{"id":47477,"date":"2023-07-07T07:32:28","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T07:32:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=120085"},"modified":"2023-07-07T07:32:27","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T07:32:27","slug":"a-complete-guide-to-stargazing-in-utah","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/a-complete-guide-to-stargazing-in-utah\/","title":{"rendered":"A complete guide to stargazing in Utah"},"content":{"rendered":"

A guide to Utah’s best dark-sky sites, the best places for stargazers and astronomers to visit, and info on astro tourism in the state. <\/p>

By Jamie Carter\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 07 July 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

T<\/span>he Sun had set by the time we pulled into a parking lot just outside Moab, Utah. This is where we agreed to meet our host for an evening under the sky and, sure enough, we arrive to find a convoy of four cars waiting for us.<\/p>\n

At the front was a large station wagon with decals on it that gave away the subject of this night-time expedition: \u201cHave telescopes, will travel!\u201d<\/p>\n

We followed the convoy along lonely roads before parking in La Sal Mountains Viewpoint in eastern Utah\u2019s canyonlands.<\/p>\n

The station wagon was already there. It belonged to our host, Alex Ludwig at RedRock Astronomy<\/a>, who was already unloading collapsible chairs and parts of the mount for a 9.25-inch refractor.<\/p>\n

\""Red\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Credit: Jamie Carter<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s set up by this bush \u2013 it will help reduce the wind,\u201d says Ludwig as we construct a crescent of chairs around the telescope. <\/span><\/p>\n

But I can\u2019t take my eyes off something twinkling due west across the fast-fading red rock landscape: it\u2019s Mercury<\/a> \u2013 a planet I\u2019ve seen only a handful of times \u2013 shining brightly, barely a degree above the horizon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Above it is bright Venus<\/a> and the Pleiades<\/a>, Aldebaran<\/a> and the stars of Orion<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

But there\u2019s something strange about them. They\u2019re not twinkling. They glow.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re on high ground here, about a mile up, and it shows. Utah can take your breath away in more ways than one.<\/span><\/p>\n

4 of the best places to stargaze in Utah<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Arches National Park<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
\""Night\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Credit: Daniel Osterkamp \/ Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

A three-hour drive from Salt Lake City, this iconic park is so popular you\u2019ll need a timed entry ticket to visit during the day, but at night it\u2019s both open and empty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Top stargazing spots include Balanced Rock, The Windows, Delicate Arch and Devils Garden Trail towards Landscape Arch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Canyonlands National Park & Dead Horse Point State Park<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
\""The\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Credit: Diana Robinson Photography \/ Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

These adjacent parks have incredible views from the high plateau across deep canyons, pinnacles, cliffs and spires carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss Mesa Arch, Upheaval Dome and Grand Viewpoint Overlook in Canyonlands, and Dead Horse Point Overlook.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bryce Canyon National Park<\/b><\/h3>\n
\""The\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Credit: TONNAJA \/ Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

This small park has thousands of tall red-rock spires known as hoodoos, best seen from Inspiration Point, Sunset Point and Sunrise Point.<\/span><\/p>\n

The visitor centre offers an astronomy programme and there\u2019s an astronomy festival in June. The quieter Kodachrome Basin State Park is very close.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Goblin Valley State Park<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
\""The\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Credit: Diana Robinson Photography \/ Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Thousands of colourful mushroom-shaped hoodoos \u2013 called goblins \u2013 make this remote park a unique place for astrophotography, due to its other-worldly feel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Its location between Capitol Reef and Canyonlands National Park makes it a great stop on a road trip across southern Utah.<\/span><\/p>\n

Utah dark-sky map<\/strong><\/h2>\n

State Forests are coloured green; National Parks are coloured brown<\/em><\/p>\n

\""Map\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
  1. Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Arches National Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Bryce Canyon National Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Canyonlands National Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Capitol Reef National Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Cedar Breaks National Monument<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Dead Horse Point State Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Dinosaur National Monument<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. East Canyon State Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  10. Fremont Indian State Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  11. Goblin Valley State Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  12. Goosenecks State Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  13. Helper (town)<\/span><\/li>\n
  14. Hovenweep National Monument<\/span><\/li>\n
  15. Jordanelle State Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  16. Kodachrome Basin State Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  17. Natural Bridges National Monument<\/span><\/li>\n
  18. North Fork Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  19. Rainbow Bridge National Monument<\/span><\/li>\n
  20. Rockport State Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  21. Steinaker State Park<\/span><\/li>\n
  22. Timpanogos Cave National Monument<\/span><\/li>\n
  23. Torrey (town)<\/span><\/li>\n
  24. Zion National Park <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>

    Astronomy under Utah\u2019s dark skies<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    Aside from Utah having the highest concentration of certified International Dark Sky places in the world \u2013 there are 24 spread across the state \u2013 Utah\u2019s high elevation and resulting thin air is a major reason why it\u2019s a dream dark-sky destination.<\/p>\n

    The state occupies a large part of the Colorado Plateau, a high desert zone that centres on the Four Corners region of the southwestern US: Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe higher you go, the clearer it\u2019s going to be and the more you see,\u201d says Ludwig about Utah\u2019s position above the warmest, densest part of Earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/span><\/p>\n

    He hands out blankets as I reach for my gloves, my hands already cold from clutching my binoculars.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The Utah desert around here gets cold at night all year, but even colder \u2013 and clearer \u2013 elsewhere in Utah.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Ludwig tells me that Bryce Canyon, one of the most popular national parks in the US, reaches 2,700 metres elevation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Utah has some of the darkest night skies visible anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n

