On May 23, 2019, I watched the 10:30pm SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink launch from the Loxahatchee Boat Ramp.

Notes:

• The rocket will appear over the horizon approximately 47-50 seconds after launch.
• Notice the tall lighted tower off in the distance, and the blinking white light near the horizon to the left of it. They’re going to be your two primary landmarks guiding you where to look.
  • Instinctively, you’ll probably expect to see the rocket appear near the lighted tower. In reality, it will appear quite a bit to the left of it. If you’ve never watched a launch before, it’ll appear to be a lot further to the left of where you’ll probably expect it to be.
  • To the left of the blinking tower, there’s another blinking light near the ground. The rocket will be left of that, too.

Verdict:

Fantastic place to watch launches. I’d say it’s about 60% as good as Hobe Sound Beach. The main difference is that from Hobe Sound, the rocket briefly appears to be flying towards you, and both the launching rocket and returning first stage appear to be approximately twice as large.

Plus:

• Unobstructed view all the way to the horizon. Flames became visible right on schedule, approximately 46 seconds after lift-off.
• Safe… as long as you stay in your car. And unlike most viewing sites, you actually can stay in your car and enjoy a perfect view. I personally stood in my truck bed.

Minus:

• You’re at the edge of the Everglades, and the mosquitoes are fierce.
• Alligators aren’t just an abstract, theoretical possibility. There are multiple alligators known to roam around the parking lot daily. Stay in your car, and they’ll leave you alone.
• The ramp officially closes at 10pm. The rangers didn’t seem to mind the small crowd watching the launch at 10:30, but I’m not sure how tolerant they are of really late-night visitors. That said, they’re apparently planning to officially keep the boat ramp open 24/7 starting sometime later this year, so they might have already thrown in the towel and stopped rigidly enforcing the 10pm closing time.
• Officially, it costs $5 to enter. Once they officially change the hours to 24/7, I’ll probably spend the $12 and buy an annual pass… as long as they don’t install new lights and ruin it as a launch-viewing site.
  • Plea to LNWR officials: if you feel like you really have to install more lights after opening it 24/7, leave the western parking lot (or at least its western half) dark for the benefit of launch-watchers and stargazers. This is one of the last places left in urban Broward County that has a dark sky, and the only one I’m aware of that ALSO has a clear view to the north from a high vantage point where cars can be parked (providing protection from snakes & gators). Please don’t ruin it. This is a unique amenity you can offer to people who’d otherwise have zero interest in visiting LNWR, and would otherwise be completely indifferent if it were bulldozed away and replaced by condos. All you have to do keep us happy and preserve it is leave the western half of the parking lot dark.

Photos:

 

 

 

I’ve watched two rocket launches from the Sawgrass Atlantic Everglades Trailhead, located at the western end of Atlantic Blvd. in Coral Springs, Florida. I had two completely different experiences, so I’ll describe them separately.

Note: if you assume the trail runs from north to south, the launching rocket will appear approximately 5-15 degrees to the left of “straight ahead” and arc towards the right a few degrees above the horizon. The landing booster rocket will appear to descend “straight down, straight ahead” (at least, if OCISLY is moored 15-20 miles offshore from Cape Canaveral). Remember, most of Fort Lauderdale and Miami lies to the east of Cape Canaveral’s longitude, so Cape Canaveral will only be “directly north” if you’re slightly WEST of US-27/Krome Avenue.

The Verdict:

It’s a potentially good place to watch night launches, a complete waste of time for SpaceX day launches, and might be worthwhile for ULA day launches of rockets with solid rocket boosters (like the Delta IV). Hobe Sound is slightly better… but the jury’s still out on whether it’s sufficiently better to justify spending an hour and a half driving instead of a half hour.

Night Launch (SpaceX CRS-17; May 4, 2019 @ 2:46am)

The good:

• Excellent visibility. The conservation trail on top of the levee gets you up high enough for the rocket to become visible within a few seconds of launch. Both the launch AND first-stage landing burn (on OCISLY, approx. 12 miles offshore from Cape Canaveral) were clearly visible. The flames seemed to cut out a lot earlier than I expected, though… I’m not sure whether that was due to clouds, or because the final second or two was below the horizon.
• Dark… but not TOO dark. The lights on the Sawgrass Expressway illuminate the area about as much as a full moon. It doesn’t interfere with the rocket’s visibility, and frankly is kind of nice to have considering that it’s literally the edge of the Everglades, and you can hear the wildlife having a metaphorical street party a few hundred feet away.
• Abundant parking (at night… daytime parking is another matter), easy access. From northbound Sawgrass Expressway, exit at Atlantic Blvd, turn right (the only direction you can turn), make the first U-turn, then continue straight under the Sawgrass Expressway to the trailhead access road. I believe if you’re heading south on the Sawgrass Expressway, you’d exit at Atlantic Blvd, then turn right at the traffic light onto the trailhead access road instead of turning left onto Atlantic Blvd.

