Dark Sky Maps
Six dark sky destinations across the Colorado Plateau — Gold-tier International Dark Sky Parks, gateway towns, and remote BLM country. Tap any map to explore stargazing locations, trailheads, and overlooks.
Gold IDA Park
Zion
Springdale, UT · 37.2°N
Towering Navajo sandstone cliffs frame narrow strips of the Milky Way — and the Kolob Plateau above the canyon delivers Bortle 1 darkness 30 minutes from town.
12 stargazing sites · 4,000–8,100 ft
Canyon · Kolob high country · Mt Carmel
Gold IDA Park
Bryce Canyon
Bryce, UT · 37.6°N
8,000+ ft of elevation, thin dry air, no nearby cities — among the darkest accessible skies in the lower 48. The amphitheater hoodoos light up under starlight alone.
9 stargazing sites · 8,000–9,100 ft
Sunset Pt · Bryce Pt · Yovimpa
IDA Park
Capitol Reef
Torrey, UT · 38.3°N
A 100-mile slab of the Waterpocket Fold under pristine skies — Cathedral Valley's Temples of Sun and Moon make the most photographed night-sky foregrounds in Utah.
12 stargazing sites · 5,500–9,400 ft
Cathedral Valley · Fruita · Boulder Mtn · Burr Trail
IDA Park
Canyonlands
Moab, UT · 38.3°N
Three remote districts spanning 525 square miles. Island in the Sky overlooks drop 1,200 ft to White Rim Road; the Maze district holds the most isolated dark sky in any U.S. national park.
12 stargazing sites · 3,800–6,400 ft
Island in the Sky · Needles · Maze · Horseshoe
IDA Park
Arches
Moab, UT · 38.7°N
Over 2,000 cataloged sandstone arches in 73,000 acres. Delicate Arch frames the Milky Way; the remote Klondike Bluffs section to the NW escapes Moab's glow entirely.
12 stargazing sites · 4,000–5,600 ft
Devils Garden · The Windows · Klondike Bluffs
IDA Park
Cedar Breaks
Brian Head, UT · 37.6°N
The highest-elevation IDA Park on the Colorado Plateau at 10,300+ ft. Thin alpine air, almost no humidity, and a deep amphitheater of red hoodoos to anchor the horizon.
9 stargazing sites · 10,000–10,467 ft
Point Supreme · Sunset View · Ramparts
Dark Sky Region
St. George
St. George, UT · 37.1°N
A regional map for southwestern Utah — Snow Canyon's vermilion cliffs, Pine Valley's high country, and the reservoirs of Sand Hollow and Quail Creek for Milky Way reflections.
8 stargazing sites · 2,800–10,300 ft
Snow Canyon · Pine Valley · Sand Hollow · Gunlock