Beginner's Guide to Dark Sky Exploration
Whether you’re looking for easy entry into the world of dark skies (aka astrotourism), want to discover a new or different spot, or you want to go off the beaten path, Utah offers the most options for your stargazing adventure.
Park Programs and Events
Arches, Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point
During the spring and fall, rangers from Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park's Island in the Sky district and Dead Horse Point State Park team up for ranger-led night sky events. Programs rotate among the three parks and usually occur around the new moon.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon offers year-round, ranger-led programs and an annual Astronomy Festival in June. Some popular programs (winter snowshoe hikes and full moon hikes) require advance sign-up or are subject to a lottery.
Capitol Reef National Park
From late June to October, Capitol Reef offers night sky tours, full moon walks and its Annual Heritage Starfest event, featuring telescope viewing and guest speakers.
National Monuments
Rangers offer occasional stargazing programs at Cedar Breaks National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Rainbow Bridge National Monument and Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Check with the park's visitor center for upcoming programs.
Utah State Parks
Many Utah state parks have earned the International Dark Sky Park designation, including Dead Horse Point, Goblin Valley, Antelope Island and more. Visitors sticking around after dark can enjoy star parties, astronomy programs and ranger-led stargazing hikes.
Dark Sky Guides and Tours
Adventure Tour Company
Kanab, UT
(435) 899-1817
Compass Rose Lodge
Featuring Huntsville Astronomic and Lunar Observatory
Huntsville, UT
(385) 279-4460
Dark Skies Astronomy Tours
Hurricane, UT
(435) 772-2640
Dark Ranger Telescope Tours
Tropic, UT
(435) 590-9498
Holiday River Expeditions
Salt Lake City, UT
(800) 624-6323
Moab RedRock Astronomy
Moab, UT
(435) 210-0066
Roam Outdoor Adventure Co.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
Kanab, UT
(855) 635-9100
Rocky Mountain Astronomy Tours
Mobile telescope observations in Northern Utah
Bountiful, UT
(801) 872-9913
Salt Lake Astronomical Society
Featuring Stansbury Park Observatory Complex
Salt Lake City, UT
Southwest Adventure Tours
Antelope Island State Park
Syracuse, UT
(800) 970-5864
Stargazing Zion
Springdale, UT
(435) 272-8229
Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort
Zion National Park
(435) 648-2700
Stories to Inspire Your Travel
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Utah After Dark
When the sun goes down in Utah, a celestial show is about to begin.
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How to Stargaze in Utah
Tips on what to pack and when and where to go stargazing in Utah.
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Tips for Astrophotography
Need tips on how to take pictures of stars? Utah is the perfect location to put tips from an award-winning photographer into action.
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Seeking Starry Skies Near Salt Lake City
You don’t have to go far from the city to find dark skies filled with stars in Utah. Find out where you can see the Milky Way near the city or gaze into space from an observatory in Northern Utah.
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Reclaiming the Stars: Utah’s Dark Sky Initiative
Utah's Dark Sky Initiative helps state park visitors experience the cosmos by protecting night skies, encouraging astrotourism and promoting stargazing.
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State Park Stargazing: Interacting With the Galaxy in Real Time
Northern Utah's Camp Floyd State Park offers more than history to those who stick around after dark. With intense dark skies blanketing the atmosphere, stargazers of all ages gather to interact with the galaxy above.
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A Party of Astronomic Proportions
Every Saturday from May through Labor Day weekend, weather dependent, crowds ranging from 100 to 500 people gather at Cedar Break’s main overlook, Point Supreme, to gaze up at the region’s amazing dark skies and explore the stars and the planets that make up the solar system.
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Where to Find the Darkest Skies in Central Utah
A tapestry of thousands of stars awaits visitors to Helper and Price where conditions are some of the best for exploring the night sky.
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The World's First Dark Sky Park
On March 6, 2007, Natural Bridges National Monument became the first International Dark Sky Park certified by the International Dark-Sky Association. More than 100,000 people visit Natural Bridges each year to check out the stunning bridges and hike in cool canyons, but only a handful of them stay through the night to see the area’s most amazing and unique feature: dark skies and glistening, bright stars.
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Ogden Activities: Downtown to Dark Skies
Two days' worth of sun-up-to-sundown Ogden activities — eat, shop and bike where the locals go, end at an International Dark Sky park.
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Looking Up: Dark Skies of Heber Valley
A trio of state parks in Heber Valley offer stellar views of the Utah night sky. Come stargaze here.
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Discover Dinosaur Astronomy
Dinosaur National Monument's celebrated dark skies can offer some of the most inspirational looks into our universe given the monument's unique context: see the stars on an unblemished canvas like our human — or dinosaur — predecessors did.
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Dark Skies in Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park in Utah is a designated International Dark Sky Park. Make plans to come see the most magnificent night sky ever!
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Red Rock & Dark Skies: Stargazing the National Parks
This road trip through southwest Utah takes you to four of Utah’s best places to see the Milky Way — Capitol Reef National Park, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Highlights
- Hell's Backbone Grill
- Bryce Canyon Lodge
- Ranger-led Star Programs
- Road Trip Southwest Utah
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Stars by the City
Fill your days with adventure and your nights with stargazing by following this six-day itinerary from Salt Lake City through the International Dark Sky Places in Northern Utah.
Highlights
- Timpanogos Cave National Monument
- East Canyon State Park
- Jordanelle State Park
- Rockport State Park
- Antelope Island State Park
- North Fork Park
- Helper
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Hoodoos and Stars
Hoodoos and Stars takes advantage of the proximity of Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reef national parks to slow down and also experience some of the must-see southwestern Utah landscapes and experiences along the way.
Highlights
- Zion National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- All-American Road Scenic Byway 12
- Capitol Reef Country
- Kodachrome Basin
