Latest news with #Dark-SkyInternational
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arizona national park named a top US travel destination — and it's not the Grand Canyon
Saguaro National Park near Tucson was named a hidden gem of the U.S. National Parks, according to a recent report. Vacation rentals marketplace HomeToGo analyzed which national parks across the country offer smaller crowds, stunning scenery and affordable stays for those looking to escape to lesser-known destinations to experience the beauty of the U.S. wilderness. 'According to our 2025 Travel Survey, almost half of U.S. travelers have their eyes set on the great outdoors, with 49% planning to visit national parks or wilderness areas this year,' Eleanor Moody, HomeToGo's travel expert, said in an news release. 'As many vacationers continue to show particular interest in off-the-beaten-path destinations, whether this is to escape the crowds or find more affordable options, we hope this guide helps travelers pinpoint their perfect park escape." Here's why Saguaro National Park is one of the top national parks to enjoy nature without crowds, as well as a roundup of the top 10 national parks from HomeToGo's ranking. Saguaro National Park showcases the Sonoran Desert in all its prickly, sunlit beauty with its more than 94,000 acres of land on the western and eastern edges of Tucson. The park helps protect the biodiversity of the Sonoran desert landscape, including unique desert species like roadrunners, Gila monsters, desert tortoises and the iconic saguaro cactus. The park offers scenic drives, short trails and breathtaking views of towering cactuses, arid valleys and rugged mountains. During certain times of the year, the desert blooms with vibrant colors, bringing the trails to life. On the road? An Arizona city was named among the most underrated US travel destinations Additionally, the park was recently certified as an Urban Night Sky Place by Dark-Sky International, making it the first National Park Service location in Arizona to achieve this certification. Urban Night Sky Place recognition is awarded to sites near or surrounded by large urban areas that actively promote an authentic nighttime experience amid artificial light. One of the best parts? This stunning destination can also be budget-friendly. According to HomeToGo, the median nightly price per person for a vacation cabin near the park is about $53. To help preserve this unique landscape, visitors are encouraged to follow park guidelines closely. "As outdoor enthusiasts hit the trails, we encourage park visitors to embrace the Leave No Trace principles - preserving these natural spaces and leaving the parks as they found them,' Moody said. The desert environment: this tiny mouse lives in Arizona and eats cactus. See what it looks like Here's a list of the 10 most beautiful — and affordable — national parks for a vacation this summer 2025 and the median price per night per person for a vacation rental stay in the area, according to HomeToGo. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska: $59 Congaree National Park, South Carolina: $62 Saguaro National Park, Arizona: $53 Crater Lake National Park, Oregon: $75 Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota: $56 Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado: $56 Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado: $112 Arches National Park, Utah: $77 Lassen Volcanic National Park, California: $120 Capitol Reef National Park, Utah: $76 To figure out the top national parks for travel, HomeToGo looked at vacation rental data and travel interest from January 1 to March 15, 2025. They focused on trips planned between April 1 and Sept. 21, 2025. The data was taken from the site's own exclusive pricing and search demand data, in addition to 2024 visitor statistics from the National Parks Service´s Integrated Resource Management Applications portal. Only parks with reliable vacation rental price data were included. Each park was scored using three factors: Affordability: the average nightly cost per person for a vacation rental near the park. Crowd size: how many people visited the park in 2024. Popularity: how many people searched for that park on HomeToGo during the travel dates. Each factor was given a score between 5 and 10, with 10 being the best (for example, the cheapest park or the least visited one). The highest possible total score a park could earn was 30. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Looking for a beautiful summer escape? Try this Arizona national park
Otago Daily Times
20-05-2025
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Bid to protect Canterbury seabirds lands award
Efforts to protect Kaikōura's Hutton's shearwaters from bright lights have led to a top astronomy award. Nicky McArthur was recently awarded the Bright Star Award by the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand after her efforts to help the iconic native bird. She is a founding member of the Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust, which was successful in obtaining international dark sky sanctuary status for the Kaikōura district from Dark-Sky International in September last year. Kaikōura is the ''last place on earth'' for the Hutton's shearwaters (tītī), with just two remaining wild colonies - including one on Mrs McArthur's property, Puhi Peaks. When the ''pigeon sized'' seabirds fledge from the mountains, they are often confused by the street lights and crash land in the town, she said. ''For me personally, this journey has been a gift of learning and appreciation of how important protecting the natural darkness of the night sky is, including the ongoing protection of dark skies and quiet skies in the wider conversation. ''But what a challenge we are facing in this crazy 21st century, where science is taking our learning deeper and deeper into space while daily being threatened by space junk and the rest.'' Mrs McArthur said the award was the result of team work, as the small Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust team received support from dark sky enthusiasts from around New Zealand and overseas. The Kaikōura application was just the third international dark sky sanctuary in New Zealand to be approved, after Aotea Great Barrier Island and Rakiura Stewart Island, with Kaikōura being by far the largest at more than 2000 square kilometres. Mrs McArthur was nominated by Aucklander Gareth Davies, a member of Dark-Sky International's dark sky places committee, which reviews and approves dark sky applications. ''It is very clear to me that this application's success was in the greatest part due to Nicky's leadership, which resulted in funding being found to hire a project manager and an environmental consultant,'' Mr Davies said. The trust produced a private plan change to the Kaikōura District Plan, which led to new lighting rules and was adopted by the Kaikōura District Council last year. By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter ■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Top Astronomy Award For Kaikōura Dark Skies Advocate
