Curious travelers have the chance to indulge in astronomy at some of the few remaining safe havens for pitch-black skies.
Curious travelers have the chance to indulge in astronomy at some of the few remaining safe havens for pitch-black skies providing a clear glimpse of thousands of luminous stars.
To promote public excitement and knowledge about the issue, several National parks will host stargazing festivals for sky watching and meteor showers in 2023. For those who can’t make it to these events, many national parks offer regular star parties throughout the year.
Here’s a list of events to take advantage of and make the most of the darkness this year.
Badlands National Park astronomy festival in South Dakota — July 14 – 16
Past events have included a guided walk through a "solar system," demonstrations, guest speakers and observations with special solar telescopes.
Shenandoah National Park night sky festival in Virginia — Aug. 11–13
The Blue Ridge Mountains park is located within a day’s drive from two-thirds of Americans.
Past events have covered space weather, nocturnal creatures and more.
Great Basin National Park astronomy festival in Nevada — Sept. 14–16
The 77,000-acre park is one of the least crowded national parks and is home to the Great Basin Observatory — the only research-grade observatory in a national park.
Participants in the festival’s “Art in the Dark” program can paint in low-light conditions and experiment with how their eyes perceive color.
Joshua Tree National Park night sky festival in California — Oct. 13–14
The festival conveniently overlaps with an annular “ring of fire” solar eclipse. The moon will appear to obscure between 70 and 80 percent of the sun.
Joshua Tree became an official dark sky park in 2017.
For the tens of millions of people who live in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Joshua Tree is the “nearest convenient place to go stargazing under a relatively dark sky,” according to the International Dark Sky Association.
Many areas part of the National Park Service (NPS) have received International Dark Sky Association certification as light pollution gets worse.
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Certified International Dark Sky parks in the U.S.
Arizona
Buffalo National River
Chiricahua National Monument
Flagstaff Area National Monuments
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument
Kartchner Caverns State Park
Oracle State Park
Petrified Forest National Park
Pipe Spring National Monument
Tonto National Monument
Tumacácori National Historical Park
Utah
Antelope Island State Park (U.S.)
Arches National Park (U.S.)
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Dead Horse Point State Park
East Canyon State Park
Fremont Indian State Park
Goblin Valley State Park
Goosenecks State Park
Jordanelle State Park
Kodachrome Basin State Park
Zion National Park
Natural Bridges National Monument
North Fork Park
Rockport State Park
Steinaker State Park
California
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (U.S.)
Death Valley National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Colorado
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Curecanti National Recreation Area
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Dinosaur National Monument
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Hovenweep National Monument
Jackson Lake State Park
Lake Fork Earth and Sky Center
Mesa Verde National Park
Top of the Pines
Texas
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend Ranch State Park
Copper Breaks State Park
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
Milton Reimers Ranch Park
South Llano River State Park
UBarU Camp and Retreat Center
Florida
Big Cypress National Preserve
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
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Georgia
Stephen C. Foster State Park
Idaho
City of Rocks National Reserve
Illinois
Middle Fork River Forest Preserve
Kentucky
Mammoth Cave National Park
Maine
AMC Maine Woods (U.S.)
Michigan
Dr. T.K. Lawless County Park
Headlands
Keweenaw Dark Sky Park, Michigan
Minnesota
Voyageurs National Park
Montana/Canada
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
North Carolina
Cape Lookout National Seashore
Mayland Earth to Sky Park & Bare Dark Sky Observatory
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
New Mexico
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Clayton Lake State Park
Capulin Volcano National Monument
El Morro National Monument
Fort Union National Monument
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
Valles Caldera National Preserve
Nevada
Great Basin National Park
Nebraska
Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area
Ohio
Geauga Observatory Park
Oregon
Prineville Reservoir State Park
Pennsylvania
Cherry Springs State Park
Craters Of The Moon National Monument
Tennessee
Obed Wild and Scenic River
Pickett CCC Memorial State Park & Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area
Virginia
James River State Park
Natural Bridge State Park
Rappahannock County Park
Sky Meadows State Park
Staunton River State Park
West Virginia
Watoga State Park
Wisconsin
Newport State Park
Visit NPS's website to view more stargazing events throughout the year.