Audio
Lassen Audio Tour Stop 9 - Kings Creek Meadow
Transcript
Stop 9. Kings Creek Meadow Located about halfway along the 30-mile park highway, Kings Creek Meadow affords a dramatic view of Lassen Peak. In 1931, park officials organized a gathering to dedicate the park and celebrate the opening of the park highway. To mark the occasion, then National Park Service Director Horace M. Albright reluctantly consented to allow fireworks on the summit that would simulate an eruption of Lassen Peak. The planned pyrotechnic display ignited both controversy and excitement. In the end, the fireworks proved to be a grand fizzle when winds blew the smoke the wrong way, much to the consternation of the dignitaries and visitors watching from Kings Creek Meadow.
Park stewardship has evolved from those early days. Now, we look to the skies above Lassen Peak for a view of nature on the grandest scale―the awesome beauty of the dark night sky. The open meadow before you provides a front row seat to the universe’s dramatic display, no gunpowder required. Here, you can marvel at the eerie glow of a full moon or gaze at the starry cloud arching across the sky. If you live a city, this is a rare chance for you to see the beauty of our home galaxy―the Milky Way. In a world aglow with artificial light, this vast open area is one of few remaining dark sky sanctuaries. Today, we celebrate this precious natural resource at the annual Lassen Dark Sky Festival and every time we look up in wonder at our dark, night sky.
Description
Located about halfway along the 30-mile park highway, Kings Creek Meadow affords a dramatic view of Lassen Peak.
Credit
NPS
Date Created
09/01/2018
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