This U.S. National Park Has a Free Stargazing Festival in March — and You Can See the Milky Way Without a Telescope

Death Valley National Park is one of the few places with a darkness so pristine that you can see the Milky Way without a telescope.

Many places claim dark-sky status, but few can deliver a darkness so pristine that you can see the Milky Way without a telescope. Death Valley National Park is one such place. In this remote, below-sea-level basin you can see what the night sky looked like before cities formed and 24-hour lighting became the norm — constellations practically pop out from the sky and the hazy Milky Way is almost always on display.

The night sky above Death Valley’s desert floor is so dark it was given the highest “gold tier” designation from the esteemed DarkSky International, a tier reserved for the darkest locations across the globe. To share its starry views, the park hosts an annual Death Valley Dark Sky Festival. This year, the free celebration runs from March 1 to March 3.

Over the star-focused weekend, scientists and park rangers will share the secrets of the night sky through presentations and practical workshops. You’ll learn about NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission, discuss the possibility of ancient life on Mars, and ask a panel of professional astronomers and astrophysicists from Caltech your biggest space-related questions.

There will also be constellation tours, space-themed pub trivia, and family activities like the “Build a Mars Lander” program where your family can design, build, and land a Mars spacecraft under the direction of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

All programming is completely free and open to the public so it will be a busy weekend in Death Valley. The park service recommends making reservations for in-park camping or lodging as early as possible. The Oasis at Death Valley operates two properties within the park — The Inn at Death Valley and The Ranch at Death Valley. The former is a privately owned historic inn, while The Ranch has motel-style accommodations, restaurants, and shopping. Both are located in the Furnace Creek area, where most of the festival’s programming takes place.

Just keep in mind that Death Valley National Park is the hottest, driest, and lowest U.S. national park and that the spring weather can vary greatly. Typically, the park is between 46 and 73 degrees, but record highs are in the upper 90s, and record lows have gotten down to 21 degrees. Pack appropriately.

The Death Valley Dark Sky Festival is a collaboration between Death Valley National Park, Death Valley Natural History Association, SETI Institute, California Institute of Technology, and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Ames Research Center.

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