Observatory Park

Location

10610 Clay Street
Montville Township

Hours

Buildings only open during programs;
Park open from 6 AM until 1 AM (Memorial Day to Labor Day) or 6 am until 11 pm (Labor Day to Memorial Day)

View All Hours

Trail Maps

planning to take a hike?
get off on the right foot

To Geauga and Beyond... Enjoy stars above & beauty below

This 1,100-acre park encourages visitors to explore Nature from the ground to the galaxies. Six trails total 3.97 miles. Numerous site features include a trail with interactive pods representing each trail proportionate to the sun, a trail with interactive stations representing ways to study weather, life-sized cornerstones of the Great Pyramid of Giza, earthern mounds, henge stones and, via a woodland trail, access to the Nassau Astronomical Station. Buildings are open only during program hours; scroll down for details.

+ Read More
People Attending Picnic at Observatory Park Facilities
Observatory Park Trails
Observatory Park Habitat

What to do at Observatory Park Upcoming Programs

Event Location Date Time Fee
Night Sky Viewing Observatory Park 03/22/2024 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm Free
Night Sky Viewing Observatory Park 03/23/2024 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm Free
The Sky Tonight Planetarium Show Observatory Park 03/24/2024 2:00 pm - 2:45 pm Free
The Sky Tonight Planetarium Show Observatory Park 03/24/2024 3:00 pm - 3:45 pm Free
Full Moon Hike: The Worm Moon Observatory Park 03/24/2024 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm Free
Spring Break Planetarium Show Observatory Park 03/26/2024 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Free
View All Upcoming Events

Nassau Astronomical Station Astronomy Nights

Just north at 10350 Clay Street, or accessible via woodland trails, find a separate entrance to the Nassau Astronomical Station, which was renovated and reopened in August 2017. The Nassau Astronomical Station was built in 1957 by the Warner & Swasey Company of Cleveland; researchers at Case Western Reserve University used it for visual study of the heavens through the ‘80s. Geauga Park District teamed with CWRU to offer public Astronomy Nights at Nassau from 1994 to 2005, and after CWRU discontinued use of the station, it sold the facility to Geauga Park District in 2008.

“Nassau Astronomical Station’s 36” Warner & Swasey telescope is one of the largest public viewing scopes in the state of Ohio,” Geauga Park District Executive Director John Oros said. “We are excited to provide opportunities to experience astronomy and the night skies to our residents now and for many, many years to come.”

Fundraising efforts made it possible to restore the facility and telescope to their former glory. In addition to the restoration of the area’s largest publicly accessible research-grade telescope and refurbishment of the equipment necessary for its operation, renovations to Nassau included the addition of museum features, redecorating in the historic living quarters, wheelchair accessibility to the upper telescope floor, and restrooms.

Ohio's one and only Dark Sky Park

Observatory Park has permanent distinction from the International Dark-Sky Association as a Silver Tier Dark Sky Park. As of February 2023, it was one of only 111 Dark Sky Parks in the whole world — and only two are in Ohio (the other being Fry Family Park in Stark County)!

Visitors to the park will notice downward-facing red lighting. Light pollution worldwide is increasing faster than ever, but why should we care? Click here for details.

Learn More

Weather & Seismic Stations Weather Station

Click here to view live data from Observatory Park’s Weather Station atop the Oberle Observatory. On the top right of the page, the toolbar also offers a summary with more details and a map of other nearby weather stations.

This weather station includes a thermometer for indicating current air temperature; a barometer for gauging air pressure; a hygrometer to measure humidity; a rainfall gauge to measure recent precipitation; an anemometer to measure wind speed; and a weather vane to indicate wind direction.

Observatory Park is also part of WeatherLink®, a commercial weather service that provides real-time weather information online and also uses observations from members with automated personal weather stations like the one at Observatory Park. Click here and select Geauga’s code to view live data from Observatory Park’s Seismic Station.

The seismic station includes a seismometer, which is a sensitive instrument in the ground that detects earth tremors deep in the earth’s crust, and a seismograph, which transforms a tremor’s seismic wave energy into electrical voltage that is converted into digital data, called a seismogram.

This seismic station is also part of The Ohio Seismic Network, which transmits data to help monitor earthquake activity in Ohio.