Article – David Hill – Local Democracy Reporter Kaikura Dark Sky Trust founding member Nicky McArthur is the recipient of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Bright Star Award. Efforts to protect Kaikōura's Hutton's shearwaters from bright lights have led to a top astronomy award. Nicky McArthur was recently awarded the Bright Star Award by the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand after her efforts to help the iconic native bird. She is a founding member of the Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust, which was successful in obtaining international dark sky sanctuary status for the Kaikōura district from Dark-Sky International in September last year. Kaikōura is the ''last place on earth'' for the Hutton's shearwaters (tītī), with just two remaining wild colonies – including one on Mrs McArthur's property, Puhi Peaks. When the ''pigeon sized'' seabirds fledge from the mountains, they are often confused by the street lights and crash land in the town, she said. ''For me personally, this journey has been a gift of learning and appreciation of how important protecting the natural darkness of the night sky is, including the ongoing protection of dark skies and quiet skies in the wider conversation. ''But what a challenge we are facing in this crazy 21st century, where science is taking our learning deeper and deeper into space while daily being threatened by space junk and the rest.'' Mrs McArthur said the award was the result of team work, as the small Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust team received support from dark sky enthusiasts from around New Zealand and overseas. The Kaikōura application was just the third international dark sky sanctuary in New Zealand to be approved, after Aotea Great Barrier Island and Rakiura Stewart Island, with Kaikōura being by far the largest at more than 2000 square kilometres. Mrs McArthur was nominated by Aucklander Gareth Davies, a member of Dark-Sky International's dark sky places committee, which reviews and approves dark sky applications. ''It is very clear to me that this application's success was in the greatest part due to Nicky's leadership, which resulted in funding being found to hire a project manager and an environmental consultant,'' Mr Davies said. The trust produced a private plan change to the Kaikōura District Plan, which led to new lighting rules and was adopted by the Kaikōura District Council last year. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Top Astronomy Award For Kaikōura Dark Skies Advocate
Article – David Hill – Local Democracy Reporter Kaikura Dark Sky Trust founding member Nicky McArthur is the recipient of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Bright Star Award. Efforts to protect Kaikōura's Hutton's shearwaters from bright lights have led to a top astronomy award. Nicky McArthur was recently awarded the Bright Star Award by the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand after her efforts to help the iconic native bird. She is a founding member of the Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust, which was successful in obtaining international dark sky sanctuary status for the Kaikōura district from Dark-Sky International in September last year. Kaikōura is the ''last place on earth'' for the Hutton's shearwaters (tītī), with just two remaining wild colonies – including one on Mrs McArthur's property, Puhi Peaks. When the ''pigeon sized'' seabirds fledge from the mountains, they are often confused by the street lights and crash land in the town, she said. ''For me personally, this journey has been a gift of learning and appreciation of how important protecting the natural darkness of the night sky is, including the ongoing protection of dark skies and quiet skies in the wider conversation. ''But what a challenge we are facing in this crazy 21st century, where science is taking our learning deeper and deeper into space while daily being threatened by space junk and the rest.'' Mrs McArthur said the award was the result of team work, as the small Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust team received support from dark sky enthusiasts from around New Zealand and overseas. The Kaikōura application was just the third international dark sky sanctuary in New Zealand to be approved, after Aotea Great Barrier Island and Rakiura Stewart Island, with Kaikōura being by far the largest at more than 2000 square kilometres. Mrs McArthur was nominated by Aucklander Gareth Davies, a member of Dark-Sky International's dark sky places committee, which reviews and approves dark sky applications. ''It is very clear to me that this application's success was in the greatest part due to Nicky's leadership, which resulted in funding being found to hire a project manager and an environmental consultant,'' Mr Davies said. The trust produced a private plan change to the Kaikōura District Plan, which led to new lighting rules and was adopted by the Kaikōura District Council last year. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Top Astronomy Award For Kaikōura Dark Skies Advocate
Efforts to protect Kaikōura's Hutton's shearwaters from bright lights have led to a top astronomy award. Nicky McArthur was recently awarded the Bright Star Award by the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand after her efforts to help the iconic native bird. She is a founding member of the Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust, which was successful in obtaining international dark sky sanctuary status for the Kaikōura district from Dark-Sky International in September last year. Kaikōura is the ''last place on earth'' for the Hutton's shearwaters (tītī), with just two remaining wild colonies - including one on Mrs McArthur's property, Puhi Peaks. When the ''pigeon sized'' seabirds fledge from the mountains, they are often confused by the street lights and crash land in the town, she said. ''For me personally, this journey has been a gift of learning and appreciation of how important protecting the natural darkness of the night sky is, including the ongoing protection of dark skies and quiet skies in the wider conversation. ''But what a challenge we are facing in this crazy 21st century, where science is taking our learning deeper and deeper into space while daily being threatened by space junk and the rest.'' Mrs McArthur said the award was the result of team work, as the small Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust team received support from dark sky enthusiasts from around New Zealand and overseas. The Kaikōura application was just the third international dark sky sanctuary in New Zealand to be approved, after Aotea Great Barrier Island and Rakiura Stewart Island, with Kaikōura being by far the largest at more than 2000 square kilometres. Mrs McArthur was nominated by Aucklander Gareth Davies, a member of Dark-Sky International's dark sky places committee, which reviews and approves dark sky applications. ''It is very clear to me that this application's success was in the greatest part due to Nicky's leadership, which resulted in funding being found to hire a project manager and an environmental consultant,'' Mr Davies said. The trust produced a private plan change to the Kaikōura District Plan, which led to new lighting rules and was adopted by the Kaikōura District Council last year. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
