If you’re a regular reader of our blog, then a couple of weeks ago you may have caught the post announcing our involvement with the annual Grand Canyon Sky Party. We’re really revved up about this. It’s an opportunity for our night photography program to be integrated into a dark-sky festival at one of the country’s—nix that, one of the world’s—grandest national parks.

The Grand Canyon Star Party is an event that no night-loving parks buff should miss. But it’s not the only event of its kind. The National Park Service (NPS) is dedicated to preserving night skies and to letting people know about it. Want evidence?

Exhibit A: the NPS Night Skies webpage.
Exhibit B: the wide range of parks and rangers that commissioned artist and astronomer Tyler Nordgren to produce the “Half the Park is After Dark” poster series
Exhibit C: the commitment that’s led to an ever-growing number of units being designated as Dark Sky Parks by the International Dark Sky Association
Exhibit D: the night sky festivals that so many NPS units host each year

That last point is the point of this post. All year long the parks host events all across the continent. Below are many of the noteworthy ones coming up in the next several months, including a couple in Canada.

Petrified Forest National Park

Arizona, June 21

Annual Dark Sky Celebration

ranger- and astronomer-led programs
ancient solar petroglyph viewing at Puerco Pueblo

Yosemite National Park

California, June 22-23

Stars Over Yosemite

public telescope sharing
group camping
night-photography shoots

Grand Canyon National Park

Arizona, June 22-29

Grand Canyon Star Party

held on both the North Rim and South Rim
constellation tours
daily presentations at the visitor center
a night photography talk and two night photography walks by National Parks at Night partners and instructors Gabriel Biderman and Chris Nicholson!

Bryce Canyon National Park

Utah, June 26-29

Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival

led by Bryce Canyon's Astronomy Rangers and local astronomical societies
keynote speaker: Dr. Amber Straughn, associate director of astrophysics science at NASA
model rocket assembly and launches

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Colorado, June 26-29

Black Canyon Astronomy Festival

guest speakers
astronomy activities
held on the South Rim of the canyon

Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve

Idaho, June 28-29 & September 27-28

Craters of the Moon Star Party

run by the Idaho Falls Astronomical Society
telescopes available for viewing star and planets

Badlands National Park

South Dakota, July 5-7

Badlands Astronomy Festival

evening presentations with special guest speakers
nightly telescope viewing sponsored by the NPS Night Sky Program and Celestron

Harpers Ferry National Historic Park

West Virginia, July 12

Harpers Ferry Night Sky Festival

guest speaker and kids program
stargazing activities after dusk at the Murphy-Chambers Farm

Ochoco National Forest

Oregon, July 30-August 4

Oregon Star Party

guest speakers, including NASA Solar System Ambassador Greg Cermak
observing programs for every level, from binocular to beginner to intermediate to advance to photographer (yes, in that order)
many, many programs

Lassen Volcanic National Park

California, August 2-3

Dark Sky Festival

nightly constellation tours and stargazing
discussions and demonstrations by National Park Dark Sky rangers, NASA, the International Dark Sky Association, StarChazerz and the Astronomical Society of Nevada

Shenandoah National Park

Virginia, August 9-11

Night Sky Festival

ranger talks and programs
guest presentations ranging from topics such as space weather, space travel and our future in space

Wood Buffalo National Park

Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada, August 22-25

Dark Sky Festival

presentations by Bob McDonald, host of CBC Radio's Quirks & Quarks, and Wilfred Buck, a science facilitator for the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre
fire circle and drumming
aurora and astrophotography workshop

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

California, August 23-24

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Dark Sky Festival

takes place in various locations, including the Foothills, Mineral King, Giant Forest, Lodgepole, Grant Grove and Cedar Grove, as well as Lake Kaweah in Three Rivers
over 50 programs, including tours, stargazing, guest speakers, movies, musical performances and more

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

Pennsylvania, August 24

StarFest

organized by the ChesMont Astronomical Society
presentations, kids activities, telescope demonstrations and door prizes

Kejimkujik National Park

Nova Scotia, Canada, August 24-25

Dark Sky Weekend

Canada’s only Dark Sky Preserve
presented in partnership with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

North Dakota, August 30-September 1

Dakota Nights Astronomy Festival

rocket building and launching
half-mile Solar System Hike
stargazing and telescopes

Chaco Canyon National Historical Park

New Mexico, September 20-22

Astronomy Festival

sun and night-sky viewing through telescopes
learn about celestial alignments in the park’s ancestral Puebloan great houses
guided hikes

Joshua Tree National Park

California, September 21

Night Sky Festival

held primarily at Sky’s the Limit Nature Center and Observatory
viewing through at least 20 telescopes
astronomy lectures

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

Maine, September 21

Stars Over Katahdin

campfire chat with hot cocoa and s’mores
science lessons
astronomy presentations

Acadia National Park

Maine, September 25-29

Acadia Night Sky Festival

internationally recognized speakers
poster artwork contest
events and workshops for everyone from families to the serious amateur astronomers

Great Basin National Park

Nevada, September 26-28

Astronomy Festival

daytime and evening telescope viewing
ranger talent show of astronomy-themed acts
night sky photography workshop by the Dark Rangers

Capitol Reef National Park

Utah, September 27-28

Heritage Starfest

a dark-sky run/walk
constellation tours

Cedar Breaks and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monuments

Utah, September 27-29

Southwest Astronomy Festival

night hikes
star parties in various regional parks and places

Jasper National Park

Alberta, Canada, October 18-27

Jasper Dark Sky Festival

keynote speaker: Jad Abumrad, creator and host of Radiolab
VIP stargazing reception
stargazing along the shores of Lake Annette
“Science for Breakfast” with Nick Pope, former head of the British government's UFO project

Other Opportunities

These aren’t the only opportunities to celebrate the night skies of the national parks. The above represents the larger events and the annual events—at least the ones that we know of at press time. (Blog time? Press-Enter time?)

In the 400-plus units of the park system, there’s often something going on involving night. Ranger-led walks. Telescope parties. Meteor-shower viewing. Moonlight strolls. And so on. To find an event in a park near you, or in a park near where you’re traveling, go to the NPS’ Event Calendar page and do a search for “night,” or “stars,” etc.

Moreover, if you live outside North America or you’re traveling internationally, you can look for night programs all over the world, such as the Exmoor (National Park) Dark Sky Festival in England, the Mayo Dark Sky Festival in Ireland and the Queensland Astrofest in Australia.

Really, there’s a whole world of seizing the night to be had. So … go seize!

Chris Nicholson is a partner and workshop leader with National Parks at Night, and author of Photographing National Parks (Sidelight Books, 2015). Learn more about national parks as photography destinations, subscribe to Chris' free e-newsletter, and more at www.PhotographingNationalParks.com.