Dark-sky places in Utah

Stargazing in Utah

Utah’s dark skies cover most of the Colorado Plateau in the south and east of the state, one of the largest remaining areas of natural darkness in the lower 48. Natural Bridges became the world’s first International Dark Sky Park in 2007, and since then Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks, several national monuments and many state parks have followed. Gateway towns such as Moab, Springdale, Torrey and Bluff have adopted dark-sky lighting rules. Even near the Wasatch Front cities, parks in the mountains east and north of Salt Lake City and Ogden shelter dark skies behind the ridges.

Snow Canyon State Park

Snow Canyon State Park covers 7,400 acres of lava flows and red and white Navajo sandstone cliffs near Ivins in southwest Utah, inside the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve that protects the desert tortoise. Staff have run dark-sky education programs for more than two decades. The park is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. year-round, and after 10 p.m. trailheads and day-use areas close, so camping in the main campground is the way to stay later. The early darkness of fall and winter gives a longer evening window for stargazing before closing time.

Bluff, Utah

Bluff is a small town of fewer than 300 people on the San Juan River in the Four Corners region, a hub for nearby Navajo Nation communities and close to Bears Ears National Monument. Since 2016 it has held an annual star party at Bluff Elementary with Indigenous star stories, constellation tours and telescopes. The town adopted an exterior lighting ordinance, and the Bears Ears Partnership has committed to dark-sky programs and seasonal sky monitoring, including monthly star parties. Bluff also launched an annual Dark Sky Festival celebrating Indigenous astronomy.

Under Canvas ULUM Moab

ULUM Moab is a glamping resort of elevated canvas tents beneath a crescent-shaped rimrock near Moab, an area DarkSky says has the highest concentration of certified Dark Sky Places in the world. Its lighting was designed to protect the night sky, and guests can join dark-sky programs and guided stargazing. Arches and Canyonlands national parks, both certified, are nearby for night visits.

Under Canvas Moab

Under Canvas Moab is a glamping camp about seven miles north of Moab near Arches National Park, surrounded by plateaus and sandstone cliffs. Its upscale tents have king beds and private bathrooms, and Stargazer tents add a viewing window above the bed. Under Canvas calls it one of the world’s first DarkSky Approved resorts, with lighting chosen to limit its effect on the night. Guests can join star parties and guided astronomy hikes and talks, and the camp serves celestial-themed food.

Under Canvas Zion

Under Canvas Zion is a glamping camp of 66 safari-style tents near Virgin, about 20 miles from Zion National Park, surrounded by sandstone cliffs and open desert sky. Tents have king beds, wood-burning stoves, private decks and private bathrooms, and Stargazer tents have a window over the bed. Its lighting was selected to minimize effects on the surroundings, and s’mores are served at communal fire pits under the stars.

Under Canvas Bryce Canyon

Under Canvas Bryce Canyon sits on 700 acres of juniper forest at about 7,600 feet, 15 minutes from Bryce Canyon National Park. Its 50 safari-style tents have king beds, wood-burning stoves, private decks and private bathrooms. The camp’s lighting was chosen to protect the night sky, Stargazer tents have a window above the bed, and s’mores are served at communal fire pits. With Bryce Canyon’s own astronomy programs nearby, it makes a comfortable base for a stargazing trip.

The City of Moab, Utah

Moab is a town of about 5,300 people in the red rock canyons of eastern Utah, the gateway to Arches and Canyonlands national parks and Dead Horse Point State Park. The city passed an outdoor lighting ordinance in 2019, updated it in 2023, audited city properties, piloted new streetlights and worked with volunteers to measure the sky. It became a Dark Sky Community in 2024 and asks residents and visitors to light only the ground and let starlight show the sky. For the darkest views, head to the nearby parks.

Town of Castle Valley, Utah

Castle Valley is a rural town of about 350 full-time residents in a red rock valley about 9 miles northeast of Moab, between two mesas, with the La Sal Mountains above. Five-acre minimum lots keep homes and lights spread out, no commercial lighting is allowed, and shielded fixtures have been required since 1991. Since 2021 the Castle Valley Dark Sky Team has updated the ordinance to DarkSky’s standards and run public programs. Residents say you only have to step outside to enjoy the dark; visitors should respect private land.

Under Canvas Lake Powell – Grand Staircase

Under Canvas Lake Powell – Grand Staircase, near Big Water, was the first DarkSky Approved Lodging in the world, certified in 2023. The camp sits on a canyon-rim plateau with its own slot canyon and wide views, about 14 miles from the main Lake Powell marina in Arizona. Its lighting meets DarkSky standards, and it offers complimentary programs that include stargazing. Safari-style tents with private bathrooms make it a comfortable base for Lake Powell and Grand Staircase-Escalante.

