Site Name: Lake Wildwood Dam, Penn Valley, CA
Coordinates: 39.23618932261582, -121.21735000722914
Bortle Class: 4
Best time of the year to visit for Milky Way visibility: March – June
Site Ratings
Site Darkness Rating: 3 (1 – Poor, 5 – Great)
Site Light Pollution: 3 (1 – Bad, 5 – Very Little)
Site Airline Traffic: 3 (1 – Lots, 5 – Very Little)
Site Accessibility: 5 (1 – Difficult, 5 – Easy)
Site Foreground Interest: 4 (1 – Poor, 5 – Great)
Site Safety: 5 (1 – Poor, 5 – Great)
Cell Phone Signal: 3-5 (How Many Bars)
Accessibility:
Easy 2WD vehicle access, on paved roads. The site is flat, and your vehicle will be within 20 ft of where we’ll setup our cameras. Parking is on the pullout on the dam, or 400 ft up the road at the Mooney Flat / Pleasant Valley road intersection. There are no restrooms or other facilities onsite (last chance at the Chevron station at the corner of Pleasant Valley Rd and hwy 20).
Directions:
Drive 1 hour north of Sacramento, CA on hwy 49 to Grass Valley, CA. From Grass Valley, take highway 20 west toward Yuba City. Drive west on hwy 20 for 7.9 miles, and turn right at the second stop light, at Pleasant Valley Rd.
Drive 2.8 miles, through the stop sign at the Holiday Market, until you arrive at the Lake Wildwood Dam. Look for the wide flat area in the middle of the dam, where we’ll setup our cameras.
Parking is also available at the corner of Mooney Flat road, just as you come off the dam.
Notes:
If you want to make a weekend out of it, there are lot’s of great place to stay and eat in Nevada City and Grass Valley.
Please be considerate of others when you arrive at the site or leave and turn off your headlights, so that you don’t illuminate the field (where we’ll be) in front of you as you park your vehicle.
If you come before sunset, you can continue 4 miles down Pleasant Valley road to the Yuba River and photograph the iconic Bridgeport covered bridge at Bridgeport State Park, or photograph the wildflowers on the Buttermilk Bend Trail. Note that parking at Bridgeport is $10 (machines onsite).
What to Bring:
- Camera
- Tripod
- Red light headlamp
- Camp chair
- Drink / snacks
Map
Google maps link with directions from Grass Valley: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XRRZzhpyDhEGbqHb6
