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I am going on vacation to the Scottsdale/Carefree Arizona area next week. I bought a hard case and I am brining my telescope and mount. I would like to know if anyone has information on a publicly accessible location within the dark sky areas to the east of Carefree. Ideally we would like to be able to drive up and setup. Any tips are greatly appreciated! |
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It's a bit of a drive from Scottsdale, but the Stoneman Lake area is great. Very little sky glow from Phoenix and boasts a Bortle 2 to 3 rating. Drive to I-17 northbound and continue to the Stoneman Lake Exit. It's about 20miles north of Camp Verde. Turn right after you exit and continue down about 8 miles to a road T. Take a right at the road T and you'll see a parking area for a trail head on the right. Usually empty, it's very remote and a good place to set up. Also, you can continue down about a mile. On the left is an open area with some heavy equipment used for a construction project on the hill. The equipment is out of the way and not in use. The site has great seeing in all quadrants of the night sky. Drive time from Scottsdale/Carefree would be about 1.5 hours one way, maybe 2 hours at the most. If you have flexibility, the week nights are usually best as during the weekend, people dry camp in the area and run their ATV's. Good luck and Clear Skies!! Patrick Graham |
