In March 2007 the International Dark-Sky Association named this small Cedar Mesa monument the world's first International Dark Sky Park, and it holds Gold tier on a sky measured at Bortle Class 2, the darkest reading the Park Service night sky team had logged anywhere. Outdoor fixtures were reshielded to keep light from bleeding upward, and the monument runs largely on its own solar array. The payoff is Owachomo Bridge, a sandstone span 180 feet across and 106 feet high at the end of the shortest walk here, framing the Milky Way core like a window cut in rock. Entry is $20 per vehicle for seven days, the park road and trails stay open 24 hours, and the 13-site campground at 6,500 feet is reservation-only on Recreation.gov. Nearest gas is 40 miles east in Blanding. Plan a moonless night in July or August, when the core rides highest, and bring water; there is none at the campground.
Canyons & deserts
Canyons & deserts
Canyons & desertsCurated guides that feature Natural Bridges National Monument.
15 placesWhere to go when you want the Milky Way instead of a glow on the horizon. Fifteen places with genuinely dark skies, from the least light-polluted park in the lower 48 to a 9,200-foot volcano above the cloud layer, an Appalachian ridge with a 360-degree horizon, and an Alaskan hot spring under the aurora.
9 placesNowhere else packs this much sandstone into one state. The Mighty 5 national parks, a twelve-mile slot canyon you walk single file, the first Dark Sky Park ever certified, and a river hike between thousand-foot walls. Nine places, from drive-up overlooks to corridors ten inches wide.
