Trail guide/BEYOND THE OFFICIAL 21 / KEEP DRIVING

BEYOND THE OFFICIAL 21 / KEEP DRIVING

The official trail is the backbone. The sky keeps going.

Some of the best additions to a road trip are the things between the official pins: an observatory, a pass, a grassland, a hot spring, a campground or a place that simply gives you the horizon you wanted.

GUIDE ADDITIONS / STATEWIDE

Worth the detour

These stops use the same At a Glance questions as the official 21, so you can compare them on the same terms without pretending they are part of the official designation list.

ADD 01Next field check Low

Event astronomy venue

Aspen Mountain Sundeck

Aspen

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

The 11,212-foot Aspen Mountain Sundeck hosts the annual Stars Above Aspen astronomy night with telescope stations and gondola access.

ADD 02Next field check Low

Guided resort astronomy

Aspen Stargazing / The Gant listing

Aspen

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

Colorado's trail listing describes year-round guided stargazing at The Gant, while Aspen Stargazing's own site currently emphasizes portable private and group telescope tours.

ADD 03Field logged

Independent guide addition

Boulder

Front Range

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A perfect Front Range entry point to the trail: use Fiske Planetarium and AstroTours.org for a cosmic tune-up before heading into Colorado's darker skies.

ADD 04Next field check Medium

Guest-ranch stargazing

C Lazy U Ranch

Granby

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A guest-ranch night-sky experience centered on an overnight Conestoga-wagon campout at the ranch's secluded Outpost.

ADD 05Next field check Medium

Dark-sky lodging

CampV

Naturita / West End

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A Naturita boutique camp with lodging, camping and a private Stargazing + Snuggles experience in the Nucla-Naturita Dark Sky Community.

ADD 06Next field check Low

Historic public observatory

Chamberlin Observatory

Denver

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

Denver Astronomical Society's public home at the University of Denver, centered on the historic 1894 20-inch Clark refractor.

ADD 07Next field check Low

National Park Service night-sky destination

Colorado National Monument

Grand Junction / Western Slope

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

An NPS stargazing destination with paved Rim Rock Drive overlooks, Saddlehorn night-sky use and occasional ranger astronomy programs.

ADD 08Next field check High

Modeled Bortle 1 backcountry sky

Colorado Trail / Willow Creek Dark-Sky Point

Snow Mesa / San Juan high country

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A high-country Colorado Trail and Willow Creek area where the supplied Light Pollution Map point models an exceptionally dark sky, but access is a serious hike-in objective rather than a roadside stop.

ADD 09Next field check High

Independent public-land observing area

Comanche National Grassland

Southeast Colorado

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A large Forest Service grassland in southeast Colorado with broad public-land recreation, but no single official stargazing site identified by the agency.

ADD 10Next field check Medium

Emerging Dark Sky state park

Crawford State Park

Crawford / Western Slope

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A 337-acre Western Slope state park with a 400-acre reservoir and 66 reservable campsites; ordinary park hours end at 10pm.

ADD 11Next field check High

Independent dark-sky area

Cuchara / Bear & Blue Lakes

Spanish Peaks / Cuchara

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A Forest Service recreation area in the Cuchara Valley where Bear Lake and Blue Lake campgrounds can provide an overnight base when seasonal access is open.

ADD 12Next field check Low

Night-sky equipment resource

Durango Welcome Center Dark Sky Kits

Durango

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

Visit Durango offers year-round dark-sky kit rentals from the Durango Welcome Center and Pine River Library for self-guided observing.

ADD 13Next field check High

Emerging Dark Sky state park

Eleven Mile State Park

South Park

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A South Park reservoir with 326 campsites and broad open country; ordinary park hours end at 10pm, making camping the clearest deep-night access model.

ADD 14Next field check Medium

Emerging Dark Sky state park

Elkhead Reservoir State Park

Northwest Colorado / Craig

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A northwest Colorado reservoir with 46 reservable campsites; normal day-use hours end at 10pm and camping is seasonal from May through November.

