My favorite part of summer isn’t the warm weather or the sun-soaked days spent at the beach while sipping margaritas. In fact, my favorite part of summer has nothing to do with the day at all — my favorite part is the night.
As far back as I can remember, I have had an insatiable curiosity to learn more about our universe. And because the best way to learn about the galaxy is to observe it, most of my summer nights are spent outside looking up. Summer isn’t the perfect time of year for stargazing, but it is the most comfortable. The days are long, which means the nights are short, but unless you’re a professional astronomer who plans to spend four or more hours a night looking up at the stars, the shorter nights won’t be a problem, and the comfort of the warmer air makes it the best time for most people to get outside and enjoy the gorgeous views.
When picking the perfect stargazing spot, there is one major enemy — light pollution. Sorry, city dwellers, but you’re going to have to travel quite a ways away from home to get away from the city lights that drown out the stars and planets that are visible to the naked eye in darker areas. Other factors, like humidity and the moon cycle, play a role as well. You want to make sure you go during the third quarter or new moon phase so the moon won’t be too bright and block out a lot of the gorgeous stars and planets. You can find which moon phase we are in by going here. You can also visit this website to check the light pollution in your area, but to make things super-easy, I’ve created a list of some of the best places for stargazing in the U.S.
Lost Dutchman State Park, Arizona
In the U.S., the west is the best place to see the stars at night. Arizona in particular is great because it is so dry and the low humidity makes the sky crystal clear. Located roughly 50 minutes from Phoenix, Arizona, this park is easy to get to, has low light pollution and the stunning scenery of the Superstition Mountains to accompany the gorgeous views of the night sky.
Joshua Tree National Park, California
Like Arizona, eastern California has low humidity and the low light pollution near Joshua Tree National Park makes it an ideal stargazing destination. There are also tons of camping areas nearby, and Los Angeles is just a little over two hours away to the west.
Sedona, Arizona
The red rocks of Sedona accompany the clear, crisp desert sky perfectly. There's very little light pollution, and the low humidity makes the stars appear extra bright and clear. One of the most beautiful places in the U.S., it's also a great place to explore during the day, with tons of activities for the whole family to enjoy.
Yosemite National Park, California
Another low-light California destination makes our list, but this time a little further north. Contrary to the desert landscape of Joshua Tree National Park, Yosemite is much more lush and green, with several bodies of water to explore during the daylight hours.
Adirondacks State Park, New York
While the western half of the United States does generally have the best stargazing, that doesn't mean the East-Coasters are completely out of luck. Timing your stargazing can be a little bit more tricky due to the almost constant cloud cover in the east, but if you can find a clear night, head to the Adirondacks in New York. It's one of the lowest-light-polluted areas in the east, and there are tons of lakes and hiking trails to check out during the day.
Stowe, Vermont
Nestled in the gorgeous mountains of Vermont, Stowe is an idyllic little town with relatively low light pollution as long as you drive a ways away from the town center. There are lots of cute bed-and-breakfasts nearby or campgrounds if you'd prefer a more rugged stay.
Zion National Park, Utah
Salt Lake City aside, pretty much all of Utah is a great stargazing destination, but a few locations stand out as particularly amazing. Zion is one of those locations. Make sure to hike the "subway" during the day while you're there too.
North Cascades National Park, Washington
While finding a clear night can be tricky, when the clouds do roll out, the Pacific Northwest has some seriously spectacular views of the night sky. North Cascades National Park in particular is a great spot and offers great views of Mount Rainier.
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