Lovell Canyon Observing Site is a relatively good dark sky site for the Southern and Northern skies. This is a very comfortable site for summer viewing. Being so high at 5,000 feet it tends to be much cooler than the surrounding desert.

To get to Lovell Canyon Observing Site, take the 215 beltway to the Rainbow exit and turn south, the first traffic light you come to will be Blue Diamond Road also known as state route 160. Take a right here heading west toward Pahrump. Follow this route past the Blue Diamond turn-off and over Mountain Springs Summit 19 miles to Lovell Canyon Road on the right. This road, Forest Service Road 537, is paved but narrow, it slowly climbs back up into the pinyon juniper forest. Continue on this road for 4 miles, where the road turns sharply to the right. For the next 1.4 miles the paved road heads down a steep winding canyon at the bottom of which there is a large graded area to the left, this spot is suitable for star party size groups although a mountain to the west blocks about 30 degrees of the western horizon and to the east another covers about 20 degrees. This mountain does a good job of blocking the glow of Las Vegas.

Tips on Map Use:

1.     Click on top map at the right and you will come to a larger map with an enlarging button at the bottom right if your cursor is over the map itself. You can click on the enlarging button and scroll around to the location you need.

2.     Click on the bottom map at the right and you will be taken to the TopoZone.com Map website where you can pick your own scale of map and scroll around to the location you need.

3.     Click here to get the map in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. From there you can print it out from the Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader you may download it on our Archive page.

Remember when visiting Lovell Canyon Observing Site, members may not be present due to changes in weather. Please don't use white lights, and use red lights sparingly. Make sure you drive slowly to avoid stirring up dust. Most of all come out and have fun with the other observers!

Link - Star Party Etiquette

Link - Having Fun At A Star Party