LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — With the sky getting darker earlier as the fall progresses, there are some places where you can go to catch some unforgettable views.
If you don’t mind a day trip…
- Lake Hudson Recreation Area in Clayton, MI has one of the six State Park preserves in the state and is less than an hour and a half from Lansing.
- Dr. T.K. Lawless Park in Vandalia, MI is an 850 acre park near the Indiana and Michigan border and is just a few hours from Chicago and Detroit.
If you find yourself in the Northern Lower Peninsula, there are a few places you may want to stop by.
- Alpena is home to three state-designated Dark Sky Preserves:
- Rockport State Recreation Area
- Thompson’s Harbor State Park
- Negwegon State Park.
- Light pollution in this region is among the lowest measured in the Great Lakes, meaning viewing of stars, meteors, planets, moons and the aurora borealis.
- Each of the three also feature stretches of Lake Huron coastline and hiking trails.
- Headlands International Dark Sky Park in Mackinaw City, MI
- Set among some 600 acres of woods and two miles of undeveloped shoreline, the park is free to the public and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- There are 10,000 acres of landscape and more than 25 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline.
- Beaver Island off the shores of Charlevoix, on Lake Michigan, has little light pollution and is home to a 12,000 acre Dark Sky Sanctuary that is working to obtain international status.
If you find yourself in the U.P…
- The Keweenaw Peninsula is Michigan’s northernmost peninsula, with dark skies pretty much anywhere you look up. Their site also has resources for where else to view from and the sky chart for Copper Harbor.
