Wolf Den Run State Park

How dark the sky is at Wolf Den Run: Bortle Class 3, rural sky

The zenith sky here reads 21.74 magnitudes per square arcsecond. That is about 1.3 times the brightness of a pristine natural sky (22.0), the extra coming from artificial light scattered in the air.

Sky brightness and class come from the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness (Falchi et al. 2016, CC BY-NC 4.0), with natural skyglow added. On the night, haze, smoke, humidity and the Moon set the real limit; see every Bortle Class 3 place.

What's up from Wolf Den Run by season

At latitude 39.4°N, the north celestial pole stands 39° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -51° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 22° above the southern horizon. These are the constellations well placed, 35° or more above the horizon, at about 10 pm in the middle of each season, brightest first.

Showpieces from Wolf Den Run through the year

At about 10 pm on the 15th of each month; a dash means the sight is below 25° then.

Never set from Wolf Den Run

• Camelopardalis
• Cassiopeia
• Cepheus
• Draco
• Ursa Major
• Ursa Minor

Only skim the southern horizon from Wolf Den Run

• Centaurus
• Grus
• Lupus
• Phoenix
• Telescopium
• Vela

Never rise from Wolf Den Run

• Apus
• Ara
• Carina
• Chamaeleon
• Circinus
• Crux
• Dorado
• Horologium
• Hydrus
• Indus
• Mensa
• Musca
• Norma
• Octans
• Pavo
• Pictor
• Reticulum
• Triangulum Australe
• Tucana
• Volans

Where to set up at Wolf Den Run

The coordinates on this page point to Park campground, Upperman Road, at 760 m (2,490 ft): 39.408°N, 79.266°W.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.

Wolf Den Run among the dark sky places of Maryland

Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. Diamonds are star parties. See Maryland dark sky places for the full list, darkest first.

Camping and lodging at Wolf Den Run

The nearest town with motels or inns is Oakland, MD. Check the official site for campgrounds and overnight rules; many parks close their gates at night, so ask about after-dark access.

Dark sky places nearest Wolf Den Run

Star parties near Wolf Den Run

Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Maryland puts the dark sky places, observatories, clubs, star parties, planetariums and science centers of the state on one map, with the best night out worked out.

Observatories and astronomy clubs near Wolf Den Run

Observatories within 100 km

• WVU Planetarium and Observatory (Tomchin Observatory)Morgantown, West Virginia, 64 km (40 mi), open to the public
• Morgan County ObservatoryBerkeley Springs, West Virginia, 94 km (58 mi), open to the public

Nearest astronomy clubs

• Cumberland Astronomy ClubGrantsville, Maryland, 39 km (24 mi). Meets 3rd Friday monthly, 7:30 pm
• WVU Astronomy ClubMorgantown, West Virginia, 65 km (41 mi)
• Central Appalachian Astronomy ClubGrafton, West Virginia, 66 km (41 mi)
• Shenandoah Astronomical SocietyWinchester, Virginia, 91 km (56 mi). Meets Monthly, 4th Monday
• Tri-State AstronomersHagerstown, Maryland, 134 km (83 mi). Meets Monthly, Wednesday 7 pm (3rd Wednesday in 2026)

See observatories and astronomy clubs in Maryland. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.

Wolf Den Run record

From the site's dark sky places dataset (parks_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.