Springdale, Utah

Springdale sits inside Zion Canyon at the entrance to Zion National Park, which surrounds it on three sides, with the North Fork of the Virgin River running through town. The town’s code requires businesses and residents to limit outdoor lighting and use downward-facing, shielded fixtures. Telescope events are held seasonally at the Canyon Community Center. With the national park next door, Springdale is the base for evening programs and stargazing in Zion.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park is famous for its towering sandstone cliffs and narrow canyons, carved by the North Fork of the Virgin River, and it is the ancestral homeland of the Paiute, Ute and other tribes. Night programs have long been part of the park, and its dark skies draw visitors from around the world. DarkSky singles out Zion for its extensive public education and its work to protect dark skies beyond its own borders. The park sits where the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin and Mojave Desert meet, and it shelters a remarkable range of plants and animals.

Goosenecks State Park

Goosenecks State Park, near Mexican Hat, overlooks a deep set of entrenched meanders where the San Juan River winds 1,000 feet below, exposing 300 million years of rock. Its remote high-desert location gives a 360-degree view of a very dark sky; DarkSky says the Hercules globular cluster and the Andromeda Galaxy can be seen with the naked eye. It is a primitive park, and it holds dark sky parties and interpretive programs through the year.

Fremont Indian State Park

Fremont Indian State Park covers 1,200 acres of Clear Creek Canyon near Sevier, where the Great Basin meets the Colorado Plateau. The canyon walls and surrounding mountains shield the park from outside light. It protects the legacy of the Fremont people, who lived here from about 400 to 1350 CE and carved and painted thousands of images on the canyon walls, many showing celestial objects. The park has long hosted star parties, Astrofests and archaeoastronomy events.

Rockport State Park

Rockport State Park sits at about 6,000 feet in a narrow rural valley between the Wasatch and Uinta mountains, which shield it from the glow of the cities west of the Wasatch. For years, park staff have run night-sky education programs, and the most popular is the Scorpion Walk and Star Talk, which covers good dark-sky practices and the scorpions, bats and owls that live in the park.

Jordanelle State Park

Jordanelle State Park covers 6,704 acres of land and water on the east side of the Wasatch Range near Park City, Midway and Heber City, whose lights are partly hidden by the surrounding hills. Visitors boat, fish, camp, picnic, hike, watch wildlife and stargaze. The park’s Nature Area has its darkest skies, and the park has hosted dark-sky events for more than a decade.

Timpanogos Cave National Monument

Timpanogos Cave National Monument is a 250-acre site in American Fork Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains, centered on a cave system known for its colorful formations. As an Urban Night Sky Place close to the Wasatch Front, it works with the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest and local astronomy groups to offer popular night sky programs in American Fork Canyon through the summer. Check the monument’s schedule for program dates.

East Canyon State Park

East Canyon State Park lies in a narrow-walled canyon about 19 miles northeast of the Salt Lake City area, around a reservoir created in the 1960s. By day, visitors boat, fish, camp and hike, including on parts of the nearby Mormon Pioneer Trail. At night the park is an important refuge of darkness for stargazers and wildlife, and staff offer regular night-sky programs and outreach.

Helper, Utah

Helper is a small mining and railroad town of Carbon County on the Price River, about 120 miles southeast of Salt Lake City on the eastern side of the Wasatch Plateau. The town celebrates its small-town character and its mining and railroad history, with art, architecture and cultural events, and it became a Dark Sky Community in 2020. The town lists environmental stewardship among its core values, alongside thoughtful change guided by residents.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park protects the world’s largest concentration of hoodoos, the spire-shaped rocks below its Rim Trail, and DarkSky rates its sky Gold tier. The park is open 24 hours a day year-round, rangers lead astronomy programs and full moon hikes, and every June the Astronomy Festival brings daytime solar viewing, evening talks, constellation tours and a public telescope field.

Arches National Park

Arches National Park, just north of Moab, protects more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch, plus landmarks such as Balanced Rock. One of Utah’s “Mighty 5” national parks, it is bordered by the Colorado River to the southeast, and DarkSky rates its sky Silver tier. The park offers ranger programs, so check its visitor guide for night sky program schedules. Moab, a certified Dark Sky Community, is just to the south.

Dinosaur National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument straddles the Colorado-Utah line where the Green and Yampa rivers meet, on the southeast edge of the Uinta Mountains. Its more than 800 paleontological sites include some of the world’s best-preserved dinosaur fossils, found here in 1909. The monument’s remote location, high elevation and low humidity give a starry sky like that of a century ago. Rangers lead stargazing programs with red lamps, sky charts and telescopes, and the Park Service suggests letting your eyes adjust for 30 minutes and avoiding bright gibbous and full Moon nights.

