<p>Because the Charlottesville tourism web site isn’t helping me a lot, I’m trying my luck here to see if anyone knows how to get from Grounds into some place high up where I can stargaze, look down upon the rest of the town and smell the isoprene of the trees. yes, I adore hiking and don’t mind walking for 5 hours to get there. </p>
<p>Admittedly I don’t know the geography of C’ville very well (just the bus routes) – specifically the physical geography. I know the bulk of the Blue Ridge mountains are to the NW, but what is that ridge I keep seeing from Newcomb? (To the east.)</p>
<p>I know the Appalachian Trail passes somewhere by here but I don’t really want to get on it.</p>
<p>did you see <a href=“https://www.charlottesville.org/modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=8978[/url]”>https://www.charlottesville.org/modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=8978</a> ? with your bus knowledge you can see if you can get to a trail.
most of the mountains are far enough away i would think you need a car to get there. i know there are some great view spots on I-64 where you can stargaze like you said, but they’re 30 mins away by car, and creepy if you’re alone at night. i picked apples recently at carter’s mountain which was out only a few minutes by car from downtown.
cville also has that huge observatory where you could look at stars?</p>
<p>I know some portion of the Rivanna trail will probably be the key. But that map doesn’t tell me elevations! </p>
<p>Tonight I explored Old Reservoir Road (that thing off the Kellogg bus stop with the blue-lit bicycle racks), because Google Maps said the mountain it went on had an elevation of 800 ft (and I think most of Charlottesville has an elevation of 350-450 ft). Ended up stumbling into the UVA nuclear reactor facility (I didn’t know we had one?!) and the high energy physics complex instead! And the 50ft high trees prevented a good vantage view… well I guess another night I’ll try Lewis mountain (if it’s accessible?) although the idea of the ridge that I think is sufficiently close is tempting. I just don’t know how exactly to get to it!</p>
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<p>But isn’t it open to the public only on certain nights? Unless I could swipe my way in to a telescope LOL.</p>
<p>The Monticello trail is beautiful and very close.</p>
<p>There probably is a great view from the top of Lewis Mountain but I believe it’s still privately owned. The Rivanna trail probably doesn’t have enough elevation to get much of a view as well.</p>
<p>The closest area with a good view would likely be Monticello Trail on the south west mountains (which I think is the ridge you are looking at from Newcomb). </p>
<p>However, there is no bus service to Monticello and walking down highway 53 from Monticello at nightime to find a bus would be quite dangerous.</p>
<p>I think your best bet would be to drive or find a fellow stargazer with a car. Otherwise if you poked around Old Reservoir Road long enough I’m sure you will find a spot with a good view.</p>
<p>Yeah, I should have meant west (brain burp – Newcomb doesn’t have any dining hall windows to the east!). I remember seeing that ridge from day 1 of Orientation and wondering what it would like to be up there. Hmm, I’ll check it out in the daytime first… now to secure some means of getting myself there.</p>