The Middle East and North America star in DarkSky International’s list of new International Dark Sky Places (IDSP), where minimal light pollution offers optimal astronomical conditions.
Two nature reserves in Saudi Arabia join a global community of more than 250 IDSP-certified hotspots in 22 countries – as do two parks and a national monument in the USA.
The certification has extended to six continents since it launched in 2001 with the recognition of International Dark Sky Community Flagstaff, Arizona.
The IDSP celebrates rewards communities, parks and protected areas that preserve and protect dark sites through responsible lighting policies and public education.
Below, we profile the five new stargazing spots, where inky skies and dazzling constellations guarantee tranquil stays filled with heavenly canopies.
1. Snow Canyon State Park, Utah
Renowned for its rugged volcanic landscape of red Navajo sandstone and ancient lava flows, this arid park within the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve has become an Urban Night Sky Place. Enjoy hiking, mountain biking, horse riding, rock climbing and canyoneering by day, then sample the beautifully black skies that attract locals from the nearby city of St. George.
2. Chimney Rock National Monument, Colorado
Humans have been gazing at the glittering night skies above this eponymous sandstone pillar for more than a thousand years, since the Ancestral Pueblo peoples roamed this corner of southwest Colorado. Find out more about the area’s new International Dark Sky Park status on a nocturnal tour with a ranger from San Juan National Forest.
3. Black Mesa State Park, Oklahoma
The southern state’s first International Dark Sky Park takes its name from the black lava rock that carpeted the mesa (flat-topped mountains) 30 million years ago, creating a dramatic landscape at the meeting of the Rocky Mountains and shortgrass prairie. Hike to Oklahoma’s highest point and unroll your sleeping bag at the low-impact campground near Lake Carl Etling.
4. Al Nufud Al Kabir Desert, Saudi Arabia
With its reddish-orange dunes towering up to 200m, this ecologically distinct desert now hosts the largest International Dark Sky Park in the Middle East and North Africa. A new visitor centre introduces the designated 13,416-square-kilometre area’s Bedouin traditions and nocturnal species, including sand cats, Arabian wolves and Ruppel’s foxes.
5. Sharaan National Park and Wadi Nakhlah Nature Reserves, Saudi Arabia
The mountainous desert of AlUla in the Medina hinterland now features one of the world’s largest International Dark Sky Park networks, with these new parks joining two preexisting sites to form a 6,146-square-kilometre nighttime haven. Part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 sustainability goals, the initiative will encourage astro-tourism among the area’s towering sandstone cliffs and volcanic rock formations.
