Blog Post Mar 26, 2024

See a Sky Full of Stars at These Certified Dark-Sky Parks

Lay out a blanket after the sun goes down and see a clearer view of the galaxy at these designated dark-sky parks.

National parks are some of the best places in the world to appreciate dark night skies because the National Park Service works to protect these places from the increasingly prevalent effects of light pollution.

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Dark-Sky National Parks

These national parks have been recognized by the International Dark-Sky Association for their dark night skies.

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Dozens of national parks around the country have earned designations as International Dark Sky Parks and Sanctuaries. These distinctions by DarkSky International recognize exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage, and/or public enjoyment.

In late 2023, Saguaro National Park in Arizona earned certification as an Urban Night Sky Place, one of only nine in the world. This certification recognizes sites that are near or surrounded by large urban areas, and whose planning and design actively promote an authentic nighttime experience in the midst of artificial light. The only other National Park Service unit with this distinction is Timpanogos Cave National Monument in northern Utah.

Many of these parks have astronomy programs where people of all ages can learn more about the wonders of the night sky — and all of them have places to lay out a blanket and simply enjoy the darkness.

(Click the images to enlarge them.)

 

Arches National Park, Utah

 

Big Bend National Park, Texas

 

Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida

 

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

 

Buffalo National River, Arkansas

 

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

 

Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina

 

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

 

Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico

 

Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah

 

Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico

 

Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona

 

Craters of The Moon National Monument, Idaho

 

Curecanti National Recreation Area, Colorado

 

Death Valley National Park, California

 

Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado and Utah

 

El Morro National Monument, New Mexico

 

Flagstaff Area National Monuments, Arizona (Sunset Crater Volcano, Walnut Canyon and Wupatki National Monuments)

 

Glacier National Park, Montana

(and Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada; together, these two parks make up Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the first International Dark-Sky Park spanning an international border)

 

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

 

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

 

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado

 

Hovenweep National Monument, Colorado and Utah

 

Joshua Tree National Park, California

 

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Maine

 

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Site, Texas

 

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

 

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

 

Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah

 

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

 

Pipe Spring National Monument, Arizona

 

Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Utah

 

Saguaro National Park, Arizona

 

Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Utah

 

Tonto National Monument, Arizona

 

Tumacácori National Historical Park, Arizona

 

Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

 

Zion National Park, Utah

 

Additional U.S. dark-sky parks, not pictured

Learn more about how you can fight light pollution and support dark skies on the International Dark-Sky Association website.

This is an updated version of a previously published story.