The Four Corners region of the United States has the largest concentration of DarkSky-certified sites in the nation. According to DarkSky International, this star-studded region checks all the boxes for ideal night-sky discovery: low light pollution, high-elevation viewing points and typically dry and clear weather conditions.
Under Canvas.
When planning a trip to Four Corners sites in Arizona, stay the night at luxury campsites provided by Under Canvas. Their stargazing tents near Lake Powell and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon are DarkSky approved. No matter where you appreciate Arizona’s night skies, find lodging options designed with stargazing in mind. Simply pick a destination and enjoy the show.
Navajo Nation
While visiting places within the Navajo Nation, you can marvel at constellations with the naked eye. With some advance planning, join cosmic events that bring supermoons, eclipses and meteor showers into full view through high-powered telescopes.
Plan a trip to Monument Valley during a new-moon phase, when the skies are at their inkiest black. The visitor center at this natural wonder hosts stargazing events with public telescopes and invites amateur astronomers to set up scopes from remote campgrounds, permits required. The welcome center at Canyon de Chelly also hosts star parties with high-powered telescopes onsite to bring galaxies far, far away into sight.
Hunts Mesa, Monument Valley.
Grand Canyon After Dark
For one week every June, the Grand Canyon Star Party features multiple stargazing events during a new-moon cycle, when moonlight does not disrupt the show. Head to the canyon’s South Rim to hunt for the rings of Saturn and the red spot on Jupiter through professional telescopes.
Throughout the year at the South Rim, you can join free astronomy events, ranger-led constellation talks and full-moon hikes that set off from Grand Canyon Village. At the more remote North Rim, stargazers can settle in at Bright Angel Point for private star encounters. At Grand Canyon West, rent a cabin, then stay up late to see the night sky reveal its starry secrets.
Flagstaff’s Lunar Legacy
In 2001, Flagstaff was the first city in the world designated as a Dark Sky Place. The city’s 7,000-foot elevation, commitment to low light pollution and renowned Lowell Observatory made it an obvious choice to lead the world’s night-sky movement. Decades earlier, Lowell was one of the largest space-research observatories in the U.S. Among its earliest achievements: the discovery of Pluto in 1930.
Visitors to Lowell’s Astronomy Discovery Center today have access to six high-powered telescopes aimed at the cosmos. In the evening, get lost in the wonders of the Milky Way galaxy at the center’s open-air rooftop planetarium; during the day, explore museum-quality space and astronomy exhibits.
Lowell Observatory Marley Foundation Astronomy Discovery Center, Flagstaff.
Another cosmic wonder near Flagstaff,Meteor Crater marks the spot of a meteorite impact that dates back 50,000 years. A visitor center sits on the rim of the mile-wide, 500-foot-deep impression and reveals how NASA astronauts trained here to navigate the surface of the moon. An Apollo 11 space capsule onsite honors this extraterrestrial partnership.
Saguaro National Park at night. Credit: NPS
Tucson Astro Trail
Southern Arizona has long been one of the nation’s top spots for stargazing. Map out your celestial adventure along the Tucson Astro Trail, which connects observatories, planetariums, space museums and dark-sky sites at state and national parks.
Get an introduction to Arizona’s dark skies at Saguaro National Park, which hosts star parties during new-moon cycles and moonlight hikes when the full moon illuminates the desert floor. Perched more than 9,000 feet above the Tucson metro, Mt. Lemmon Sky Center lets you to explore the night skies through two of the largest public telescopes in the Southwest.
High-elevation mountains surrounding the Tucson area boast some of the most powerful telescopes on the planet, many open for public viewing. Kitt Peak National Observatory welcomes visitors to look through the largest solar-powered telescope in the world. Mt. Graham International Observatory features the world’s largest optical telescope, and at Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, would-be astronomers can peek through gamma-ray telescopes from viewing points that seemingly touch the cosmos.
The Global Dark Skies Movement
DarkSky International, based in Tucson, develops best practices to reduce light pollution and promote the preservation of dark skies. The organization’s International Dark Sky Week in April and Under One Sky Global Conference in November provide resources for communities worldwide to protect their night skies.
Arizona may be known for its sunny days, but the landscape really comes alive at night. Explore the Grand Canyon State after dark with the...
About the Author
Jeff Atwell
Longtime Arizona resident and travel writer Jeff Atwell is in his element on road trips to small towns, on hikes through astonishing backcountry and on architecture tours that reveal the state’s heritage.
