No. 03of our darkest
Chama, NM
Corkins Lodge
36°44′37″ N 106°26′14″ W
- The night
- Very dark sky
- The drive
- 3 h 15 min from Albuquerque
- Clear nights
- Clearest April to June, roughly 55% clear.Clear roughly 60% of October nights.
Dark Skies · An Analog Escapes field guide
Where the nights get darker and quieter.
Past the last streetlight, where the road ends and cell service fades, the sky comes back. Here are our stays under the darkest skies we've measured, and the nights to go.
Our darkest sky 38°20′52″ N 107°21′49″ W · Cimarron, CO
The basics
What makes a sky dark?
Not much, and that's the point. Take away the lights, wait for the Moon to set and let the air clear. Four things decide how many stars you'll see:
- 01
Distance from light
Every town lights the sky above it, and the glow carries for dozens of miles. The darkest skies are where the road ends: far from cities, behind ridges, past the last streetlight.
- 02
The Moon
A full moon washes out all but the brightest stars. Go in the week around a new moon, when the evening sky is truly dark.
- 03
Clear, still air
Cloud, haze and humidity scatter light back down. Dry, high country and crisp autumn nights are usually clearest.
- 04
Your own eyes
It takes about twenty minutes in the dark for your eyes to adjust. Leave the phone inside; one glance at a screen starts the clock again.
Our darkness scale
Six skies, from town glow to truly dark.
We measure every stay's night sky with our own Dark Sky Index, from satellite maps of the lights below. Each window shows about as many stars as you'd see there on a clear, moonless night.
Bright sky
Milky Way Hidden. The brighter stars and the planets.
38 stays
Some light pollution
Milky Way Faint overhead, and only on the clearest nights.
67 stays
Some sky glow
Milky Way Faint. Town lights wash out the faintest stars.
61 stays
Dark sky
Milky Way Visible on clear, moonless nights; a little glow low down.
35 stays
Very dark sky
Milky Way Stands out clearly on a clear, moonless night.
13 stays
Truly dark sky
Milky Way Bright and full of detail, horizon to horizon.
2 stays
Our labels lean cautious. Where we call a sky dark, ground measurements read at least that dark on average; some of our “Very dark” skies are darker still. Moonlight, cloud and a neighbour's porch light aren't in the index.
After dark
The darkest of them all
No. 02of our darkest
Terlingua, TX
Camp Elena
29°19′44″ N 103°37′08″ W
- The night
- Truly dark sky
- The drive
- 5 h 15 min from El Paso
- Clear nights
- Clearest October and November, roughly 60% clear.Clear roughly 60% of October nights.
No. 01of our darkest
Cimarron, CO
Arrowhead Mountain Lodge
38°20′52″ N 107°21′49″ W
- The night
- Truly dark sky
- The drive
- 4 h 25 min from Colorado Springs
- Clear nights
- Clearest June, roughly 60% clear.Clear roughly 50% of October nights.
Ranked by our Dark Sky Index
The darkest stays
50 of our stays sit under a dark sky or darker. Here they are, darkest first: narrow them to a region, or to an easy drive from home.
50 stays under dark skies, darkest first.
