10 of the best stargazing locations in North America

When was the last time you stood under a truly dark sky? Today, the LED glare of streetlights, security lamps and car headlights overwhelms starlight for most of us. More than 80% of people worldwide now live under light-polluted skies, and in North America the vast majority can no longer see the Milky Way.

Away from urban centers, however, darkness thrives — even in North America. Astronomers measure sky darkness on the Bortle scale, a nine-point system where 1 is the darkest possible sky and 9 is an inner-city night. A Bortle 1 sky reveals the Milky Way so bright it can cast shadows; at Bortle 7 or higher, it all but disappears.

For those seeking dark skies, a light pollution map is essential, but so is timing. Plan visits around the new moon, ideally visiting in the week before or the few nights after, to avoid moonlight washing out the stars.

Related: New moon calendar 2025: When is the next new moon?

No list is exhaustive, but here are 10 of the best stargazing locations in North America that fall into the coveted Bortle 1 to 2 range.

Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah

International Dark Sky Places certified by the nonprofit DarkSky International now cover 62,000 square miles (160,000 square kilometers) in 22 countries on six continents. However, it all began at Natural Bridges National Monument, which became the first designated Dark Sky Park in 2007. This beautiful, albeit small, park in Utah is a paradise for astrophotographers. There are three cast sandstone arches — Kachina, Sipapu and Owachomo — the latter of which has the Milky Way streaming behind it in the summer. With the cliff dwellings of the ancestral Puebloans all around, there's a timeless feeling. Camping is limited and first-come, first-served.

Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania

There are very few places for stargazers on the U.S. East Coast to go in the search for truly dark skies. The best option is Cherry Springs State Park, which sits on a high plateau in northern Pennsylvania. It has a dedicated overnight astronomy observation field atop a 2,300-foot-high (700-meter) mountain, which offers a 360-degree view of the night sky. There's also a night sky public viewing area and a rustic campground designed for casual stargazers. The Black Forest Star Party takes place here every September.

Jasper National Park, Alberta

Although DarkSky International designations for dark sky places are becoming more common around the world, there are other certifying bodies, including the Starlight Foundation and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (which has Dark-Sky Preserves, Urban Star Parks and Nocturnal Preserves). Jasper National Park, in Alberta, is well known to amateur astronomers and hosts the Jasper Dark Sky Festival each October. The 2024 wildfire that burned 89,000 acres (36,000 hectares) of the Canadian Rockies resort town of Jasper was tragic and has left a desolate landscape in some areas.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico

Here's an absolute gem of astrotourism that has to be seen to be believed. A thousand years ago, the ancestral Puebloans aligned their Great Houses to solstices and lunar standstills, and their structures remain for us to marvel at. The spectacular loop drive is closed at night, but there are plenty of opportunities for astrophotography and astronomy, with an on-site observatory that hosts public telescope nights as part of a thorough night sky program. You can also experience the equinoxes and solstices at sunrise at Casa Rinconada, a Chacoan great kiva.

Black Mesa State Park, Oklahoma

In extreme northwest Oklahoma, close to the borders with New Mexico and Colorado, is Black Mesa Nature Reserve. This area surrounding Black Mesa State Park comprises 1,600 acres (650 hectares) of black lava rock where the Rocky Mountains meet the prairie. Golden eagles, scaled quail, black-billed magpies and pinyon jays make this a perfect place for bird-watching by day and stargazing by night. With some of the darkest skies in the U.S., Black Mesa State Park is always busy for the annual Perseid meteor shower and the venue for September's Okie-Tex Star Party.

Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

If you want the chance to photograph reflections in water of (occasional) auroras as well as stars and the Milky Way, head to the remote wilderness of Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota. This maze of lakes and islands hosts houseboats as well as celestial reflections, with auroras possible by dint of its location at 48 degrees north along the U.S.-Canada border. In August, the park hosts its Voyageurs Star Party with ranger-led telescope programs, but September through March is the best time to see the northern lights (if geomagnetic activity is high).

Big Bend National Park, Texas

Big Bend National Park, which boasts Bortle 1 night skies, is part of the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve, which in 2022 became the only Dark Sky Reserve straddling the international border with Mexico. Big Bend National Park has the least light pollution of any national park in the U.S., so that's where to head. The rugged Davis Mountains in the north of the region host the McDonald Observatory and Davis Mountains State Park, where visitors can use giant telescopes.

Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan

A Dark Sky Preserve since 2009, Saskatchewan's Grasslands National Park covers 281 square miles (729 square km) of prairie badlands, where horizons are endless and perfect for viewing the Milky Way to the south. It's about as close to Bortle 1 perfection as it gets and hosts a dark sky festival each May.

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Not all top-grade places for stargazing are designated as dark sky places of some kind. Case in point: Crater Lake in Oregon, whose elevation of 6,178 feet (1,883 m) gives it a thinner atmosphere that reduces distortion, making it great for stargazing. A vast body of water in the caldera of a volcano that collapsed 8,000 years ago, the northern side of Rim Road is where to see the Milky Way reflected in the water — if it's still. There are several campgrounds, but you'll need wheels to get there and to get around at night. Note that forest fire smoke in late summer can degrade visibility, so check ahead.

Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Montana and Alberta

A combination of Glacier National Park in Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is all about landscapes, with prairie, forest, alpine and glacial vistas. At night, this isolated, rugged region is ideal for stargazing, with astronomy programs and Logan Pass Star Parties in Glacier National Park in July and August.