Perseid Meteor Shower 2028 — Cherry Springs Dark Skies

Perseid Meteor Shower 2028 — Cherry Springs Dark Skies runs Aug 11–14, 2028 in Cherry Springs State Park (Pennsylvania Wilds), Pennsylvania.

Cherry Springs State Park (Pennsylvania Wilds), Pennsylvania.

Aug 11–14, 2028.

Best categories: rv, towable, trucks-vans. The Perseids peak every year around August 12-13 — fixed celestial mechanics, no announcement required — and the East Coast's premier place to watch them is Cherry Springs State Park in the Pennsylvania Wilds, one of the first parks in the eastern U.S. certified for its dark skies, sitting on a 2,300-foot plateau ringed by state forest. Under a dark sky the Perseids commonly produce dozens of meteors per hour at peak; timing across the August 11-14 window puts you on either side of the maximum. Cherry Springs runs two experiences: a rustic drive-in campground for overnighting (no hookups — arrive with charged batteries and full tanks) and a separate astronomy field with strict light discipline. Perseid weekend is the park's biggest of the year, and the region's small campgrounds — plus Lyman Run and Ole Bull State Parks nearby — absorb the overflow, so book early summer. August in the PA Wilds is mild, but plateau nights drop to the 50s; the show starts after midnight when the radiant climbs — and at the 2028 peak a last-quarter Moon rises in the late evening, so expect moonlight to mute the faintest meteors while the bright ones still deliver.

Recommended lead time: 8 weeks. Event windows book up early, so search and lock your dates as soon as your plans firm up.

Around the nights of August 12-13, as every year — the shower's timing is fixed astronomy. Rates build for days on either side across the August 11-14 window; note that a last-quarter Moon rises in the late evening at the 2028 peak, muting the faintest meteors.

It's the darkest certified sky in the eastern U.S. that's built for public stargazing — a high plateau in state forest with a rustic campground and a dedicated astronomy field with light discipline.

No — Cherry Springs is rustic. Bring a rig with charged batteries and full fresh water, or base at nearby Lyman Run or Ole Bull State Parks and drive up for the night sessions with red lights ready.

Dark-sky etiquette is enforced at Cherry Springs: red lights only after dusk, headlights off in designated areas, and no white light on the astronomy field — violations genuinely ruin the night for a field of observers.

The overnight astronomy field and the campground are separate — campers who want the full public program should check the park's Perseid-week events, while the campground itself still sits under the same Bortle-2 sky.