You'll never look at the night sky the same: Why travelers are seeking out astrotourism

USA Today

21-02-2025

You'll never look at the night sky the same: Why travelers are seeking out astrotourism
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Scott L. Hall, USA TODAY
Astrotourism is growing in popularity as more people seek out dark skies to experience celestial wonders.
National parks and designated Dark Sky Places offer excellent opportunities for stargazing and astronomical events.
Astrotourism not only provides breathtaking views but also raises awareness about light pollution and its impact on wildlife.
Eliana Gorov didn't have to go far from her home in Las Vegas to view the Milky Way with her naked eyes. When she peered through a telescope during Great Basin National Park's astronomy program, she saw her first shooting star.
"The Milky Way seemed like a million of stars, it was beautiful, it was incredible," the 22-year-old recalled of her summer 2023 trip to the national park, which is also a certified International Dark Sky Park and home to some of the darkest skies in the lower 48.
At the park's Astronomy Amphitheater, visitors were asked to turn off their phones and any smart watches to minimize light pollution. She looked up and saw a sea of stars. "I don't think there's anything like looking up at the cosmos as far as (it) can go," she said.
On an astrotourism trip like Gorov's, celestial objects take center stage. More travelers are seeking out the feeling of awe from the night sky, with 60% of travelers saying they're considering visiting a low-light pollution destination, according to Booking.com's 2025 Travel Predictions.
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In a 2023 survey of 634 visitors of nine International Dark Sky Parks, 61.8% of Utah's state and national park visitors participated in a night sky recreation activity. During last April's solar eclipse, people flocked to towns along the path of totality, generating an estimated $6 billion for the U.S. economy.
Staring up at the sky is bound to make you feel small. That's the point. Modern-day light pollution has excessive energy consumption and disrupts the natural circadian rhythm and migration patterns of wildlife. In Florida, light pollution has been found to disorient sea turtle hatchlings from finding their way to the ocean. Many dark sky destinations focus on reducing light pollution and infrastructure to reset the area back to its natural nighttime state. This low-impact type of travel is meant to connect people with nature and show them why it's worth protecting.
It can also make for an affordable trip, with many prime astrotourism destinations being national parks or remote camping areas.
Here's what travelers should know about astrotourism.
What is astrotourism?
This is any kind of trip where you're enjoying the sky and its celestial objects, from the more adventurous hunting down of an eclipse or Northern Lights to purely stargazing under an open sky. It may sound simple, but 99% of the U.S. population lives under light-polluted skies, according to a 2016 study published in Science Advances. The Milky Way is now hidden from 80% of North America.
At Kitt Peak National Observatory, located an hour from downtown Tucson, Arizona, atop Manzanita Bush Mountain at an elevation of 7,000 feet, visitors can enjoy one of the largest collection of major optical research telescopes in the world, with half of those available for the public.
On nighttime tours or even overnight stays, people can look at nebulas where new stars are born, other galaxies and the cratered surface of Mars. Not all the action happens at night, either. Daytime visitors can tour the massive research telescopes where new galaxies are mapped and scientists study dark matter.
These trips are meant to inspire people "to leave with a greater appreciation for how much can be done and has been done about the universe around us by the researchers who do this work and their own personal discovery," said Peter McMahon, Kitt Peak's operation manager.
Where are the best places to view the night sky?
There is a slew of dark sky-viewing opportunities across national parks system, research observatories and star parties – public nighttime gatherings for astronomy enthusiasts to socialize and gaze at celestial objects.
The nonprofit organization International DarkSky is a good place to start your search, having certified 241 Dark Sky Places across 22 countries that offer stunning dark skies, public access and resources, and responsible lighting practices.
With minimal infrastructure and rural surroundings, national parks are also some of the best places for viewing the night sky. Many have astronomy programs open and free to the public (included in park admission), such as a Dark Sky Festival at Death Valley National Park and a viewing and lecture by an astronomer in residence at Grand Canyon National Park. You can also just stargaze on your own during a nighttime visit, with the help of a star chart app like Stellarium.
"A lot of the western states naturally fit the ticket to become a Dark Sky park, surrounded by larger public lands," said Drew Reagan, communications manager at DarkSky. "The Southwest tends to get a lot of attention because we have really clear skies – nice weather patterns and higher elevation for clearer stargazing." Just recently, Tucson launched its Astro Trail, a curated multi-destination map of dark sky spots, and Colorado is set to achieve 12 state parks as Dark Sky certified this year.
"When you look up and see three stars, you don't get that awe," said Reagan. "When you go out in a Dark Sky Place and see a thousand stars, you start to understand your place in the universe in an incredible way. That view used to be seen every single place on earth by everybody regardless of where they're at."
Gorov's trip to Great Basin has got her hooked on chasing the beauty of the night sky. "Traveling for the night sky can give us opportunities to see incredible, once-in-a-lifetime natural phenomena that we couldn't view in our own backyard, like the Northern Lights," she said. She's planning a trip to Iceland this summer, with stargazing already on the itinerary.