Top Picks | Night Sky Viewing

Best places for Stargazing

One of the most spectacular sights in nature is the pristine night sky. If you go on vacation to one of our country's beautiful national parks or enjoy some backcountry camping you have the opportunity to enjoy some spectacular night sky viewing. Here are a few locations that are considered by many to be excellent for night sky viewing.

Death Valley National Park
Death Valley is the largest National Park in the contiguous United States and it has lots of deep wilderness. The wilderness greatly reduces the light pollution, clearing the sky for great night sky viewing. One thing to note is that there is some faint light pollution from the lights of Las Vegas, but it is so minimal that it is negligible. Death Valley also has access to some amazing backcountry activities. These activities will take you to the center of the deep wilderness where you can see some truly spectacular night skies.

Joshua Tree National Park
Located in southeastern California Joshua Tree has some amazing night sky views, especially while camping among many other spectacular natural sights. At Joshua Tree you can see the Milky Way with amazing clarity, using only binoculars. If you bring along a star chart you can identify all sorts of stars and constellations. Using binoculars you can look into the dense star clouds of the Milky Way, and see clearly. These star clouds are especially dense and bright to the south near the horizon.

Mauna Kea, Onizuka Center for International Astronomy
The Onizuka Center is located at the 9,300 foot level on Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea, located on the island of Hawaii surrounded by the Pacific Ocean is an ideal spot for international astronomy. At the top of Mauna Kea there is an internationally renowned observatory with 11 telescopes, located at 13,796 feet. The mountain has minimal light pollution and the high elevation is ideal for stargazing. Visitors have very limited access to the summit telescopes, due to a difficult road and the observatories are not open for public viewing. If you want to stargaze from Mauna Kea your best option is to take advantage of one of the free stargazing programs at the Onizuka Center or to take a commercial tour. If you really want to go to the summit, the Keck Observatory and the UH2.2 telescope have visitors galleries which are open for visitors at certain times.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Located in southeastern New Mexico this park is one of many amazing locations in New Mexico for night sky viewing. Throughout the summer visitors can enjoy the night sky events hosted at the park. Carlsbad Caverns are located away from the lights of the local communities, limiting light pollution, and creating better night sky viewing. During the summer there are Star Party Events, which provide information about the night sky and provide telescopes for better viewing. Carlsbad Caverns also has Ranger led programs emphasizing astronomy and nocturnal creatures.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park
On the opposite side of New Mexico from Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Chaco Culture National Historical Park has great night sky scenes. The park also has a great night sky program. The Chaco Night Sky Program includes presentations, astronomy which links modern astronomy with the astronomical knowledge of the Chacoan people. On top of the nocturnal activities Chaco Culture National Historical Park has the largest concentration of Chaco ruins outside of Mexico.

New Mexico Skies
New Mexico Skies is a program that provides a complete experience for aspiring astronomers. The lodgings are located within the Sacramento Mountains. New Mexico Skies has low light pollution and high elevations, and it borders the Lincoln National Forest, making it a fabulous spot for stargazing. Visitors can rent cabins, stargaze at night and sleep during the day, all of which is delightfully accommodated by New Mexico Skies. Of course, should you want to partake is some daytime activities the National Forest is a great location for recreation.

Great Basin National Park
Along the eastern edge of Nevada, Great Basin National Park has an ideal combination of low light pollution and high elevation. When stargazing at the Park, visitors can see five planets, meteors, star clusters and the Milky Way, simply with the naked eye. Some of the best spots to see the night sky in the park are at the turnouts along the Wheeler Park Scenic Drive.

Bryce Canyon National Park
Utah, like New Mexico is a great state for stargazing. Bryce Canyon has a variety of night time programs for visitors to enjoy. You can take a full moon hike, guided only by the light of the full moon and a "Dark Ranger" from Bryce Canyon. These hikes are a fabulous opportunity to enjoy both the nature of the park and its night skies. Bryce Canyon also has the Night Sky Program, which includes a multimedia presentation and telescope viewing. Bryce Canyon National Park has some pristine night skies, especially on moonless nights.

Natural Bridges National Monument
In southeastern Utah, Natural Bridges National Monument is one of the darkest national parks in the country. In fact, it is the world's first International Dark Sky Park. Natural Bridges has tried to maintain and improve its dark skies by reducing light pollution from park installations. In addition, there are ranger led programs for visitors to enjoy. Natural Bridges National Monument has especially amazing night skies because the dark canyon walls contrasts with the starry night skies.

Sky Meadows State Park
An hour away from Washington, DC in Virginia Sky Meadows State Park is a popular destination for night sky viewing. The park is located on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and its relatively remote location helps to limit the light pollution and accentuate the night sky. At Sky Meadows State Park groups come together to host stargazing events. Even astronomers come here to host presentations on the night sky.