    The easiest places to go are, of course, the vast network of International Dark Sky Parks.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s Utah\u2019s national parks \u2013 Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion and Capitol Reef \u2013 that get the most attention, but don\u2019t overlook the state parks.<\/p>\n

    Spread across the state, these tend to have better and cleaner camping facilities than their larger siblings, with the pick of the International Dark Sky Parks being Antelope Island, Dead Horse Point, Goblin Valley, Goosenecks and Kodachrome.<\/p>\n

    Utah is also one of the best places for capturing the Milky Way in North America, but it matters when you go.<\/p>\n

    The best time for astrophotography<\/a> is around the new Moon, when the skies are as dark as possible, but late March to June has milder temperatures, clear skies and the Milky Way rising in the night sky.<\/p>\n

    \""Jamie\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
    Jamie takes in the dark skies of Utah. Credit: Jamie Carter<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

    Astrophotography in Utah<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    Canyonlands National Park has perhaps the biggest draw of all for astrophotographers in the form of Mesa Arch, which is an easy 10-minute walk from a parking area.<\/p>\n

    \u201cEverybody wants to get the Milky Way above it in May, or the sunrise through it,\u201d says Ryan Andreasen, a Utah-based dark-sky activist at NightSkyScience.com<\/a> who volunteers for the International Dark Sky Association.<\/p>\n

    \u201cYou do get people jostling for position, but everyone can get a good shot if they work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

    He advises befriending other photographers because space is tight in front of Mesa Arch.<\/p>\n

    \u201cArches National Park is a paradise for astrophotographers, with endless rock formations and otherworldly landscapes,\u201d says Dan Zafra from CaptureTheAtlas.com<\/a>, who organises astrophotography tours to Utah.<\/p>\n

    \u201cGoblin Valley State Park feels like being on another planet, while Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Natural Bridges are more remote and offer excellent opportunities to do astrophotography in unique locations.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \""Natural\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
    Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah. Credit: NPS\/Jacob W. Frank<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

    Wherever you head, always follow the regulations.<\/p>\n

    Although all national parks are accessible at night, light painting \u2013 where you illuminate the foreground with a torch during a long-exposure shot \u2013 is banned in Canyonlands and Arches, to prevent astrophotographers from ruining each other\u2019s shots.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI recommend planning and arriving well in advance to grab a good spot if you aim to do astrophotography,\u201d says Zafra.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re after a unique astrophoto of the Milky Way above red rock formations, or you want to try some deep-sky astrophotography, then there are numerous other options in Utah.<\/p>\n

    There\u2019s no \u2018right to roam\u2019, but 71% of the state is public lands managed by federal or state agencies.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIf you want to do your own thing, just go to the backcountry,\u201d says Ludwig.<\/p>\n

    An easy way of accessing it is to find a remote campground, which are common inside and outside of the parks.<\/p>\n

    A great option is land owned by the Bureau of Land Management (nearly 22.8 million acres in Utah, about 42 per cent of the entire state) or the Forest Service (8.2 million acres and seven national forests).<\/p>\n

    The bureau manages all lower-grade land and once you get above a certain altitude, which tends to be around a mile high, the Forest Service takes charge.<\/p>\n

    \""Monument\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
    Monument Valley Tribal Park, Utah. Credit: Camilo Morales \/ Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

    Crowd control<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    While Utah currently has some of the most protected dark skies and public lands in the US, its population of 3.4 million is growing, particularly along a strip of flat land to the west of the Wasatch Mountains that locals call the \u2018Wasatch Front\u2019.<\/p>\n

    \u201cPeople are discovering Utah \u2013 we\u2019ve had record-breaking population growth on that Wasatch Front in the last couple of years,\u201d says Andreasen.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt\u2019s why we\u2019re working hard to see if we get some lighting controls in place before it really blows up.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Perhaps most at risk is Antelope Island State Park to the west, which overlooks the Great Salt Lake and is just an hour-and-a-half drive from Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n

    Go northeast of Salt Lake City through the mountains and you\u2019ll find Ogden Valley<\/a>, an oasis of dark stretching from North Fork Park to Huntsville, a tiny, peaceful town with few lights.<\/p>\n

    I watched a dramatic sunset between two tipis in the grounds of the Compass Rose Lodge, where we were staying, before the stars came out.<\/p>\n

    \""Compass\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
    Compass Rose Lodge in Huntsville, Utah, has its own observatory offering guided tours.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

    They even had their own observatory, the HALO (Huntsville Astronomic and Lunar Observatory)<\/a> where guests can get a guided tour of the night sky through a 16-inch Ritchey\u2013Chr\u00e9tien telescope.<\/p>\n

    I\u2019ve watched the Moon for decades, but never seen its craters in such stunning detail.<\/p>\n

    May is perfect for seeing the Milky Way above the red rocks, while a March trip means you can get some skiing in during the day if you wish.<\/p>\n

    If you come during the late spring, summer and early autumn, book well ahead and expect crowds, particularly in Zion, Bryce and Arches.<\/p>\n

    But if you\u2019re after an audience with the stars, then Utah has endless possibilities.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI do prefer to find places that nobody really goes,\u201d says Andreasen, who has worked as an astrophotographer for the Utah State Park Service.<\/p>\n

    \u201cTo be able to go into these areas and connect with the night sky without anyone else around is just phenomenal \u2013 and it excites me every time I return,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

    Even those who live under it never get tired of the dark skies found over Utah.<\/p>\n

    Useful contacts<\/strong><\/h2>\n