The bad:

• There’s a fence and a gate. The gate was closed, but not locked. I didn’t see any obvious signs prohibiting entry or stating that it was ‘closed’, but I’d recommend arriving at least 10-15 minutes before launch so you’ll have time to execute ‘Plan B’ (below) if you arrive & the gate is locked.
• The mosquitoes are absolutely fierce.
• The area was totally deserted.
• I didn’t see any wildlife, but it was unquestionably nearby. Be aware that snakes are a definite possibility. Bring a flashlight bright enough to illuminate at least 10-20 feet around you, and stick to the center of the cleared path. Don’t be neurotic, but definitely remain aware of your surroundings.

The photos:

 

Day Launch (Falcon Heavy; April 11, 2019 @ 6:35pm)

The good:

• Convenient location adjacent to Sawgrass Expressway
• About two dozen other launch enthusiasts present

The bad:

• Daytime Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches really aren’t much to see from Broward County, especially if it’s even slightly cloudy. The Falcons are liquid-fueled, and their exhaust trail is nowhere close to being as thick & long-lasting as the smoke belching from the Space Shuttle’s solid rocket boosters used to be. After the booster engines cut off, you’ll be lucky to see a thin, wispy vapor trail that disappears within a couple of minutes.
• The trailhead’s parking lot is pretty small. There were at least 6-10 cars forced to park wherever they could find a spot next to the access road. I wouldn’t be terribly worried about getting a ticket if you’re only going to be there for 15-20 minutes, but even that parking is severely limited by the curb and fence along most of the access road.

The Photos:

As you can see in the photo, the Falcon Heavy’s exhaust trail isn’t much to see from 180 miles away. Also, the trail itself didn’t become visible until a few moments before this photo was taken due to clouds somewhere between Fort Lauderdale and Cape Canaveral that were between the guy’s shoulder and the horizon. The exhaust from a Delta IV with Shuttle-like solid rocket boosters would probably be a lot more impressive.

Notice the very, very full parking lot. I think Broward County grossly underestimated just how popular this particular parking lot and access point to the conservation trail was going to be.

“Plan B”

As noted in my description of the night launch, there’s a fence & gate between the parking lot and trail… a gate that could conceivably start getting locked overnight at some point in the future. If you arrive & find the gate locked, my suggestion would be to run back to your car, head south on the Sawgrass Expressway, exit at Commercial Blvd, and turn right at the traffic light at the end of the off ramp. There’s a large parking lot (turn right at the traffic light instead of turning left onto Commercial Blvd) that appears to be a staging area for large trucks & a FPL substation. I wouldn’t recommend getting too close to anything that could make someone suspicious of your reasons for being there, but you’ll probably be OK if you park in an open area, quietly stand next to your car to watch the launch, and leave immediately afterwards. Don’t sneak around, but don’t call attention to yourself either.

Ideas for future launches:

• I haven’t been to the Loxahatchee Road Boat Ramp, but in theory this might be the ideal spot in Broward County for launch-viewing.
• The Broward County Rest Area on I-75 (approx. 10 miles west of US 27) would be a fantastic spot to watch launches, except for one problem… the entire area is lit up like a stadium with blindingly-bright blue-white LEDs. It’s a shame, because it’s probably the safest Everglades location to watch launches… it has a nice raised viewing platform, huge parking lot, a rest area with restrooms, and you can drive home to Fort Lauderdale or Miami without having to make a U-turn of questionable legality and safety.
• If you have a pickup truck & can stand in the bed (to isolate yourself from anything that might be lurking at ground level, like snakes or gators, and to give yourself an additional ~3 feet of height), the parking lot ~2 miles east of the Broward County rest area on northbound I-75 might be a better alternative, because unlike the rest area, this parking lot is pitch black. To return home, just get back on northbound I-75, exit to the rest area in 2 miles, follow the signs to the main building, then follow the signs to southbound I-75 (basically, you’ll be making a big “U” turn under I-75).
• The road leading from Tamiami Trail to the ValuJet 592 Memorial. I’ll personally probably never go to this site because it would be no better than the Broward sites that are closer to both me and Cape Canaveral, but if you’re in Miami, this might be a decent option. Given the fact that it’s literally in the middle of the Everglades, I’d personally park my truck and stand in the bed just to avoid any possibility of having a snake or gator sneak up behind me… or if I were in a car, I’d park someplace where I could remain safely inside. There are absolutely and unquestionably snakes (including pythons) and alligators in this area, and a very real possibility of encountering them if you get out of your car here at night & go walking around.
• The elevated bridge on Tamiami Trail a mile east of the ValuJet 592 Memorial. You’re unlikely to encounter wildlife here, just because the bridge’s midpoint is pretty isolated from the surrounding terrain. The usual cautions about pulling over on a road apply.

