The Sawgrass Atlantic Trailhead is located along the western edge of the Sawgrass Expressway. On a good night, you can expect to see not only the launch up to MECO, but the entry burn for the boosters as well. On a spectacularly clear & moonless night, you might be able to see the rocket after MECO as well.

It has a small parking lot. There’s a gate that gets closed after dark, but isn’t locked. As far as I can tell, there are no signs explicitly prohibiting nighttime use.

If you go there at night:

• Take somebody with you.
• After arriving, sit in the dark in your car for a few minutes to give your eyes time to adjust. The light from the adjacent expressway should provide enough illumination to keep you from being completely in the dark once your eyes have adjusted. Personally, I recommend bringing two flashlights… a bright one to use while walking from your car to the trail on top of the dike, and a dim/red one to use for general area illumination while watching the launch.
• Stay on the path near the center.
• Cover yourself with good insect repellent first. The mosquitoes are fierce.
• Don’t set yourself up to become the next viral Florida Man meme.

 

CRS17 launch shortly after Max-Q. Notice its position significantly to the left of the city lights.