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 story
From the sidewalk across from Cliff Lanes bowling alley at the west end of Main Street, it looks like someone left an oversized lawn shed in Bluff Park. It measures exactly 12 by 12 feet, clad in unpretentious siding. But when night falls over Westcliffe, the entire roof rolls back on metallic tracks, turning a backyard-style shack into the highest certified dark-sky observatory on the planet, sitting right at 7,900 feet.
The setup exists because of Suzanne "Smokey" Jack, a local who realized the Wet Mountain Valley had something increasingly rare—unbroken, pitch-black night skies—and set out to keep it that way. She helped found Dark Skies of the Wet Mountain Valley, leading to Westcliffe and neighboring Silver Cliff becoming Colorado's first certified International Dark Sky Community in 2015. The shed was built in her memory, but inside, there's nothing quaint about the hardware.
Housed inside that tiny footprint is a 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope retrofitted with computer-guided tracking. Instead of jostling with crowds at a planetarium, a nonprofit program lets you book a free private star party. A trained Star Guide unlocks the shed, cranks back the roof, and points the 14-inch glass directly at Saturn's rings or deep-field gas nebulae while the rest of the town goes pitch dark around you.
What it's like
If you show up without a reservation, you’re just standing on the park lawn staring at a locked wooden shed. To get inside, you have to book a free private star party online well before your trip—slots open for the mid-March through October season and vanish quickly. You'll meet your Star Guide at full dark in Bluff Park. At nearly 7,900 feet, the high-desert temperature plummets the second the sun drops behind the Sangre de Cristos, so show up with heavy layers, gloves, and a thermos full of something warm. Mountain weather is fickle, so keep a backup night in your itinerary in case clouds roll over the valley.
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.
Pair it with
- Westcliffe & Silver Cliff Dark Sky Community Star Parties — Pair your private telescope session with the broader dark-sky preserve network across both towns.
- Silver Cliff Cemetery — Explore the cemetery two miles away before dark to hunt for its famous, unexplained blue-white lights.
- Mission: Wolf — Spend the afternoon 45 minutes south at the remote high-altitude wolf sanctuary before heading back to Main Street for nightfall.
Good to know
How much does a private star party cost?
It is completely free. Dark Skies of the Wet Mountain Valley operates the observatory as an educational nonprofit, though you must reserve your spot far in advance through their website.
Can I see inside the observatory without a reservation?
No. When an event or private star party is not actively running, the building remains locked. Outside of scheduled events, you can only view the exterior from Bluff Park.
What happens if the weather is bad on my reserved night?
Because optics require clear conditions, sessions are subject to immediate cancellation for rain or cloud cover. It is best to hold a backup date in town if you are traveling specifically for astronomy.
What should I wear for a session?
Dress for winter even in July. Evenings at 7,900 feet drop cold fast once the roof rolls off, and you will be standing still on a dark park lawn for an hour or more.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: darkskiescolorado.org · uncovercolorado.com · visitwetmountainvalley.com · colorado.com
last checked: 2026-06-11