Rainbow Bridge National Monument

Rainbow Bridge National Monument protects one of the world’s tallest and longest natural bridges, a site sacred to nearby Navajo and Paiute people, who call it “rainbow turned to stone.” Its remoteness makes it an International Dark Sky Sanctuary. It is reached only by a two-hour boat ride on Lake Powell from marinas near Page, Arizona, followed by a mile-long hike, or by a multi-day hike from the south side of the lake.

Steinaker State Park

Steinaker State Park is a reservoir park about 7 miles north of Vernal, at 5,500 feet near the foot of the Uinta Mountains. Its lake is held back by a dam completed in 1962, and the arid climate brings hot summers and cold winters. It is a popular base for exploring Dinosaur National Monument to the east and Flaming Gorge to the north, and it increasingly offers night programs for visitors.

Torrey, Utah

Torrey is a small town in rural Wayne County, founded by settlers in the 1880s and now the gateway to Capitol Reef National Park. It was Utah’s first Dark Sky Community. Residents strengthened the lighting ordinance, raised money to retrofit town streetlights and ran an outreach campaign with the national park. With its tree-lined streets and nearby park, Torrey is a good base for Capitol Reef’s night sky.

Antelope Island State Park

Antelope Island State Park covers 28,800 acres on the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, a small mountain range rising from the water. The island has no development nearby, so its western half looks out over the lake under a relatively undisturbed sky, while the eastern side faces the Wasatch Front’s city lights. Its beaches, wildlife and little-changed landscape are the main attractions, and it has become a popular place for Wasatch Front stargazers to get out from under the city glow.

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Cedar Breaks National Monument protects a natural amphitheater of brilliantly colored hoodoos and badlands at the edge of the Colorado Plateau, carved from lake sediments laid down about 60 million years ago. It lies in one of the largest remaining areas of natural darkness in the lower 48, and it also protects threatened species and evidence of 10,000 years of human presence. The monument offers a growing range of night-sky education and outreach for visitors and southern Utah communities; check its calendar for upcoming programs.

Goblin Valley State Park

Goblin Valley State Park covers 9,915 acres at the edge of the San Rafael Swell, filled with thousands of hoodoos, the mushroom-shaped rock “goblins.” Its remote location on the Colorado Plateau gives a sky comparable to Gold-tier parks such as Natural Bridges, Capitol Reef and Canyonlands, and it draws far fewer visitors. Its outreach program reminds visitors that “half the park is after dark.”

Dead Horse Point State Park

Dead Horse Point State Park covers 5,362 acres on a mesa high above a gooseneck bend of the Colorado River, next to Canyonlands National Park and more than 30 miles from Moab. Its rim gives sweeping, nearly unobstructed 360-degree views of the night sky, almost as dark as Canyonlands. The park hosts evening dark-sky programs with the National Park Service, and its two campgrounds and nine yurts let you stay overnight.

Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands National Park protects canyons and mesas around the meeting of the Colorado and Green rivers, divided into the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze and the rivers themselves. DarkSky rates its sky Gold tier. The Park Service schedules night sky ranger programs through the season, and the park works to make visitors and neighbors aware of its rare and fragile dark sky.

North Fork Park

North Fork Park is a 2,600-acre Weber County park in the Wasatch Mountains near Liberty, north of Ogden, with groomed Nordic ski trails in winter. DarkSky highlights its closeness to the roughly 2.2 million people of the Wasatch Front, its focus on wildlife, a large outreach program and dark-sky public art. It remains a wild, rustic place despite being so close to the cities, with 181 campsites and six large group areas for summer stays.

Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park covers the Waterpocket Fold in south-central Utah, with white sandstone domes that reminded early visitors of the US Capitol. Although it welcomes more than 1.3 million visitors a year, it has kept development low, so there is very little artificial light and the night is close to what pioneers saw. DarkSky rates its sky Gold tier. Torrey, the park’s gateway town, is a certified Dark Sky Community too.

Natural Bridges National Monument

Natural Bridges National Monument, in sparsely populated southeastern Utah, became the world’s first International Dark Sky Park in 2007. It protects three natural bridges, including the second-largest in the world, and is among the darkest Park Service units in the lower 48. Its trails are open day and night, stargazing is allowed almost anywhere in the park, and rangers present stargazing programs in spring and summer. The Park Service notes that the sky stays striking even under a full Moon, when moonlight lights up the sandstone.

Hovenweep National Monument

Hovenweep National Monument protects the stone towers and villages of Ancestral Puebloan people in six separate units along the Utah-Colorado line, one of them on Navajo Nation land. Its name means “deserted valley,” and its isolation gives Gold-tier skies, the darkest of DarkSky’s three tiers. It was certified in 2014 as the world’s 17th International Dark Sky Park. Trails close at sunset, and stargazing is allowed only from the visitor center parking lot and the campground. The Ancestral Puebloans watched the same sky here more than 700 years ago.