Why This Florida State Park Is a Should-visit for Stargazing Fans

Florida is a state with many gems. Some are well-known, like Cocoa Seashore, Walt Disney World, and the Everglades, whereas others fly below the radar, ready to be found. 

One of many latter is Kissimmee Prairie Protect State Park, an enormous expanse of dry prairie land set below blue skies. The panorama feels extra like Montana than Florida, with grasslands and mountain climbing trails set below unobstructed sky.

And like Montana’s distant grasslands, Kissimmee Prairie Protect State Park has little or no gentle air pollution, making it one of many final locations in Florida boasting inky black skies stuffed with stars. The internationally acknowledged Darkish Sky Place is a whopping 40-minute drive from any gentle air pollution (the neighboring city of Okeechobee, Florida — inhabitants 5,432) and a number of other hours from the closest main cities of Orlando and Tampa. 

The skies above Kissimmee Prairie Protect State Park are so darkish you’ll be able to see the Milky Method with out using a telescope or binoculars.

One of the best ways to see the evening sky is to remain the evening within the park. And for that, Kissimmee Prairie Protect State Park has a number of choices. There are 35 campsites (tent and RV) at the park’s Kilpatrick Hammock Campground, which is outfitted with water, electrical energy, and an accessible restroom with showers and laundry. 

For actually unaffected evening skies, the most suitable choice is to camp at one of many park’s primitive campsites, that are round 2.5 miles from the central workplace and might solely be accessed through mountain climbing or biking. These extra distant websites have a picnic desk and hearth ring, however no water and electrical energy. The stargazing greater than makes up for the shortage of facilities — particularly in case you solely plan to spend an evening or two.

If packing your meals and water in and taking your trash out isn’t your fashion, you may need to attempt tenting’s luxurious sister: glamping. Kissimmee Prairie Protect State Park operates a sequence of deluxe safari tents which might be outfitted with mini-fridges, a espresso maker, and air-conditioning and heating. The tents have both two queen beds or a king and two units of bunk beds. The glamping tents even have hammocks, a fireplace pit, an out of doors grill, a picnic desk, and tenting chairs.

Along with tenting and stargazing, Kissimmee Prairie Protect State Park is a well-liked vacation spot for birdwatchers and photographers as it’s residence to a handful of uncommon birds, together with the grasshopper sparrow, the crested caracara, and the burrowing owl. The park can be recognized for its trails for hikers, bikers, and horseback riders.

Kissimmee Prairie Protect State Park is open from 8 a.m. to sunset three hundred and sixty five days a 12 months. The fee to enter the park is $4 per automobile, whereas tenting prices $5 per particular person, per evening for primitive tenting, and $16 an evening for the standard campground tent website. Friends with an RV should pay an extra $7 nightly utility charge.

Reservations for all in a single day lodging will be made on the state park reserving website at floridastateparks.org, or by calling 800-326-3521. There may be an extra, nonrefundable $6.70 reservation charge for all campground reservations.