Beautiful stargazing opportunities at public lands

Called “The Badlands” by nineteenth-century French trappers because of the difficult terrain to cross, Badlands National Park is anything but “bad.” The park offers views that can stretch over 50 miles and the isolation required to see some killer night skies. On any given night, visitors can see more than 7,500 stars.

The Cadiz Dunes are some of the most remote landscape in California. Encompassing over 19,000 acres of the Cadiz Dune system, these public lands give you plenty of space to find the perfect spot to watch the stars.

Canyonlands National Park offers stunning landscapes, along with deep geological and cultural history. This Utah park showcases the incredible effects of the long-term erosion of a landscape made of sedimentary rock. Camp at Island in the Sky to see some of these breathtaking views and a couple thousand stars throughout the night.

Crater Lake National Park in Oregon contains a unique lake surrounded by distinct volcanic formations. No matter the time of year, Crater Lake will offer up stunning night sky views like this snow-covered shot.

Come to Denali National Park from autumn to early spring to get breathtaking views of the aurora borealis. While the aurora occurs year-round, it is only visible in the park for about seven months when the night sky is dark enough. It’s a view you won’t want to miss.

Almost 70 miles west of Florida’s Key West lies the remote Dry Tortugas National Park consisting of seven islands. Accessible only by boat or seaplane, this park’s views are worth the extra travel time. Dry Tortugas’s majestic Fort Jefferson, beautiful blue waters and surrounding coral reefs make it an amazing gem in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Flaming Gorge Reservoir resides on the border between Utah and Wyoming and provides vital water storage and hydropower generation. The reservoir’s dam stands an impressive 502 feet tall but is hard to compare to the beauty and grace of Green River’s sharp cliffs.

Glacier National Park is one of our finest parks for stargazing, so much so that it was named an International Dark Sky Park. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to catch the aurora borealis.

History stretches back over 10,000 years at Hovenweep National Monument to when nomadic Paleoindians passed through while hunting. The name “Hovenweep” is a Paiute/Ute word meaning “Deserted Valley,” which was adopted in 1874 by pioneer photographer William Henry Jackson. The structures at Hovenweep seen in the photo date back as far as 1200 A.D., allowing visitors to travel back to see what humans saw from these observatories hundreds of years ago.

Joshua Tree National Park is marked by two desert ecosystems coming together -- the Mojave and the Colorado. The conjoining of ecosystems gives this California park a wide diversity of wildlife and plants, including the famous Joshua Tree, which looks like it was happily plucked straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. Check out this fantastic park for a one-of-a-kind vegetation and great night skies.

Lassen National Park in California is marked by volcanic geology, including fumaroles (volcanic vents), boiling pools and steaming grounds galore. Attend an astronomy program to get a closer view of stars with binoculars or even witness the rings of Saturn through a telescope.

The Snake River winds through Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Areas in Idaho. This land is home to the greatest concentration of nesting birds of prey in North America. Some 800 pairs of eagles, hawks and falcons come each spring to mate and raise their young. It’s an amazing sight to see young birds learn to fly and hunt along the Snake River.

Mount Rainier National Park’s majestic peak towers over 14,000 feet tall and contains 25 named glaciers. During the summer months this Washington park turns into a rainbow of colors, filled with valleys overflowing with colorful wildflowers. Pictured here, the Milky Way erupts from the mountain. If you look closely, you can see the climbers getting an early start reaching to summit.

. Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah contains three beautiful natural bridges named Kachina, Owachomo and Sipapu honoring the Native Americans who once made this area their home. Centuries ago, intermittent streams cut through sandstone to form these three bridges. Today, trails wind through the park’s deep canyons, cottonwood groves and pass all three bridges in one stunning hike.

Part of Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness, Pole Creek Wilderness in Idaho has stunning mountains, hoodoos, natural arches and river canyons galore. Those looking to escape hectic urban life will not be disappointed. Step back into history and experience the wild west at the the Owyhee Canyonlands.

An icon of the great American west, the saguaro overwhelms the landscape of Arizona’s Saguaro National Park. The saguaro is one of America’s rarest plants --it only grows in the Sonoran Desert. No trip to Saguaro National Park is complete without catching a glimpse of these desert symbols.

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia lies just a mere 75 miles from the city lights of Washington, D.C. but it’s dark skies seem light years away. In this photo, the Milky Way shines over the Blue Ridge Mountains with the Perseid Meteor Shower visible.

Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge contains a mix of Minnesota’s tallgrass prairie, wetlands and “Big Woods.” This wildlife refuge is an important habitat for bird species, including Sandhill Cranes and red-headed woodpeckers. The aurora borealis isn’t often seen in Minnesota, but when conditions are just right, it can make for a beautiful experience.

A hiker captured this photo of the Milky Way on the trail to the highest peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Clingmans Dome. This peak in Tennessee hugs the border of North Carolina, stretching 6,643 feet up to offer 360 degree views of the Smokies.

Closely associated with Alaskan nights, the Northern Lights snake through the skies above White Mountains National Recreation Area. Aside from camping, this area’s more than 240 miles of maintained winter trails offers great winter recreation opportunities -- from cross-country skiing and snowshoeing to dog sledding and snowmobiling. No matter your activity, you can find breathtaking views, and on a clear night, northern lights illuminating the skies.

Old Faithful’s multiple daily eruptions draw massive crowds at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The huge spurts of water can expel between 3,700-8,400 gallons in the span of a few minutes with water temperatures reaching over 200 degrees Fahrenheit. This natural phenomenon makes for a great show, especially with Yellowstone’s beautiful night sky as the backdrop.