The site is located at Oak Springs Summit and is accessible via a dirt road off of the Great Basin Highway about 100 miles northeast of Las Vegas. Driving time from Las Vegas is about 2.5 hours. The altitude is 6,500 feet and the site is situated on top of a gently sloped mountain covered with small pine trees and shrub ground cover. These mountains are very much like 'islands' rising above the desert 'sea'. The Milky Way visible to the unaided eye actually corresponds to the isophotes which appear on sky atlases.
Stars overhead are very steady two hours after sunset.
Furthermore, the site is well protected from wind. There is a very faint glow from Las Vegas to the Southeast spiking skyward less than 10 degrees since the absence of moisture in the air dramatically reduces light scattering. It is not uncommon to spend an entire weekend at this site and not see or hear any human activity. Even commercial air traffic over the area is infrequent due to the proximity of Area 51 and the restrictions to air travel near these military installations. The set-up is quite massive and holds up to moderate wind gusts.