Dark-sky places in Minnesota

Stargazing in Minnesota

Minnesota’s darkest skies are in the far north, in the forested lake country along the Canadian border. Both of its certified places are there and both were named in 2020. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a million-acre federal wilderness in the Superior National Forest, became an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, the category for remote places with the most fragile darkness. Voyageurs National Park, to the west near International Falls, became an International Dark Sky Park. Because this part of the state is so far north, the northern lights add to the view on nights of strong geomagnetic activity.

Voyageurs National Park

Voyageurs is a water-based park of large lakes and islands named for the French-Canadian fur traders who paddled the region. The park lists the aurora, meteor showers, stargazing and night sky programs among its night attractions. Two designated dark-sky areas are easy to reach by car: the Meadwood Road Day Use Area on the Ash River Visitor Center Road and the upper parking lot at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. Lakeshores, clearings and campsite docks also give open horizons. The park advises picking a clear, moonless night and checking a Moon phase calendar before you go.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

The Boundary Waters covers over a million acres in the northern third of the Superior National Forest, with thousands of lakes, about 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 12 hiking trails and some 2,000 designated campsites. Travel is by canoe and on foot, so a trip means nights far from any town. Visits are managed with a mandatory entry quota at designated entry points, so overnight trips need a permit reserved ahead. A summer canoe trip timed for a moonless stretch gives the darkest skies; campsites on lakeshores give the widest view of the sky.