Up next Summer 2023 Overlanding Gear Roundup Published on May 25, 2023 Author Tread Staff Tags Dark Sky Places, Dark-Sky Association, Dark-sky parks, IDA, Intnernational Dark-Sky association, milky way, national parks, Share article Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Mail 0 A Guide to International Dark-Sky Association National Parks Find the best places in the country to spot the Milky Way Galaxy. Unless you live in, around or near the desert wastelands of the western United States, it is pretty hard to find a place to really see the stars and the Milky Way at night because of all the light pollution. That is not actually the case though, there are dozens of places certified by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) as being perfect for seeing the cosmos in all its mystical wonder. The IDA is a conservation program that promotes the stewardship of the night sky. They work with communities and local governments to help reduce light pollution by introducing new lighting practices and set up reserves within parks and rural areas to ensure that light pollution does not encroach on the night’s sky. Through this stewardship, IDA has amassed a roster of locations across the United States (and internationally) that are certified as Dark Sky Places that allow an uninhibited view of the night’s sky with no light pollution. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter If you are interested in finding a Dark Sky location near you, go to the IDA website where you can search by country, state or zip code to find the one nearest you and start exploring. Or, keep reading to check out a list of all of the United States National Parks that are part of the International Dark-Sky Association. Photo by João Sampaio National Parks with Dark-Sky Designation Arches National Park, Utah Big Bend National Park, Texas Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah Canyonlands National Park, Utah Capitol Reef National Park, Utah Death Valley National Park, California Glacier National Park, Montana Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona Great Basin National Park, Nevada Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado Joshua Tree National Park, California Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota Zion National Park, Utah There are also so many other national historical sites, national monuments, and more that are quailified as International Dark-Sky areas. Head to darksky.org for the complete list and an interactive map. Or if you would like to join the IDA and start your quest of stewardship and changing your community around you, you can find all of that information at their home page. Editor’s Note: A version of this story previously appeared on treadmagazine.com in April 2018.