Grand Canyon Star Party

Dozens of telescopes offer views of planets, double stars, star clusters, nebulae, and distant galaxies. By day, keep an eye out for solar telescopes pointed at the sun. Weather permitting, expect spectacular views of the universe!

In June 2019, Grand Canyon National Park achieved International Dark-Sky Park status through DarkSky International. The certification is awarded to parks that have retrofitted at least 67% of their exterior lights to be dark-sky-friendly and maintain outreach programs throughout the year. The park had five years to make 90% of its lights dark-sky friendly. This year, the park celebrates achieving over 90% dark-sky compliance of all exterior lighting fixtures, having passed the milestone in January of 2024. 

• Attend this free, open to the general public, event. The park entrance fee is good on both South and North rims for 7 days. No additional tickets or sign-up is required.
• The event begins at sunset, although the best viewing is after 9 pm and many telescopes come down after 11 pm; however, on nights with clear, calm skies, some astronomers continue sharing their telescopes into the night.
• Campground or lodging reservations are recommended.
• Dress warmly. Temperatures drop quickly after sunset—even during summer months.
• View an assortment of planets, double stars, star clusters, nebulae and distant galaxies by night, and perhaps the Sun or Venus by day.
• Skies will be starry and dark until the moon rises the first night. It rises progressively later throughout the week of the Star Party.