Some of the darkest skies left in the country sit inside our national parks, far from the light pollution that washes out the stars for most Americans. On a clear, moonless night in the right park, you can see the Milky Way cast a shadow, watch meteors streak overhead, and take in thousands of stars invisible from any city. This guide breaks down the best national parks for stargazing by region, so you can find dark skies close to wherever you are, along with what makes each one special and when to go.
A note on how we organize this: we focus on the 63 national parks, but a few other National Park Service sites, such as national seashores, rivers, and monuments, are also outstanding dark-sky destinations, and we flag those clearly where they belong in a region.
What Is a Dark Sky Park?
An International Dark Sky Park is a place certified by DarkSky International for the quality of its night skies and its commitment to protecting them through responsible lighting. Dozens of National Park Service sites have earned the designation. The certification is a useful shortcut, but plenty of remote parks have superb skies whether or not they carry the formal label. What matters most for stargazing is distance from city lights, elevation, dry air, and a clear horizon, and the parks below deliver on all four.
Southwest Dark Sky National Parks
The desert Southwest is the best stargazing region in the country. High elevation, dry air, and vast distances from major cities combine to create exceptional dark skies, and the concentration of certified parks here is unmatched.
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Big Bend National Park, Texas
Big Bend has some of the darkest measured skies in the lower 48, thanks to its remote location in West Texas far from any city. The park hosts star parties and the night sky here is genuinely overwhelming.
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
At over 8,000 feet with clean, dry air, Bryce Canyon is a premier stargazing park. Its astronomy program and annual festival are among the best in the system, and the hoodoos make a striking foreground for the stars.
Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Utah
The red-rock parks around Moab are both certified dark-sky parks. Arches frames the stars with its sandstone formations, while Canyonlands, larger and more remote, offers even darker skies at spots like the Island in the Sky.
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
The least crowded of Utah’s parks, Capitol Reef is a certified dark-sky park with skies as good as its better-known neighbors and a fraction of the visitors.
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Grand Canyon is a certified dark-sky park, and its annual star party draws astronomers to both rims. The combination of the canyon below and the Milky Way above is hard to top.
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
Remote and uncrowded, Petrified Forest is a certified dark-sky park where the ancient logs and painted desert sit beneath brilliant night skies.
Zion National Park, Utah
While its deep canyon walls limit the horizon, Zion is still a certified dark-sky park with excellent stargazing from its more open areas.
Western Dark Sky National Parks
Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada
One of the largest and darkest parks in the country, Death Valley is a gold-tier certified dark-sky park, the highest rating. Its size and remoteness make for spectacular, horizon-to-horizon skies.
Great Basin National Park, Nevada
Remote and high, Great Basin is among the darkest parks in the lower 48. Its astronomy program and clear desert air make it a destination for serious stargazers.
Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Great Sand Dunes pairs the tallest dunes in North America with a certified dark sky, and the open dunefield gives an unobstructed view in every direction.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
A certified dark-sky park, Black Canyon of the Gunnison offers dark skies above its dramatic gorge, with summer astronomy programs at the rim.
Joshua Tree National Park, California
The closest dark-sky park to the Los Angeles area, Joshua Tree draws stargazers despite some glow on the horizon from distant cities. The desert and its namesake trees make memorable foregrounds.
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
A certified dark-sky park, Mesa Verde combines ancient cliff dwellings with clear, high-desert night skies.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Rocky Mountain offers high-elevation stargazing, and while it sits near the Front Range cities, its higher and more remote areas still deliver good dark skies.
Dark Skies in the Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a tougher region for stargazing, with frequent cloud cover and damp marine air. The drier eastern sides of the Cascades and high-elevation spots offer the best odds, but the region’s national parks are better known for forests and peaks than for night skies.
Southeastern Dark Sky Sites
The humid, more developed Southeast has fewer truly dark national parks, but a handful of sites stand out.
Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
Mammoth Cave is a certified dark-sky park, an unexpected bonus at a park famous for what lies underground. The forested surface offers good stargazing well away from city lights.
Other Southeastern Dark-Sky Units
Beyond the national parks, several other National Park Service sites in the region have excellent dark skies, including Cape Lookout National Seashore in North Carolina, Buffalo National River in Arkansas, and Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, all of which are certified for their night skies.
Midwest Dark Sky Sites
Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
On the Canadian border, Voyageurs is a certified dark-sky park and one of the best places in the country to catch the northern lights when conditions align. Its lakes and remote location make for outstanding viewing.
Northeastern Dark Sky Places
Acadia National Park, Maine
The best dark-sky national park in the Northeast, Acadia hosts an annual night-sky festival and offers excellent stargazing from spots like Cadillac Mountain and the park’s quieter shorelines, despite its coastal location.
Other Northeastern Dark-Sky Units
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine is a certified International Dark Sky Sanctuary, one of the darkest sites in the eastern United States, and a standout among non-park NPS units in the region.
Dark Skies of Hawaii and Alaska
Hawaii
The Hawaiian parks offer fine stargazing far from mainland light pollution. Haleakala on Maui, at 10,000 feet, is one of the best places in the islands to take in the stars, and Hawaii Volcanoes offers dark skies on the Big Island.
Alaska
Alaska’s parks sit under some of the darkest skies anywhere, but the catch is daylight. In summer the far north barely gets dark at all, so the best stargazing and aurora viewing comes in the colder months. Denali and the other Alaska parks can deliver remarkable northern-lights displays in the fall and winter.
Tips for Stargazing in National Parks
- Time it with the moon. Plan your visit around the new moon. A bright full moon washes out all but the brightest stars.
- Let your eyes adjust. Give yourself at least 20 to 30 minutes in the dark, and use a red flashlight to preserve your night vision.
- Check the forecast. Clear, dry nights are best. Mountain and desert parks often clear up after sunset even on partly cloudy days.
- Dress warmer than you think. Desert and high-elevation nights get cold fast, even in summer.
- Look for ranger programs. Many of these parks run astronomy nights and star parties, often with telescopes provided.