- No. 01Truly dark skyArrowhead Mountain LodgeCimarron, CO38°20′52″ N 107°21′49″ W4 h 25 min from Colorado SpringsClearest: June (~60%)
- No. 02Truly dark skyCamp ElenaTerlingua, TX29°19′44″ N 103°37′08″ W5 h 15 min from El PasoClearest: October and November (~60%)
- No. 03Very dark skyCorkins LodgeChama, NM36°44′37″ N 106°26′14″ W3 h 15 min from AlbuquerqueClearest: April to June (~55%)
No. 04Very dark skySteamboat InnIdleyld Park, OR43°20′27″ N 122°44′39″ W2 h 45 min from BendClearest: July and August (~65%)
No. 05Very dark skySun Mountain LodgeWinthrop, WA48°28′38″ N 120°15′23″ W3 h 50 min from SpokaneClearest: July (~55%)
No. 06Very dark skyUnder Canvas Grand CanyonValle, AZ35°39′16″ N 112°09′18″ W1 h 10 min from FlagstaffClearest: May and June (~75%)
No. 07Very dark skyReWild RanchSargent, NE41°39′52″ N 99°18′38″ W3 h 40 min from OmahaClearest: July to September (~45%)
No. 08Very dark skyThe Bali House and Cottage at Kehena BeachKehena, HI19°23′38″ N 154°55′50″ WClearest: January (~45%)
No. 09Very dark skyAbbot Trailside LodgingAbbot Village, ME45°12′39″ N 69°27′09″ W2 h 25 min from Portland, MEClearest: July to September (~35%)
No. 10Very dark skyBeyul RetreatMeredith, CO39°20′40″ N 106°40′32″ W4 h from DenverClearest: June (~60%)
No. 11Very dark skyOfland EscalanteEscalante, UT37°46′35″ N 111°38′18″ W4 h 55 min from Las VegasClearest: August and September (~65%)
No. 12Very dark skySnow Goose Lodge at Gamekeeper's MarshJamestown, KS39°41′12″ N 97°54′13″ W3 h 10 min from OmahaClearest: September (~55%)
When to go
The clearest months for the darkest places.
A dark sky needs a clear night. Across our darkest stays, July brings the most clear nights (roughly 45%) and February the fewest. Pair a clear month with a new moon.
| Area | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volcano & Puna, HI | 35% | 25% | 25% | 10% | 20% | 20% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 20% | 25% | 30% |
| Tetons & Yellowstone, WY | 20% | 20% | 25% | 35% | 35% | 45% | 60% | 55% | 50% | 40% | 15% | 20% |
| Bryce & Escalante, UT | 40% | 40% | 45% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 55% | 65% | 65% | 60% | 45% | 50% |
| Itasca & Bemidji, MN | 20% | 15% | 20% | 35% | 40% | 40% | 45% | 40% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 20% |
| Paradise Valley, MT | 20% | 20% | 20% | 30% | 30% | 35% | 55% | 55% | 45% | 35% | 25% | 20% |
| Redwood Coast, CA | 25% | 15% | 20% | 25% | 35% | 35% | 55% | 50% | 55% | 35% | 20% | 25% |
Share of nights mostly clear (%). Brightest cell: the area's clearest month. From ten years of cloud records (ERA5, 2016–2025), good to about ±15 points.
The next three months
New moons and falling stars.
Plan around the Moon. The week either side of a new moon is the darkest; the big meteor showers are best far from town, after midnight, lying back on a blanket. Next up: the dark week of Nov 6–12.
- Thu, Oct 1
- Fri, Oct 2
- Sat, Oct 3
- Sun, Oct 4
- Mon, Oct 5
- Tue, Oct 6
- Wed, Oct 7
- Thu, Oct 8
- Fri, Oct 9
- Sat, Oct 10
- Sun, Oct 11
- Mon, Oct 12
- Tue, Oct 13
- Wed, Oct 14
- Thu, Oct 15
- Fri, Oct 16
- Sat, Oct 17
- Sun, Oct 18
- Mon, Oct 19
- Tue, Oct 20
- Wed, Oct 21: Orionids peak
- Thu, Oct 22
- Fri, Oct 23
- Sat, Oct 24
- Sun, Oct 25
- Mon, Oct 26
- Tue, Oct 27
- Wed, Oct 28
- Thu, Oct 29
