ARRIVAL TIME: Fort Griffin State Historic Site closes at 4:30 p.m. That is just the time we will be settling in for a pleasant dinner in Breckenridge. We will arrive at FGSHS at about 6:00 p.m., after dinner and after FGSHS’s closing time. The site manager will provide access codes that will get us in.
Admission will be $10.00 per person for after hours usage of the State Historic Site. State Parks passes do not count for admission to Fort Griffin.
(817) 463-4160
https://thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/fort-griffin
WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT
Fort Griffin was established in 1867 to protect settlers, travelers, and cattle herds from Comanche raids. It remained in service until it was abandoned in 1881. Over time, it deteriorated into the ruins that remain today. Fort Griffin’s remote location renders very dark night skies. Those dark skies in combination with the ruins and reconstructions provide great opportunities for interesting astrophotography foregrounds.
This field trip is scheduled just days after the new moon on Wednesday, August 12. The night we will be there, sunset will be at 8:22 p.m. and the moon will be a thin 13% crescent that will set at 10:04 p.m. Night will commence at about 9:52 p.m. when the Milky Way core should become clearly visible in the southern sky. The early moonset should make good conditions for photographing the Milky Way and any deep space objects you might be interested in without having to wait too long for things to get really dark.
In addition to the ruins, there is a pond below the main area of the fort that creates opportunities for Milky Way reflections if the water is still. The dirt road to the pond is a bit rough. It is near the entrance to FGSHS, but it is obscured by vegetation and may be hard to find in the dark. If you want to scope it out as a possible foreground in some of your photos, I suggest you visit it and learn your way around before dark.
Administration Building at Golden Hour, ©2025 TKM
TRAVEL
Your car or cell phone GPS should get you to FGSHS, Albany, or Breckenridge (depending on your initial destination) from wherever your starting point happens to be. One caution, however. When I drove out to FGSHS for my reconnaissance trip, my truck’s GPS directed me to the FGSHS Campground rather than the actual State Historic Site. Had I not been there before and known that the State Historic Site was a little further down the road and on the opposite side from the Campground, I might have spent a bit of time wandering in search of the Visitors Center.
FGSHS will be closed and the gate will be locked when we arrive. I obtained permission from the Site Manager for us to get access after hours. He will email me a set of numeric codes that I will share. When we arrive, we must enter a code into the keypad at the entrance gate. The Site Manager will also send forms that everyone will need to fill out and return before the field trip with your name and vehicle information. You also will need to pay your entrance fee in advance. I will share more information about all this with everyone who registers after he sends me the codes and forms.
There are restrooms at the Visitors Center. However, the water fountains and the water bottle refilling station just outside the restrooms do not work. So, bring plenty of drinking water with you or be prepared to awkwardly refill water bottles in the small restroom sinks.
Milky Way over Barracks, ©2026 Eric Abercrombie, FGSHS Manager
DINNER
While it is a three-hour drive to FGSHS, it is only a 2.5-hour drive to Breckenridge, the largest city near the State Historic Site. I thought it might be most convenient to drive to Breckenridge for dinner where we will eat at 4:30 p.m. Then, we can drive the last thirty minutes to Fort Griffin to start setting things up arriving at around 6:00 p.m. That gives us more than three hours to set up before it gets dark.
The Blackhorse Mercantile & Cafe is a spacious, welcoming, pleasant restaurant with a variety of menu items, good food, excellent service, and clean restrooms. It’s in the heart of downtown Breckenridge right along the main drag across from the courthouse.
Blackhorse Mercantile & Cafe
103 West Walker Street
Breckenridge, Texas 76424
(254) 310-6310
https://visitblackhorse.com
The Milky Way through Bakery Window, ©2025 TKM
LODGING
Albany is the nearest town to FGSHS (about 15 minutes away). But it is about 30 minutes further from the DFW Metroplex than Breckenridge. Albany is very small and has only two places for lodging.
Breckenridge is larger with a more developed downtown. It is about 30 minutes from FGSHS and about 25 to 30 minutes from Albany. It has two places for lodging that I wwill mention, although there are one or two others.
Each town has one motel that is quite nice, but a bit pricy, and another that is less expensive, but appears to be okay. Most eating establishments in both towns are closed on Sundays. In the announcement, I list a few options in each city that should be open for breakfast before you head home on Sunday morning if you plan to spend the night.
I plan to arrive on the evening of Friday, August 14, to finalize everything on Saturday at FGSHS. I have a reservation for two nights at the Bell Mare Hotel in Breckenridge to shorten the drive home a little bit and to provide a few more eating options on Sunday morning before driving back to McKinney. However, I know some HNP members have already made room reservations in Albany. There is no wrong answer to the question of whether to stay in Breckenridge or Albany or at the FGSHS Campground. Do whatever floats your boat.
In the announcement, I provide a lot of information about lodging that does not need to be repeated here. Please refer to the announcement I sent as an attachment to my email. I also include information about staying in the FGSHS Campground if you prefer to rough it and save some money.
SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
In the announcement, I provide a lengthy list of suggestions for things you may want to bring along. The list does not need to be repeated here. Please refer to the announcement I sent as an attachment to my email.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Contact me if you have questions:
Tom Martin
HNP Field Trip Coordinator
(469) 261-3045
hollyfox07@gmail.com
Map of Fort Griffin State Historic Site with Key Features Annotated