Spot a shooting star at one of these top stargazing destinations
Colorado is home to eight International Dark Sky Parks and five International Dark Sky Communities, some designated within the last year. Check out Colorado’s self-guided stargazing tour to craft your own curated, celestial tour. Consider Westcliffe and Silver Cliff in the state’s Wet Mountain Valley, noted as the highest elevation of all International Dark Sky Communities in the world. The valley sits between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the west and the Wet Mountains to the east, providing dramatic views in every direction. Don’t miss the Smokey Jack Observatory, which boasts a retractable roof and 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain and five-inch refractor telescopes with computer-guided pointing and tracking to view the majestic night sky. Ask about the free public star parties held throughout the year. New to Westcliffe’s Main Street this summer is Planet Walk, an interpretive, self-guided walking adventure of a 4 billion-to-one scale model of the entire Solar System.
