Baylor Park

There are 50 camping sites, 35 of which have water and electrical hookups. There is also a group camping area.

The park provides a variety of structures including a beach house, reservable picnic shelters, and with advanced reservations, a community room with seating for up to 100 in the remodeled barn.

A boat ramp for access to Eagle Lake is located outside the park.

Park visitors can observe nature from the nearly quarter-mile long boardwalk through the cattail marsh or hike the four miles of trails through a maple and basswood forest and prairie area.

The park can be enjoyed in all seasons, and cross-country skis can be rented at the park office during the winter.

For reservations or information about any park activity, contact the Carver County Park Office (952) 466-5250

Onan Observatory
The easy access and dark skies of Baylor Park made it a desirable location for a facility that provides a rare opportunity for studying the stars.

The Onan Observatory is located within the park’s borders and is operated by the Minnesota Astronomical Society (MAS) for the benefit of the public, students and teachers, and members of the society.

The mission of the observatory is education, and it is also used for MAS star parties.

The observatory includes an observing floor, a meeting area, and a storage room.

The Onan Observatory received a donation in 2007 of three new telescopes to keep the observatory up to date with the latest technology.

Two state-of-the-art systems are now in operation at the observatory. Each system is installed on top of a computer-controlled mount and consists of refracting and reflecting telescopes. One of these systems is primarily for visual observing, and the other is intended for video-enabled observing.

To support the new video-enabled system, the observatory has been wired with color monitors and video switching equipment, allowing dozens of visitors to simultaneously view the objects being observed through the telescope.

The third telescope is mounted where the 16” cassegrain telescope was located and is not equipped with a GPS driven base, making it easier to locate stars and planets. This is because the telescope is able to slowly move, countering the earth’s rotation and maintaining focus on a specific object. This eliminates the need to constantly relocate items as they rotate in and out of the eyepiece, making for a much more enjoyable viewing experience.

With the addition of this new equipment, there is now no other all-volunteer, public observing facility anywhere in the United States with a similar range of capabilities.

If you’re interested in checking out the observatory’s new equipment, the MAS opens the observatory to the public once or twice per month, during the spring, summer, and fall, often during regularly scheduled MAS star parties.

For more information, contact the MAS at (952) 467-2426.