If you live in South Florida, you’ve probably attempted to watch a few rocket launches, found the experience to be a bit underwhelming, and wondered whether there’s a nearby vantage point that’s better than your back yard.

The answer is, yes: Hobe Sound Beach.

Why launches are hard to see from Miami and Fort Lauderdale

Shuttle launches were fairly easy to view from nearly anywhere in Florida. The solid rocket boosters belched thick smoke that was visible for up to an hour from even Naples or Key West on a clear day, and its engines burned brightly until it was literally below the horizon. One way or another, the entire state of Florida got to enjoy the pyrotechnics unless clouds blocked the view.

The Falcon 9 isn’t quite as flamboyant. It doesn’t shake the state, spew a thick exhaust trail, and light up the night sky until it’s halfway to orbit. Once MECO (main engine cut-off) 2-3 minutes after launch, the show in most of Florida is over.

If you’re in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, that means you won’t get to see much from your back yard. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to see either a tiny, ephemeral arc of white smoke behind a tiny orange dot for about 30-60 seconds (day launch), or a triangular orange blob tracing the same path for the same amount of time before blinking out and disappearing into the sky’s normal ambient orange glow after MECO. If you can’t get above the local treeline, or have buildings blocking your ground-level view of the horizon, you might not get to see anything at all.

Hobe Sound Beach solves many of those problems:

• Reasonably close. 90-120 minutes away from most of Miami or Fort Lauderdale.
• Dark sky. This is one of the least-urban stretches of beach along the east coast of Florida… mostly nature preserves and sparse single-family homes along a narrow strip of beach.
• Nothing but water between the beach and Cape Canaveral, and a relatively unobstructed view all the way to the launch pad. It’s just north of the point where Florida’s coastline bends.
• Pitch black over the ocean. When I watched the unmanned Crew Dragon launch on March 2, 2019 (~2:49am), we were able to make out the rocket’s unambiguously orange glow against the black sky and white stars for at least 10 minutes… and had a nearly perfect view (of the flames) as the primary booster made its landing on the offshore platform.
• Nice parking lot that’s likely to have plenty of parking for anyone going to watch a night launch.
• There are restrooms, but they’ll probably be locked at night.

How to get there:

I-95 to SE Bridge Road (CR708), the SE Bridge Road east until you get to the beach & the road ends at the parking lot’s entrance.

Alternate: Turnpike north to SR706 (W. Indiantown Road), then east to US-1. US-1 north to SE Bridge Road, then east to the beach & parking lot entrance.

Final note:

If you’re going for a night launch, be on good behavior. Most public beaches in Florida officially close at “dusk”, and it wouldn’t surprise me if this one does too. That doesn’t mean the police are going to be hiding in the shadows ready to jump out and arrest anyone who dares to set foot on the beach after dark, but it does give them unlimited discretion to make you leave if they think you might cause “trouble”. Use common sense, and avoid giving the police a reason to get involved.

• Dress nicely. If in doubt, pretend you’re going to an informal beach wedding for a co-worker as a guest. Don’t wear anything that gives the impression you plan to go swimming.
• Don’t arrive long before the launch, or linger past the first-stage landing. There’s no need to show up hours beforehand… a random night launch at Hobe Sound Beach isn’t like a historic launch day in Titusville. There’s plenty of parking and room for everyone. Arrive, enjoy the launch, and leave.
• Leave the cooler and beverages in your car. If the police see a cooler or open beverages, they have to inspect them for alcohol. If they have to inspect them for alcohol, you’re already on the verge of being told to leave. If you arrive 15 minutes before launch, you’ll be leaving within a half hour anyway. 30 minutes without hydration isn’t going to kill you.
• Don’t hang out on the boardwalk (it’s intimidating to others, especially at night in the dark), hide in the shadows among the sea oats (looks suspicious), or form a mob… but don’t stray too far north or south of the parking lot, either. Try to keep your own group below 5-6 members, pick a spot that’s approximately 20-30 feet away from another group, and don’t move around a lot. The idea is to make it easy for a police officer to discreetly keep an eye on everyone from afar, without making it look like a coherent, organized crowd.
• If approached by a police officer, smile & invite him to watch the launch with you.
  • Don’t make things awkward or put him on the spot by explicitly asking for permission he isn’t officially authorized to give.
  • By inviting him to join you, you’ve helped to defuse the situation. He now knows your reason for being there, and more importantly… he knows that if he does nothing at all, you’re going to leave in 15-20 minutes anyway, without any hard feelings or drama.
  • If he didn’t know about the launch and it’s about to happen, there’s a good chance he’ll be happy to spend a few minutes watching it with you. Launches rarely get a lot of advance news coverage anymore, but most people still think they’re cool enough to watch if they’re in the right place at the right time to see one.