Entry No. 23 — the Pueblo file — filed under: outdoor-weird
Smokey Jack Observatory
“The highest dark-sky observatory on Earth, and they'll book it for free.”
At the west end of Main Street, across from the bowling alley, sits a 12-by-12-foot shed in Bluff Park whose entire roof rolls back. Inside: a 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain with computer-guided tracking — the highest dark-sky observatory on Earth, in Colorado's first certified International Dark Sky Community (2015). Dark Skies of the Wet Mountain Valley will book you a free private star party with a trained Star Guide, just you two and whatever the Milky Way is doing that night. Named for Smokey Jack, who started it all.
The move: Reserve a private star party for two, pack blankets and a thermos, and let the Star Guide swing the 14-inch toward Saturn while Westcliffe goes dark around you.
📍 Before you go The observatory sits on the southwest corner of Bluff Park at the west end of Main Street (100 S Adams Blvd), across from Cliff Lanes, with easy street parking. Private star parties run roughly mid-March through October and book out far in advance through darkskiescolorado.org, so reserve early and keep a backup date — sessions are weather-dependent. The building is only open for events; outside of one you can only admire it from the lawn. Even midsummer nights drop cold fast at nearly 7,900 feet, so bring layers, and pair it with dinner on Main Street while you wait for full dark.
- 📍 Westcliffe
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Bluff Park, 100 S Adams Blvd, Westcliffe, CO 81252
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4
last checked: 2026-06-11