Facilities | Directions | Observing Conditions | Guidelines | Courtesy | Committee | Observatory

ACCESS NOTICE

Ed Kline

Many members worked for years to find and acquire a good dark site from which to observe. Because of their perseverance, the Deer Trail Dark Sky Site was found and leased. The site was renamed the Edmund G. Kline Dark Site after a late society member who made many important contributions to the development of the dark site. The April 2002 Denver Observer was dedicated to Ed Kline,  If you'd like to download a copy, click here.

The dark site is intended for the use of society members and their guests. To use the site, you must be a DAS member in good standing, a personal guest of a DAS member, a registered participant in a scheduled DAS outreach event at the site, or receive the permission of the DAS President or the Dark Site Committee Chair to visit the site when DAS members are present. Public outreach and education activities are envisioned in the near future utilizing the Brooks Observatory.

Dark Sky Weekends are normally scheduled once per month, on the weekend nearest the new moon. These are the recommended times for new members to receive site orientations because it is more likely that DAS members will be using the site.

Facilities

The most recent development at the site was the addition of a 10x10-foot observatory, with an 8-foot dome, dedicated in Fall 2011 as The Brooks Observatory in memory of Lawrence Brooks, former DAS President. Eight 10-ft x 10-ft concrete observing pads and two research and imaging pads were constructed in the Summer of 2006, bringing the total number of pads to 14.

The present facilities include:

	Fourteen 10' x 10' concrete N-S aligned observing pads (3 doubles and 8 singles) each with a separate ac power pole with four grounded outlets; six pads with footings for windscreens.
	One hundred square-foot metal observatory building with rotating 8-ft dome; housing a 14-inch Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope on a pier-mounted Losmandy G11 German equatorial mount with a Gemini 1 go-to system.
	Two cleared observing areas for research and imaging activities (South end)
	Leveled area for large Dobsonian telescopes and/or vehicle parking just to the West of 8 new observing pads
	Warming hut with electric heat, red lighting, a microwave oven, small table, and seating areas
	Six portable windscreens designed to block southerly winds below 30 mph. See information below.
	Two designated handicapped parking spaces
	Vault toilet with nighttime red lighting
	Gravel access road
	Abundant dark skies.

The Site is about 60 miles east of the “mousetrap” in downtown Denver.

Take I-70 east to the Deer Trail exit (exit 328), turn left at the end of the exit ramp, and bear left again on CR 217 (after the Phillips 66 station). Take CR 217 just over 1/2 mile, and turn right (east) onto CR 34 (Jolly Road). Stay on CR 34 about 6 miles until you get to CR 241. Turn left (north) onto CR 241 and continue about 1.4 miles –- you’ll see a culvert with a wide gate on the right (east) side of the road.

Directions for arrival from the North. Please do not use for arrival after dark:

Take I-70 eastbound to exit 316 (Byers). Turn left at end of ramp which puts you on eastbound US-36. Take US-36 east 17.2 miles to CR 241. Turn right (south) onto CR 241 and continue for 6.2 miles. The site entrance is on the left (east) side between two tall posts.

Note: Travel distance from Denver using the North route is actually 3.9 miles shorter than the traditional route, but takes longer. The first 5 miles of CR 241 going south from US-36 is narrow and somewhat rough. Be careful.

To keep everyone's experience at the dark site a pleasant one, the DAS E-board and the Dark Sky Site Committee instituted some guidelines. Please familiarize yourself with these guidelines. Enjoy the site and may your skies be dark and clear!

Access | Warming Hut Rules | Dark Sky Site Courtesy | Guest Policy
 

There is a combination lock on the front gate at the Edmund Kline Dark Site.

Any DAS member in good standing may obtain the gate combination by Emailing the Dark Site Chair at darksite@denverastro.org. New members can receive the combinations to the power box and the warming hut (and access to the key to the vault toilet) after they have received a site orientation from a member of the Dark Site Committee. Orientations are normally provided on the Saturday night of the dark sky (new moon) weekend of each month.

Warming Hut Rules

• All visitors MUST sign in on the log in the warming hut.
• The last people on the site must turn off the lights and the heat (although the timer is mechanical and should be left running) and make sure the windows are closed and tightly locked.
• A microwave is provided for warming drinks. Please clean up after yourself.
• Absolutely no smoking in the warming hut.
• No pots and pans, appliances, or other supplies are to be left in the warming hut.
• No personal supplies are to be left in the hut overnight.
• Do not donate furniture or other things unless you clear it with the Dark Site committee first.
• No food left overnight in the hut.
• No sleeping overnight in the hut.
• Quick naps are permitted if you feel you might fall asleep on the way home. We would prefer you get your nap rather than falling asleep on the road. However, we don’t want it to become a tent for camping.
• Clean up after yourself before you leave the site.
• Please clean up all food that drops or is spilled, otherwise it will attract mice and insects.

