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Goldendale Observatory State Park, Goldendale

4.6

#4 of 8 in Things to do in Goldendale

Observatory · Museum

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.

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.

To visit Goldendale Observatory State Park on your holiday in Goldendale, and find out what else Goldendale has to offer, use our Goldendale.
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Goldendale Observatory State Park reviews

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90 reviews

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4.7

By william h

Went to the evening show, unfortunately it was a very foggy night and so we were not able to see anything through the telescope. Instead we had a very interesting 2 hour discussion on astronomy. The.... more »
By Q7934ZOshawnm

Attended the newly re-opened Goldendale Observatory. The multi-million dollar renovation of the new building and all its features was incredibly done. Troy, the observatory director, was like a... more »

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By Don J

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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By Danny Schneider

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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