When ninety percent of Americans can no longer see the Milky Way from where they live, US Route 89 stands out as a stargazing paradise. This is where you’ll find some of the darkest night skies in the country. With numerous certified Dark Sky Parks and Communities, observatories, planetariums, and astronomy festivals, a road trip on this highway is also a road trip to the cosmos.
Planning a road trip on US Route 89 should include time for some celestial observations, whether on your own with the naked eye, or at one of these observatories located along the highway.
MONTANA
Glacier National Park
The Dusty Star Observatory is located in the parking lot of the St. Mary’s Visitor Center on the east side of the park. Guests bring their own chairs or blankets to get comfortable outside under the dark sky. A massive screen shows what the telescope inside the dome is seeing. From nebulae to galaxies to massive star clusters and planets, a stargazing program at Glacier National Park is one to remember.
WYOMING
Snow King Mountain Observatory & Planetarium
Take the gondola ride to the top of Snow King Mountain, where you’ll have views of the entirety of Jackson Hole. When you step out of the gondola, you’ll feel like you’ve reached the top of the world. The observatory and planetarium first opened in 2024 with Bill Nye as the keynote speaker.
UTAH
Willard Eccles Astronomy Observatory
Willard Eccles Astronomy Observatory is located on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. This observatory is open for public viewing on Wednesday nights. Sometimes, they offer presentations and demos. They also offer assistance to those wanting to learn how to use a telescope, get started in astrophotography, or needing help with a school science fair project.
Stellar Vista Observatory
Although there is no domed observatory in Kanab yet, you can attend a public star party or book a private stargazing experience with Stellar Vista Observatory.
ARIZONA
Lowell Observatory
Lowell Observatory is a must-see for its remarkable history. See the telescope where Pluto was discovered in 1930, walk the campus where astronomers discovered the universe was expanding, get hands-on in the exhibit halls, and enjoy a rooftop open-air planetarium show with heated seats.
Mount Lemmon Sky Center
Join astronomers from the University of Arizona for dinner as you watch the sunset at Mount Lemmon Sky Center. Once it’s dark, you’ll enter one of the many domes to peer across the cosmos through the largest public telescope in the Southwest.
Kitt Peak National Observatory
Kitt Peak National Observatory is a bit of a detour from Interstate 19, the original US Route 89 south of Tucson, but it is worth the drive. Take a daytime tour where you can stand inside an enormous solar telescope, stay for an evening viewing program, or stay overnight like the astronomers do.
Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory
The Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is a partnership with Harvard University and the Smithsonian. It is best to visit during the daytime when you can check out the Visitor Center and take a daylight tour of the VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System).
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