 Dark Site Courtesy

Please remember that white light disrupts the eye's dark adaptation and can ruin astrophotography. Following these simple guidelines will improve the experience for all:

• Drive carefully on the road to the site, there are blind spots in the low areas and you will find cattle, deer and prong horns on the road at times.
• Try to arrive before dark.
• If you are the first person to arrive at the site, please leave the gate open and attached to the wooden pole with the bungee cord.
• Upon arrival at the site, sign-in at the warming hut. If you are a new member, ask if a Dark Site Committee member is present to give you a site orientation.
• DAS MEMBERS have priority usage at the concrete pads. Holding a pad for friends is NOT allowed.
• If you have to arrive after dark, turn off headlights when turning into site. Please do not arrive using North route after dark.
• Turn off all dome and trunk lights. If a light can't be turned off, pull the fuse, use layered red brake light tape or just duct tape over it.
• Driving into the site after dark without lights is extremely dangerous, particularly if you have never been there before. If you must arrive after dark, please stop at the entrance and wait until someone comes out to help guide you in with a red flashlight. If no one comes, please walk down to the observing stations to get someone.
• When you drive in, position your car so you can drive out directly instead of using your back up lights.
• Use only dim red flashlights. Never shine a flashlight in someone's face or on their scope.
• Please wipe your feet carefully before using the warming hut.
• Please chip in and do some cleaning up in the hut or at the observing sites. It is the responsibility of all users to keep the place clean.
• Astrophotographers may wish to use the South field since it is somewhat isolated from the rest of the area.
• There is no sleeping in the warming shed overnight. However if you need to nap for a short period, you may use it. We would rather you fall asleep there rather than at the wheel on the way home. (If you find you are sleepy on the drive home, there is a rest stop at the I-70 Kiowa exit between Bennett and Strasburg where you can take a nap in your vehicle.)
• You may warm drinks in the microwave—it is not there for warming food and cooking since we have no water to clean up. If you spill, please clean up after yourself.
• If you are the last person to leave the site, lock the vault toilet, turn off the lights and the heaters in the warming hut. Then, lock the warming hut, turn off the breakers, lock the breaker box, and close and lock the gate to the site.

Other Suggestions

• Wear warm clothing. The nights can be extremely cold in the winter and surprisingly cold in the summer.
• Bring your own power such as a battery and/or an inverter since the power sites are limited at some times of the year. Also bring extension cords.
• Hot drinks can help you survive the night!
• When approaching the telescope of someone who does not know you, introduce yourself and ask before looking through the scope. Most members will be happy to share their scopes. Astrophotographers will probably be happy to show you the image they are taking on their computers.
• Bring your own toilet paper in case the vault toilet runs out.

Brooks Observatory

As of June 2012, rules have not been established for access to, and use of, the observatory. Committee members who are familiar with (and learning about) its operation characteristics are developing a training program and will make the observatory available for observations on Dark Sky Weekends. Members visiting the dark site are encouraged to contact the Dark Site committee if the observatory appears to be damaged or if it appears to have been tampered with.

Society members are encouraged to communicate their interest in using the observatory orally or in writing to the Dark Site Chair and committee members.  When sufficient experience is obtained with running the observatory and telescope, the DAS will develop a public outreach program to host small groups.

Portable Wind Screens

There are footings for portable wind screens at six of the 14 observing pads -- five for 12-ft screens and one for a 14-ft screen. Two of the screens are designed for a single or optional double screen on the 20-foot NW pad. These screens are intended for use by members or member-hosted public observing events only. Please see the Wind Screen Manual for information on use of the screens. Please follow the instructions. Misuse of the screens could result in damage to the screens or to personal observing equipment. Information on the wind screens will be included in Dark Site Orientations. If you have questions about how to use the screens, please email the Dark Site Committee.

Guest Policy

The Edmund G. Kline Dark Site, while for the exclusive use of the membership for serious observing, will allow visitors on a limited basis. Groups or classes wishing to use the dark site may do so only with prior arrangement through the DAS president or vice president. In general, it is not possible to host large groups due to liability concerns.

• Members are responsible for educating their guests as to the rules.
• Prospective members, out of town astronomers, and others may be guests one time.
• Members can bring family any time and personal friends on a limited basis, but should not abuse the privilege.
• Groups of five or more guests must be cleared through the DAS president or vice president prior to visiting the Dark Sky Site.
• DAS MEMBERS have priority usage at the concrete pads. Holding a pad for friends is not allowed.

Members:

• Ted Cox
• Darrell Dodge (Acting Chair)
• David DeLassus
• Glenn Frank
• Joe Gafford
• Jim Holder
• Mike Hotka
• Bernie Poskus
• Ken Takahashi

Email contact: darksite@denverastro.org