National Park star parties 2023: Events for stargazing, meteor showers across the West

Curious travelers have the chance to indulge in astronomy at some of the few remaining safe havens for pitch-black skies providing a clear glimpse of the stars — and one is right in our backyard.

To promote public excitement and knowledge about the issue, several national parks will host festivals for stargazing and meteor showers this year. For those who can’t make it to these events, many national parks offer regular star parties throughout the year.

Here’s a couple events across the West to make the most of the darkness this year.

• Great Basin National Park astronomy festival in Nevada: Sept. 14-16

  • The 77,000-acre park is one of the least crowded national parks and is home to the Great Basin Observatory, the only research-grade observatory in a national park.

  • Participants in the festival’s Art in the Dark program can paint in low-light conditions and experiment with how their eyes perceive color.

• Joshua Tree National Park night sky festival in California: Oct. 13-14

  • The festival conveniently overlaps with an annular “ring of fire” solar eclipse. The moon will appear to obscure between 70 and 80% of the sun.

  • Joshua Tree became an official dark sky park in 2017.

  • For the tens of millions of people who live in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Joshua Tree is the “nearest convenient place to go stargazing under a relatively dark sky,” according to the International Dark Sky Association.

Willing to travel east? These parks are also hosting stargazing events:

• Badlands National Park astronomy festival in South Dakota: July 14-16

  • Past events have included a guided walk through a "solar system," demonstrations, guest speakers and observations with special solar telescopes.

• Shenandoah National Park night sky festival in Virginia: Aug. 11-13

  • The Blue Ridge Mountains park is located within a day’s drive from two-thirds of Americans.

  • Past events have covered space weather, nocturnal creatures and more.

Many areas part of the National Park Service — and various state parks — have received International Dark Sky Association certification as light pollution gets worse.

More: You can see a galaxy with the naked eye: Astrotourism is an adventure 'you can't experience from photos'

Certified International Dark Sky parks in the West

Arizona

• Buffalo National River

• Chiricahua National Monument

• Flagstaff Area National Monuments

• Grand Canyon National Park

• Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument

• Kartchner Caverns State Park

• Oracle State Park

• Petrified Forest National Park

• Pipe Spring National Monument

• Tonto National Monument

• Tumacácori National Historical Park

California

• Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (U.S.)

• Death Valley National Park

• Joshua Tree National Park

Colorado

• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

• Curecanti National Recreation Area

• Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

• Dinosaur National Monument

• Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

• Hovenweep National Monument

• Jackson Lake State Park

• Lake Fork Earth and Sky Center

• Mesa Verde National Park

• Top of the Pines

Idaho

• City of Rocks National Reserve

Montana/Canada

• Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

Nevada

• Great Basin National Park

New Mexico

• Chaco Culture National Historical Park

• Clayton Lake State Park

• Capulin Volcano National Monument

• El Morro National Monument

• Fort Union National Monument

• Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument

• Valles Caldera National Preserve

Oregon

• Prineville Reservoir State Park

Utah

• Antelope Island State Park (U.S.)

• Arches National Park (U.S.)

• Bryce Canyon National Park

• Canyonlands National Park

• Capitol Reef National Park

• Cedar Breaks National Monument

• Dead Horse Point State Park

• East Canyon State Park

• Fremont Indian State Park

• Goblin Valley State Park

• Goosenecks State Park

• Jordanelle State Park

• Kodachrome Basin State Park

• Zion National Park

• Natural Bridges National Monument

• North Fork Park

• Rockport State Park

• Steinaker State Park

Certified International Dark Sky parks in the East

Florida

• Big Cypress National Preserve

• Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

Best stargazing events of 2023 How to see green comet, meteor showers and an eclipse this year

Georgia

• Stephen C. Foster State Park

Illinois

• Middle Fork River Forest Preserve

Kentucky

• Mammoth Cave National Park

Maine

• AMC Maine Woods (U.S.)

Michigan

• Dr. T.K. Lawless County Park

• Headlands

• Keweenaw Dark Sky Park, Michigan

Minnesota

• Voyageurs National Park

Nebraska

• Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area

North Carolina

• Cape Lookout National Seashore

• Mayland Earth to Sky Park & Bare Dark Sky Observatory

• Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

Ohio

• Geauga Observatory Park

Pennsylvania

• Cherry Springs State Park

• Craters Of The Moon National Monument

Tennessee

• Obed Wild and Scenic River

• Pickett CCC Memorial State Park & Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area

Texas

• Big Bend National Park

• Big Bend Ranch State Park

• Copper Breaks State Park

• Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

• Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park

• Milton Reimers Ranch Park

• South Llano River State Park

• UBarU Camp and Retreat Center

Virginia

• James River State Park

• Natural Bridge State Park

• Rappahannock County Park

• Sky Meadows State Park

• Staunton River State Park

West Virginia

• Watoga State Park

Wisconsin

• Newport State Park

Visit NPS's website to view more stargazing events throughout the year.

Desert Sun editor Niki Kottmann contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Best stargazing events 2023: Joshua Tree National Park makes the list