These are the best stargazing sites in North America

Yahoo

4 days ago

Travelers are increasingly lifting their eyes to nighttime skies in search of impressive celestial phenomena and, perhaps, more. 'Looking up at the night sky is sort of what makes us human,' says Ruskin Hartley, the executive director of DarkSky International, a nonprofit group based in Tucson, Arizona. 'We have done it for millennia. Every single culture has told their first stories in the stars overhead, and they found meaning in the stars. Today, the vast majority of people are robbed of that.'
On a clear night last November, I spent over two hours in a dome atop nearly 7,000-foot-tall Kitt Peak, an hour outside of Tucson, peering through one of their 20-plus telescopes. The moonless night along with the high and dry climate enabled our guide to share bright and clear highlights, including the Andromeda galaxy, the ringed planet Saturn with several of its moons, and a globular cluster. Outside the dome, we simply marveled at the stunning clarity of our galaxy home, the Milky Way.
In the United States, 99 percent of us live in areas impacted by artificial light pollution. While dark skies are essential for many nocturnal creatures and ecosystems, recent studies have also touted the health benefits of darkness for humans. To help preserve and better connect us with this at-risk natural resource, DarkSky International has designated 155 dark sky places across the United States, six in Canada, and two in Mexico for stellar stargazing and efforts to preserve darkness.
Among the five categories of dark sky certification, sanctuaries meet the most stringent requirements, says Amber Harrison, DarkSky Places program manager, and many are in the western part of the continent in less populated areas. Designated in 2024, the world's largest international sanctuary—half the size of New Jersey—is in the high desert of the Oregon Outback. This 2.5-million-acre sanctuary includes broad and flat basins, mountain ranges with elevations from 4,700 to 8,000 feet, and alkali lakes, says Dawn Nilson, a DarkSky delegate who consulted on the process.
'With little or no light pollution, you see these celestial objects against an inky black, smooth canvas,' says Nilson. 'What's particularly special about the Outback is you get to see all those stars reflected on flat, calm, alkali lakes.' Nilson usually doesn't take her telescope along because there's no need. 'With your naked eye, you can see the many colors of the stars and star-making factories, like the Orion Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula.' In this pristine darkness, you might even spy your shadow cast by starlight.
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Astro adventurers should be experienced 'remote travelers,' cautions Nilson, because there may be no cell service or facilities nearby. 'Always bring more layers for warmth than you think are necessary,' she advises. Outfitters, such as Bend's Wanderlust Tours, offer guided excursions, and Rose City Astronomers (partnered with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) hosts star parties. Oregon Astronomy will team you with telescopes and a NASA ambassador.
Other U.S. sanctuaries include Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Maine's Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, the only one east of the Mississippi.
In the southwest, the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve spreads 15,000 square miles across southwestern Texas and Mexico and is the largest Dark Sky reserve. You'll find a constellation of guided options, from public telescope viewing at the McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin to ranger-led night walks in Big Bend National Park to starry nights with DarkSky Texas.
On any dark sky-focused adventures, we all carry 'a superpower,' says Nilson: The human capacity for night vision. However, that scotopic, or low-level light vision, takes at least 30 minutes to activate fully and can be negated by a white flashlight or a glance at an illuminated screen. Seasoned stargazers recommend using red-light flashlights and scheduling your excursion during the new moon phase for optimal darkness.
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With 28 certified dark sky communities and parks, Utah has the highest concentration of certified skygazing options in North America. That includes Rainbow Bridge National Monument, one of the world's largest natural bridges and also a sanctuary. The catch: Getting there requires a two-hour boat ride on Lake Powell followed by a one-hour hike. The site is considered sacred by many indigenous cultures, including the Pueblo of Zuni and the Hopi Tribe.
Straddling the Canadian border, the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is the first binational international Dark Sky Park and includes Montana's Glacier National Park and Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park. Known for its mountainous scenery and rich biodiversity, the area is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site, and both parks are UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. Dark Sky Guides in Waterton Lakes will maximize your viewing, and you can join Glacier's summertime ranger-led astronomy programs.
In Quebec's Eastern Townships, guided astronomy activities abound at Parc National du Mont Mégantic, including an aurora borealis show in the AstroLab museum and guided stargazing with telescopes. (Activities are in French.) To achieve reserve status, local municipalities replaced 2,500 light fixtures and reduced local light pollution by 25 percent. In the park, you can hike to three mountain summits and explore diverse forest ecosystems.
In Alberta, Jasper National Park is designated a Dark Sky Preserve by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, one of 17 in the country. The town is actually within the preserve's limits. Every October the Jasper Dark Sky Festival takes place, and features a planetarium and telescope viewing, Indigenous music and storytelling, and guided night hikes.
Lately, both urban and rural areas are darkening their skies to boost astrotourism. New Brunswick offers 'easy access to dark skies,' says Stéphane Picard of Cliff Valley Astronomy. 'Even in our cities, you're no more than 15 minutes away from a very dark sky.' The province has three dark-sky preserves designated by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, including Fundy National Park, known for the highest tides in the world. Other parks and towns are applying for designations to create a coastal stargazing corridor.
'When you're looking towards the Bay of Fundy from the New Brunswick coast, you're facing the southern half of the sky which is where mostly everything arises,' says Picard. 'We call that the rising tides and rising stars region.' The province hosts star parties with telescopes throughout the year.
Several jurisdictions have designed stargazing trails, including Tucson's Astro Trail with 11 dark sky experiences and Montana's Trail to the Stars with 45 recommended sites. With 12 Dark Sky Parks and another dozen working toward certification, Colorado has a self-guided 'Experience the Night' itinerary, chock full of daytime activities and night-gazing sites, including Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Mexico's first urban night sky place, Joya-La Barreta Ecological Park, between Querétaro and San Miguel de Allende, focuses on educating the public about the value of darkness.
(Why Tucson is one of the best places in the world to see the night sky)
East Coast residents seeking closer options can head to Pennsylvania's Cherry Springs State Park, which is within the larger Susquehannock State Forest and has laser-guided night sky tours. West Virginia's Watoga State Park's name derives from the Cherokee name for 'starry waters,' and travelers may spy abundant constellations here.
As stargazing gains in popularity, DarkSky International has developed its principles of responsible astrotourism, which emphasizes respect for local cultures and environmental health, along with sustainable growth. Hartley hopes that immersive dark sky experiences will inspire people to 'make some simple steps in and around your house and your neighborhood and your city to reclaim a little natural darkness.'
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Amy Brecount White is a Virginia-based writer with work seen in National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, National Parks Traveler, Sierra Magazine, and more. She focuses on travel, particularly immersive outdoor adventures and moments full of wonder. See more at amybrecountwhite.com.
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