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Moon or Stars for night views?

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    • Moon or Stars for night views?

      Do you prefer a full moon or a star lit sky at night?
      I'm planning a trip to Tahoe for next fall. We like planning early so we can figure out our expenses and to have a goal to shoot for during the year. We plan to go to Tahoe for about two weeks or so. While on this trip we hope to get permits for Lake Aloha in the Desolation Wilderness. We're going to use Aloha as a base camp for a couple of nights, then make a loop back out. Since permits are required we need to dial in our dates. We can go during the week and the boat shuttle probably won't be running, so hopefully there is a smaller crowd. I did a quick search and saw the full moon was on Sept 20th. So I thought this would work good for reflections off of the lake. Then while on the iPad I ran across some images of a star li't night from Aloha. Awesome photos that now have me wanting to go during the new moon at the beginning of the month. That might have an advantage of warmer nights.
      So how do I pick?
      Full moon or stars?
      What do you prefer?
    • I guess stars, but full moon is nice also. I would be happy with either and just hope and pray no clouds. Warmer nights would also be appealing to me personally.

      Bottom line, it sounds like a great trip and either will be awesome! :thumbup:
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • DMax,

      Thanks for the excellent question. For me, a starry night sky is the ultimate camping experience. There have been nights I could not even get to sleep because I did not want to close my eyes to the beauty overhead. There is something about the vastness of the cosmos that puts all our personal concerns into perspective. A starry sky would be my vote.

      And may I say, an excellent choice in destination. Lake Aloha is truly stunning.

      Here is my photo, you can see the moon peaking above the ridge...


      Reflections on Aloha Lake.

      And spoiler alert in case you don't want to see it, here is a video from 'Dick's Pass.' Feel free to mute my stupid commentary, I get punchy when I am tired...



      I was there towards the end of July and the wildflowers were beautiful at that time.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • I was hoping for a section on the Tahoe Rim Trail. But it looks like it's been closed due to Covid. And we don't want to take our chances next fall . So I'll save the TRT for another time.

      Your pictures of Aloha make me wish I was there right now! That's a great view from Dick's Pass.

      I think I'll go with the beginning of the month for the stars (and the warmer nights).
      Whenever I've planned trips to the desert I've always checked on the moon phase. I don't recall ever doing it for trips in the mountains. I guess because around here it's mainly trees.
    • I vote for stars. There is nothing like a dark sky night and being able to see the Milky Way. If you ever plan go to Bryce Canyon check to see when their "Dark Sky Week " is. We were lucky enough to just happen to be there for it on one of our trips to Bryce and it was amazing. They had a parking lot full of huge telescopes, some over 20 feet maybe even 30 feet. I cannot even begin to describe what I saw. Even with the naked eye it was amazing. And with simple binoculars we could see binary stars and stars of all colors. And with the big scopes, OMG!!!!!
      "Dazed and Confused"
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    • I love when the moon is bright and I can see at night without a headlamp, but I also love seeing the stars. In the southeast, it’s not easy to see the stars due to the trees so I would take advantage of the opportunity if I were in the southwest. I really missed sunsets and star gazing after moving to Tennessee.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      I vote for stars. There is nothing like a dark sky night and being able to see the Milky Way. If you ever plan go to Bryce Canyon check to see when their "Dark Sky Week " is. We were lucky enough to just happen to be there for it on one of our trips to Bryce and it was amazing. They had a parking lot full of huge telescopes, some over 20 feet maybe even 30 feet. I cannot even begin to describe what I saw. Even with the naked eye it was amazing. And with simple binoculars we could see binary stars and stars of all colors. And with the big scopes, OMG!!!
      Just a few years ago we spent 3 nights at Bryce, during a Christmas brake. The first night it snowed. The next two nights we had clear sky. I'd love to be there for Dark Sky Week.