As the sun sets Nevada comes alive and sparkles with Mother Nature’s jaw dropping nightly light show. Home to some of the darkest skies in America, thanks to low levels of light pollution, moisture and a high desert biome, several galaxies can even be spotted without a telescope.
Leave the bright lights in the rear vision mirror and Get a Little Out There by delving into Nevada’s curiously cosmic side…
Glimpse a galaxy from a Dark Sky Park
Head to Great Basin National Park, designated a Dark Sky Park in 2016, an honour shared by a little more than 100 locations around the globe. By day, explore the park’s alpine lakes, ancient bristlecone pine groves and Lehman Caves system. At night, look up to discover more than 6,000 stars and the opportunity to glimpse galaxies like the Milky Way, Andromeda and Triangulum with the naked eye. Stay a night or two at the aptly-named Stargazer Inn or Hidden Canyon Retreat to ensure the best stargazing experience.
More than just Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert
In the far flung corner of northwest Nevada, Black Rock Desert is the remote destination for the infamous, annual Burning Man Festival. It’s also home to remote hot springs, craggy canyons, and its famous centrepiece: the Black Rock Desert playa, one of the longest, flattest, openest stretches of land on Earth. Made up of 1.2 million acres of national conservation area and national wilderness area, this area is also protected to preserve 180 miles of historic emigrant trails used by early pioneers making their way to northern California and southern Oregon during the early 1850s. Historic remains including wagon ruts can still be spotted today. Bed down for the night at Iveson Ranch as a comfortable base to explore.
Starlit company along the Loneliest Road in America
This famous stretch of Highway 50 earned its name for being a wide-open road trip through the heart of Nevada with only a handful of thinly populated towns dotting its 375-mile expanse. Spend the day exploring ghost towns, Sagebrush Saloons, wildlife areas, and more on your way to celestial vantage points. A few of the top stargazing stops along the way include the old ruins of Fort Churchill State Historic Park, Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, Spencer Hot Springs and Great Basin National Park.
Unblemished skies from an untamed wilderness
The Massacre Rim Dark Sky Sanctuary is a stretch of remote wilderness, with wide-open sagebrush valleys and volcanic plateaus with dirt roads for venturing. It’s here that scientists have discovered new, never-before-seen parts of the Milky Way galaxy, and on moonless nights stars shine so bright they actually cast a shadow. Located approximately 4.5 hours drive north of Reno, spend a night sleeping under the stars at the public campgrounds in the neighbouring Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, or book a night in the ghost town of Vya at Old Yella Dog Ranch.
Majestic nights in the Ruby Mountains
Elko is the perfect basecamp for stargazing along the picturesque Rubies Route. The centrepiece of this route is Lamoille Canyon, a glacier-sculpted sanctuary in the heart of the Ruby Mountains, for incredible hiking, fishing, kayaking and off-grid alpine solace-seeking this side of the Rockies. Stay in Elko, or for a more remote experience, head to the family-owned Ruby Yurts for a breathtaking night or two in the heart of the mountains counting stars instead of sheep to sleep.
Great Basin Astronomy Festival
With its dark, quiet skies, Great Basin National Park has some of the best seats in the house for its annual astronomy festival – a free event, held each September. Unbelievable stargazing takes centre stage over the course of three event-packed days (and nights), featuring everything from star parties and constellation talks to astrophotography workshops and Art in the Dark creations.
