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 thousands of luminous stars.

To promote public excitement and knowledge about the issue, several National parks will host stargazing festivals for sky watching and meteor showers in 2023. For those who can’t make it to these events, many national parks offer regular star parties throughout the year.

Here’s a list of events to take advantage of and make the most of the darkness this year.

 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.
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 percent 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. 

Many areas part of the National Park Service (NPS) 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 U.S. 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

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 

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 

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

Florida

Big Cypress National Preserve
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

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

Stephen C. Foster State Park

Idaho

City of Rocks National Reserve

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

Montana/Canada

Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

North Carolina

Cape Lookout National Seashore
Mayland Earth to Sky Park & Bare Dark Sky Observatory
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute 

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

Nevada

Great Basin National Park

Nebraska

Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area

Ohio

Geauga Observatory Park

Oregon

Prineville Reservoir State 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 

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.