ADD 15Next field check Low

Public observatory

Estes Park Memorial Observatory

Estes Park

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A volunteer-run public observatory offering reserved stargazing sessions through October 12, 2026, plus free open-house nights.

ADD 16Next field check Medium

Emerging Dark Sky state park

Golden Gate Canyon State Park

Front Range foothills

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A Front Range state park where CPW has used Reverend's Ridge and Panorama Point for public star parties with CU STARs astronomers.

ADD 17Next field check High

Specialist observatory

Grand Mesa Observatory

Western Colorado / Grand Mesa

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A nonprofit Western Colorado observatory built around remote astrophotography, telescope hosting, research-grade equipment and education rather than casual drop-in tourism.

ADD 18Next field check Low

Public observatory

Gunnison Valley Observatory

Gunnison

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A public observatory with 2026 astronomy talks, outdoor telescope viewing and ticketed sessions through its 30-inch dome telescope.

ADD 19Next field check Medium

Emerging Dark Sky state park

Highline Lake State Park

Grand Junction / Western Slope

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A Loma state park with reservable camping and normal day-use hours of 5am–10pm; useful as an overnight base rather than a dedicated dark-sky attraction.

ADD 20Next field check High

Emerging Dark Sky state park

John Martin Reservoir State Park

Southeast Colorado

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A southeast Colorado reservoir with two year-round campgrounds and 213 total sites; Point Campground places basic campsites on the north shore.

ADD 21Next field check High

Independent guide addition

Kim / Southeast Colorado dark country

Southeast Colorado

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A tiny community on the western edge of Comanche National Grassland, useful as a geographic reference for very remote southeast Colorado rather than as a developed stargazing attraction.

ADD 22Next field check Medium

State park astronomy candidate

Lake Pueblo State Park

Pueblo / Southern Front Range

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A large southern Front Range state park with year-round camping; ordinary park hours are 5am–10pm.

ADD 23Next field check Medium

Public observatory

Little Thompson Observatory

Berthoud / Northern Front Range

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A Berthoud public observatory with multiple telescopes and reservable group visits, but its published reservation page still shows 2025 scheduling information.

ADD 24Field logged

Independent guide addition

Loveland Pass

Front Range high country

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A dramatic high-elevation US 6 pass that can provide a mountain night-sky detour, but it remains an active highway subject to weather, traffic and temporary closures.

ADD 25Next field check Low

University public observatory

Madison-Macdonald Observatory

Fort Collins

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

Colorado State University's public observatory offers free evening viewing on the second and fourth Fridays from April through November, weather permitting.

ADD 26Next field check High

Independent public-land observing area

Marshall Pass

Continental Divide / Salida-Gunnison

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A Continental Divide trailhead used by the Continental Divide Trail Coalition for its 2026 Colorado Dark Sky Party, with guided stargazing and hiking.

ADD 27Next field check Medium

Emerging Dark Sky state park

Mueller State Park

Pikes Peak / Divide

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A Divide state park with recurring telescope star parties and night-sky programming while pursuing Dark Sky Park certification.

ADD 28Next field check Medium

Campground stargazing listing

Ouray KOA Holiday Stargazing

Ouray / Ridgway

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

Colorado's trail listing describes guided Unistellar telescope evenings at Ouray KOA, while KOA's current site confirms seasonal camping and general stargazing but does not show a standing astronomy-event schedule.

ADD 29Next field check Medium

Nearby state park observing option

Paonia State Park

Paonia / North Fork Valley

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A seasonal state-park camping option near the certified community of Paonia; the park itself is not the International Dark Sky Community designation.

ADD 30Next field check High

Independent public-land observing area

Pawnee National Grassland

Northeast Colorado

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A broad northeast Colorado grassland where Forest Service recreation areas such as Crow Valley explicitly include stargazing among popular activities.

ADD 31Next field check Low

Night-sky equipment resource

Pine River Library Dark Sky Kits

Bayfield

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

Visit Durango identifies Pine River Library in Bayfield as a year-round pickup location for self-guided dark-sky kits with binoculars and smartphone adapters.

