STEAMBOAT → CANYON COUNTRY / SELF-GUIDED BRANCH
Take your own road through Northwest Canyon Country.
Start from Steamboat Springs if that is your natural launch, then let Steamboat Springs take over once you are in the region. Compare darkness, roads, camping, facilities and telescope setup before choosing the night.
Pick a place deeper in the region
Want someone to guide the night? Switch branches ↗Dinosaur National Monument
A remote International Dark Sky Park where NPS directs stargazers to Split Mountain Campground and seasonal ranger programs.
OPEN STOP ↗GUIDE ADDITION / Emerging Dark Sky state parkElkhead Reservoir State Park
A northwest Colorado reservoir with 46 reservable campsites; normal day-use hours end at 10pm and camping is seasonal from May through November.
OPEN STOP ↗GUIDE ADDITION / University public observatoryMadison-Macdonald Observatory
Colorado State University's public observatory offers free evening viewing on the second and fourth Fridays from April through November, weather permitting.
OPEN STOP ↗GUIDE ADDITION / Camping-based dark-sky destinationState Forest State Park
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.
OPEN STOP ↗GUIDE ADDITION / Camping-based astronomy candidateSteamboat Lake State Park
A North Routt mountain-lake park with 181 reservable summer campsites and a small self-contained winter camping area near the marina.
OPEN STOP ↗Before the engine starts
Open the field manual ↗Look at the Moon
A dark new-Moon night and a moonlit mountain night are different experiences. Pick the one you want.
CHECK THE MOON ↗FIELD MANUALRead the horizon
Darkness is only one variable. Access, headlights, wind and an open horizon can matter just as much.
CHOOSE A SITE ↗FIELD MANUALPack the car
Colorado gets cold quickly after dark, especially at elevation. Bring the night you want to stay out for.
PACK THE NIGHT ↗