9th Annual Perseids Meteor Shower Campout 2025

Join us in our annual tradition as we camp under the best unpolluted view of the night skies! Enjoy tea, telescopes, hot soup, and captivating stories, all while connecting with both nature and the cosmos. As a “class 2” dark sky site on the Bortle Scale, Mendocino Magic offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience the stars like never before. Here’s how we observe this spectacular event in true Magic fashion:

Friday, August 15th — PANEL DISCUSSION (Q & A): Experts in Astrophotography

OFFICIAL DETAILS TBA in SPRING 2025.

Saturday, August 16th — Meteor Shower Viewing at Methuselah’s Observatory 

Get ready for an enchanting meteor shower viewing on the hill at Methuselah’s Observatory, complete with telescopes available for stargazing! Starting at 11:00 PM, help yourself to a cozy self-serve tea station (bring your favorite mug!) and steaming hot soup to keep you warm—both vegetarian and omnivore options will be available.

Things to prep for YOUR campout experience:

Food & Drinks:

While light snack options will be available on Saturday, please bring your own food for all other meals and snacks. We recommend a picnic-style dinner for Saturday evening. You can also make dinner down at central camp before coming up the hill, as no stoves are allowed at Methuselah.

Grills: Available for use at the communal kitchen at central camp.

Cooler: Ice will be for sale on-site for $5 (5 lb bag), coolers also available for rent on site.

Other essentials: 

• Headlamp with a red setting* 

• Tent, sleeping bad, sleeping pad

• Bathing suit

• Towel

• Lake safe sunscreen

• Bug spray

• Layers 

• Blanket to sit on

• Cup, mug, utensils, etc, water bottle

• Food (we will have grills available for use at the communal kitchen)

• Cooler (we have ice for sale on site)

• Trash bag- (LNT & pack it out), the Laytonville waste facility is located at 1825 Branscomb Rd, and operates Wednesday-Sunday 10am-4pm.

Red/Green Headlamps are Highly Recommended (available at the Gate House) - we ask that you don’t use bright white headlamps or flashlights during the meteor shower. Headlamps with red or green low-light settings allow our eyes to adjust to see the most from the stars. You can add a red headlamp to your ticket order for $20 and pick it up when you arrive.

NOTE: If the ticketing pop-up below is not showing on your screen, please press the “refresh” button on your web browser.

Arrival Information

Address: Navigate to 3000 Branscomb Road, Laytonville, and look for the sign for Mendocino Magic (venue map).

1. Sign the Waiver: Please complete our digital waiver before you arrive.

2. Check-In at the Gate: Upon arrival, pull up to the white pop-up tent to be greeted. Once checked-in, you’ll be directed to park in the designated lot, unless you’ve purchased a Car Camping add-on (available online or check-in).

3. Arrive within gate hours: If you expect to arrive late, please contact us so we can make arrangements.

   • Early Check-in (Add-on) - Thursday 08/14: 4:00 PM - 8:00PM

   • Day 1 - Friday 08/15: 12:00 PM - 8:00PM

   • Day 2 - Saturday 08/16: 12:00 PM - 8:00PM

4. Group camping: Camping with a group? Let us know ahead of time, and we’ll help you find the perfect spot.

5. Event Policies: Visit our Plan Your Stay and Policies pages for more details about what to expect. While we love dogs, we recommend leaving pets at home for this event. Pet Policy: Any dogs which attend any events at Mendocino Magic must remain on leash at all times.

Covid 19 and Mendocino Magic: While we do not require proof of vaccination, we do ask guests to please stay home and not join us at the campout if you are not feeling well (even if you have tested negative). If you have been exposed recently to someone with Covid 19, please provide a negative Covid test.

Sky forecast: https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/

Weather: https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=39.6747&lon=-123.4952

Learn More about the Perseids Meteor Shower….

The Perseid Meteor shower in 2025 will be active from July 17 to August 24, with its peak occurring on the night of August 12 into the early hours of August 13. During this peak, under ideal dark-sky conditions, observers can expect to see up to 100 meteors per hour. However, it’s important to note that a waning gibbous moon will be present during the peak nights, which may reduce visibility of fainter meteors. To enhance your viewing experience, try to find a location with minimal light pollution and position yourself so that the moon is obscured by natural features like trees or hills.

Check out this year’s SFGATE article featuring one of our panelists Michaël Uyttersprot, about his experience photographing the night sky at Mendocino Magic…

“Mendocino County has a “2” rating on the Bortle scale for measuring the night sky’s brightness — 1 being the darkest, 9 being completely illuminated by city lights — giving stargazers a nearly unpolluted view of the Milky Way galaxy.” See full 2024 SFGATE Article

“Meteors—“shooting stars”—are small pieces of rock or dust that burn up as they strike Earth’s atmosphere. The Perseid meteor shower is caused by dust and debris left in the inner solar system by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.” See full Forbes Article…

“As time wears on, this sanctuary for sharing the outdoors nestled within the Mendocino mountains is becoming a California open secret that’s too good to remain hidden.” says travel editor Silas Valentino. See full 2023 SFGATE Article…

All photos taken at Mendocino Magic by Michaël Uyttersprot