ADD 32Next field check Medium

State park astronomy venue

Ridgway State Park

Ridgway / Ouray County

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A state park next to the certified Ridgway community that hosted multiple 2026 stargazing programs and offers nearly 300 campsites plus year-round lodging options.

ADD 33Next field check Medium

Camping-based astronomy candidate

Rifle Gap State Park

Rifle / Western Slope

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A 360-acre reservoir state park with year-round camping; ordinary day-use hours are 5am–10pm.

ADD 34Next field check Low

National Park Service astronomy destination

Rocky Mountain National Park

Front Range / Estes Park

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

Rocky Mountain National Park ran 2026 Astronomy in the Park programs at the Bear Lake Road Park & Ride with ranger interpretation and volunteer telescopes.

ADD 35Next field check Low

Public observatory

Smokey Jack Observatory

Westcliffe / Silver Cliff

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A volunteer-run observatory in Bluff Park with 2026 reserved star parties, public star parties, electronic-assisted viewing and solar observing.

ADD 36Next field check High

Astronomy park / current access needs verification

Southern Colorado Astronomical Park

La Veta

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

An astronomy site about one mile west of La Veta, documented by Colorado Tourism and earlier Experience the Night material with a stone calendar and two domed observatories. The exact entrance, parking location and current public access remain unverified.

ADD 37Next field check Low

Dedicated astronomy observing site

Starry Meadows / Rocky Mountain Star Stare

Gardner / Wet Mountain Valley

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A 35-acre dedicated dark-sky observing property outside Gardner used for Rocky Mountain Star Stare and overnight telescope observing.

ADD 38Next field check High

Camping-based dark-sky destination

State Forest State Park

North Park

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A 70,932-acre North Park state park with year-round camping, cabins and yurts; CPW explicitly includes stargazing among activities available from its yurt basecamps.

ADD 39Next field check Medium

Camping-based astronomy candidate

Staunton State Park

Southwest Denver foothills

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A close-to-Denver state park with 25 year-round walk-in campsites; current CPW sources support overnight camping but do not advertise a standing astronomy program.

ADD 40Next field check Medium

Camping-based astronomy candidate

Steamboat Lake State Park

North Routt / Steamboat Springs

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A North Routt mountain-lake park with 181 reservable summer campsites and a small self-contained winter camping area near the marina.

ADD 41Next field check Medium

Stargazing-oriented lodging

The Nest at Black Hawk

Black Hawk / Central Mountains

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A 27-dome mountain lodging property whose own site emphasizes nights under the stars, while Colorado's trail listing describes stargazing experiences that are not currently scheduled on the operator site.

ADD 42Next field check Medium

State park astronomy venue

Trinidad Lake State Park

Southern Colorado

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A southern Colorado state park that hosted multiple 2026 star parties at the Carpios Ridge amphitheater and offers year-round camping.

ADD 43Field logged

Roadside sky-watching attraction

UFO Watchtower

San Luis Valley

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

A San Luis Valley observation platform and campground built around watching the open sky, with a 10-foot viewing tower and on-site camping.

ADD 44Next field check Low

Developing public observatory

UNM-Taos Cielo Centro

Taos, New Mexico

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

UNM-Taos is developing Cielo Centro around a 36-inch Dobsonian telescope intended for students, community members and visitors, with construction and fundraising still underway.

ADD 45Field logged

Hot springs + astronomy experience

Valley View Hot Springs

San Luis Valley

WHY PULL OVER HERE?

Orient Land Trust combines Valley View Hot Springs with a dedicated astronomy-host program and a 20-inch telescope under the San Luis Valley sky.

NIGHT RIDE / NEXT EXITS

Where do you want to go next?

Take a turn you have not tried yet. Follow the road into a new place, a new kind of night or something worth knowing before the next stop.

COSMIC ROULETTE / RANDOM GUIDE SIGNAL

Can't decide? Let the stars guide you.

Click once and the guide will race through the places on the statewide map, lock onto one at random, then open that place page.

SIGNALAWAITING STAR SIGNAL