- Fri, Oct 30
- Sat, Oct 31: today
- Sun, Nov 1
- Mon, Nov 2
- Tue, Nov 3
- Wed, Nov 4
- Thu, Nov 5
- Fri, Nov 6: dark week
- Sat, Nov 7: dark week
- Sun, Nov 8: dark week
- Mon, Nov 9: new moon
- Tue, Nov 10: dark week
- Wed, Nov 11: dark week
- Thu, Nov 12: dark week
- Fri, Nov 13
- Sat, Nov 14
- Sun, Nov 15
- Mon, Nov 16
- Tue, Nov 17: Leonids peak
- Wed, Nov 18
- Thu, Nov 19
- Fri, Nov 20
- Sat, Nov 21
- Sun, Nov 22
- Mon, Nov 23
- Tue, Nov 24: full moon
- Wed, Nov 25
- Thu, Nov 26
- Fri, Nov 27
- Sat, Nov 28
- Sun, Nov 29
- Mon, Nov 30
- Tue, Dec 1
- Wed, Dec 2
- Thu, Dec 3
- Fri, Dec 4
- Sat, Dec 5: dark week
- Sun, Dec 6: dark week
- Mon, Dec 7: dark week
- Tue, Dec 8: new moon
- Wed, Dec 9: dark week
- Thu, Dec 10: dark week
- Fri, Dec 11: dark week
- Sat, Dec 12
- Sun, Dec 13: Geminids peak
- Mon, Dec 14
- Tue, Dec 15
- Wed, Dec 16
- Thu, Dec 17
- Fri, Dec 18
- Sat, Dec 19
- Sun, Dec 20
- Mon, Dec 21
- Tue, Dec 22: Ursids peak
- Wed, Dec 23: full moon
- Thu, Dec 24
- Fri, Dec 25
- Sat, Dec 26
- Sun, Dec 27
- Mon, Dec 28
- Tue, Dec 29
- Wed, Dec 30
- Thu, Dec 31
- Fri, Jan 1
- Sat, Jan 2
- Sun, Jan 3: Quadrantids peak
- Mon, Jan 4: dark week
- Tue, Jan 5: dark week
- Wed, Jan 6: dark week
- Thu, Jan 7: new moon
- Fri, Jan 8: dark week
- Sat, Jan 9: dark week
- Sun, Jan 10: dark week
- Mon, Jan 11
- Tue, Jan 12
- Wed, Jan 13
- Thu, Jan 14
- Fri, Jan 15
- Sat, Jan 16
- Sun, Jan 17
- Mon, Jan 18
- Tue, Jan 19
- Wed, Jan 20
- Thu, Jan 21
- Fri, Jan 22: full moon
- Sat, Jan 23
- Sun, Jan 24
- Mon, Jan 25
- Tue, Jan 26
- Wed, Jan 27
- Thu, Jan 28
- Fri, Jan 29
- Sat, Jan 30
- Sun, Jan 31
- Mon, Nov 9New moonThe darkest week: Nov 6–12. No moonlight in the evening sky; the best nights for the Milky Way.
- Night of Tue, Nov 17Leonids up to ~15 an hourSwift and often bright; best in the hours before dawn.FairA 66% Moon sets around 1 AM; watch in the hours after.
- Tue, Nov 24Full moonBright enough to walk by. A night for the trail, not the telescope.
- Tue, Dec 8New moonThe darkest week: Dec 5–11. No moonlight in the evening sky; the best nights for the Milky Way.
- Night of Sun, Dec 13Geminids up to ~150 an hourThe year's richest shower, and it starts in the evening.DarkA 27% Moon sets around 10 PM, leaving the darkest hours moon-free.
- Night of Tue, Dec 22Ursids up to ~10 an hourA quiet shower around the solstice; Little Dipper's corner.MoonlitA bright 99% Moon is up most of the night; only the brightest meteors show.
- Wed, Dec 23Full moonBright enough to walk by. A night for the trail, not the telescope.
- Night of Sun, Jan 3Quadrantids up to ~80 an hourA short, sharp peak of a few hours; best before dawn.DarkA thin 14% Moon rises around 3 AM; dark until then.
- Thu, Jan 7New moonThe darkest week: Jan 4–10. No moonlight in the evening sky; the best nights for the Milky Way.
- Fri, Jan 22Full moonBright enough to walk by. A night for the trail, not the telescope.
Dates in US Central time. Moon phases worked out from the standard astronomical formulas; moonrise and moonset are rough, to the hour. Meteor rates are the most you'd see under a perfectly dark sky; expect fewer.
Analog Escapes
Leave the light behind.
Somewhere out there the road turns to gravel, the bars on your phone drop to none, and the sky fills in. We'll keep a cabin warm for you.