Goldendale Observatory State Park is an educational facility on the northern side of Goldendale, Washington, notable for its unusually large public telescope. The state park occupies five acres (2.0 ha) atop a 2,100-foot (640 m) hill.To visit Goldendale Observatory State Park on your holiday in Goldendale, and find out what else Goldendale has to offer, use our Goldendale.
Access is via a winding paved road through an oak forest. The site includes a small picnic area, interpretive center, amphitheater, and the observatory.
There are several telescopes on-site, including portable Dobsonians, a permanently mounted Hydrogen-Alpha solar telescope, and the primary instrument; a 24.5-inch reflector which is housed in the South Dome. The facility receives 30-40,000 visitors annually. From 2010 to 2017 the park was an International Dark Sky Park, and expects to be a dark sky site again when the current observatory reconstruction is completed.
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Goldendale Observatory State Park reviews
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Wonderful experience! Two telescopes. From one we could see Jupiter and from the other, the Andromeda Galaxy. Really great presentation! more »
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A Favorite stop, but unfortunately the smoke obscured sky vision and seeing anything. We'll return for the weekend afternoon solar show and evening programs/ Looks like there are creative arts and... more »
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While the main observatory is closed for upgrades to the telescope, the temporary site at Stonehenge is great. The rangers teaching are wonderful and full of information, even on nights where there’s too much cloud cover. Highly recommend! The views of the Columbia River Gorge and Mt Hood are worth the visit on their own.
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The trails on Observatory Hill are great! The "expert" has some steep inclines, but is still pretty accessible. There are quite a few extra trails that have been created by other hikers and bikers, but it's all contained enough to figure out where you're going. Great viewpoint of Mt. Adam's and Mt. Hood if you do the "expert" trail.
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