Kartchner Caverns State Park
Truly dark sky, with the zodiacal light clearly visible.
Best known for its living cave system, Kartchner Caverns also holds a dark sky certification for its above-ground skies. The park sits between Tucson and the New Mexico border in a stretch of open desert that benefits from Tucson's dark sky lighting ordinances on the western horizon. It is an unusual pairing — one of the most protected cave systems in the world, under some of the darkest skies in southern Arizona.
What's here
On the map
What to bring
Our picks for a good night under the stars.
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Nearby in Arizona
Chiricahua National Monument
Isolated sky island with rock pinnacle foregrounds in southeastern Arizona.
Grand Canyon National Park
Gold Tier dark sky park where the canyon drops away into darkness below you.
Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument
One of the country's most remote Dark Sky Sanctuaries on the Arizona Strip.