A Beginner’s Field School is available to help you find your way around the sky. Over three days, these two hour classes will focus on a new skill each day, then each evening the students will be prepared to practice and fine tune those new skills. You’ll find that many attendees with widely differing equipment will be happy to show you their scopes and talk with you about astronomy. This is a great way to learn what kind of equipment you favor when you eventually do invest in a scope. If you don’t have a telescope, you might want to bring a pair of binoculars, which are common and quite affordable. We recommend binoculars labeled 7×50 as a good starting point, though if you already own a different pair, don’t let that keep you from enjoying the night sky!

There are a number of motels, Bed & Breakfast inns, and RV spaces available in the area, most of which are in the county seat of Valentine, 27 miles north of Merritt Reservoir.  There are a limited number of trailer spaces with hook-ups available at Merritt Resort as well as in Cedar Bay Campground north of the observing field.  See our lodging page for more info.

The Merritt Trading Post at Merritt Resort is located on Highway 97 adjacent to the dam at the north end of the reservoir. It is impossible to miss as it is the only developed area near the lake. It has a convenience store with a number of common food items, fishing tackle, bait, state licenses, gas, etc. It is the only source of these items at the reservoir. Valentine (27 miles to the north) is the nearest town to offer several major grocery stores and stores for other necessities.