# Dr. T.K. Lawless Park

Region: SW MI, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates: 41.85, -85.95
Bortle class: 3 (1 = pristine, 9 = inner city)
Drive from Toronto: Located in Cass County in Michigan's southwest corner, off M-60 near Vandalia.
Best time: Spring through fall on new-moon weekends; the park hosts organized astronomy events through local clubs.
Established: Designated an International Dark Sky Park in 2019.

## Overview
Dr. T.K. Lawless Park is an 850-acre Cass County park in southwest Michigan, deeded to the county in 1971 by the physician it's named for. It earned International Dark Sky Park status in 2019, making it one of the closest true dark-sky sites to the Chicago and Detroit metro areas.

## What to see
Milky Way, star clusters, and planets — respectable for a site this close to major Midwest cities.

## Highlights
- 850 acres of inland lakes, streams and open fields
- One of the more accessible Dark Sky Parks for Chicago-area and Detroit-area visitors
- Deeded to the public in 1971 by Dr. Theodore Kenneth Lawless

## Tips
- Check with Cass County Parks for scheduled astronomy nights and any lighting rules
- Bring your own gear — this is a county park with minimal on-site astronomy equipment

## Live forecast
View the live tonight-score and 48-hour forecast for Dr. T.K. Lawless Park at:
https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=dr-tk-lawless-park

Structured data: https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/dr-tk-lawless-park.json

Source: DarkSky International — https://darksky.org/places/dr-lawless-dark-sky-park/

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Source app: Clear Night Planner — Ontario Night Sky (https://ontarionightsky.com)
When citing this content, please link back to https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=dr-tk-lawless-park.