Six kindsof dark.
Every place on Dark Sky Spot sits in one of six categories: five certified designations from DarkSky International, plus the stargazing parks we list that are not certified. Pick a category to browse its places. Ordered here from darkest to brightest.
International Dark Sky Sanctuary
The darkest of the certified places: remote land with almost no artificial light at all, set aside so its night sky stays as nature made it. DarkSky International certifies sanctuaries only where the sky is exceptionally dark and the land is protected. Expect very dark skies — and very few people.
International Dark Sky Reserve
A large area of land — often a whole valley, island or mountain region — protected as one dark-sky region, with a dark core at its centre and towns around it working to the same lighting rules. DarkSky International certifies the reserve as a whole. Reserves are the biggest dark-sky areas on this site.
International Dark Sky Park
A park or other protected landscape whose night sky is kept dark on purpose. DarkSky International certifies it after checking the quality of the sky and the lighting rules in place. These are the places to go for the darkest skies — the Milky Way, meteor showers and faint deep-sky objects.
International Dark Sky Community
A town or city that has taken its streetlights, shop signs and outdoor lighting in hand to keep the night sky dark. DarkSky International certifies communities that pass its lighting rules and show the town is behind the effort. You stay in a real town, and still see stars from its streets.
Stargazing Park (not certified)
A national park, state park or historic site we list because it is a good place to watch the stars, even though DarkSky International has not certified it. These are public places with dark skies and room to stand and look up. The “not certified” label matters: nobody has measured or certified the sky here, so we say so plainly.
Urban Night Sky Place
A park, observatory or public space in or near a city that keeps one patch of sky dark enough to see stars, and runs public stargazing so city people can look up. DarkSky International certifies these places for what they do in bright-sky country, not for how dark the sky is. The Milky Way is usually out of reach here, but planets, the Moon and bright constellations are not.