank (64.79.35.96) on 07:51:23 05/18/18
In Reply to: Stargazing posted by Jrs
Jrs,
When you are at Lake, you will have access to one of the best places in the park for stargazing, particularly if you are doing it after 10:30 or 11:00 p.m., when the vehicular traffic really slows down. That is Hayden Valley. Many of the pullouts offer sprawling 360 degree views of the sky, and the sound effects from all the wildlife (everything from frogs to bats and birds) will provide additional entertainment.
When you are at Roosevelt, the numerous pullouts on the north side of Dunraven Pass are excellent stargazing spots, with two potential drawbacks. Given the elevation, it can get chilly at night. Virtually all of the pullouts that I can think of restrict your view of the lower portion of the southern and western sky. Other options in that area include the upper portions of the Blacktail Plateau Drive, providing the NPS leaves it open after dark. (You wouldn't want to be stuck behind a locked gate if it was closed after you drove in there.) There are numerous pullouts in Little America and Lamar Valley that might work well. There is one particular pullout that would pretty much protect you from the headlights of passing vehicles, and that is the pullout on the dirt road by what is locally known as "Wrecker Curve". If you drive a short ways from Tower Junction on the Northeast Entrance Road, and cross the bridge over the Yellowstone River, there is a dirt road that goes a short ways to a parking area off to the left on the outside of the curve above the bridge. Your view of the lower portions of the sky would be occluded, but you would have a fair amount of the sky visible above that.
Ballpark
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