The Darkest Skies
in Wisconsin
Access the definitive rankings of the top 10 National Park Service Champions and International Dark Sky Parks in Wisconsin. Explore our comprehensive directory of 152 Wisconsin cities to find the perfect dark sky spot with verified scientific data.
National Park Service Reports
The darkest verified spots in the state. Pro Tip: Dark sky reports reveal their best details through precision optics.
Little Sand Bay West Jetty
Apostle Islands NS
Local Relevance
For observers in Wisconsin, Little Sand Bay West Jetty serves as the definitive baseline for high-altitude transparency and localized skyglow data.
"Sky quality measurements were recorded at Little Sand Bay West Jetty in Apostle Islands NS on 9/18/2012. The site demonstrated a scientific darkness reading of 22.06 SQM."
Outer Island Sand Spit
Apostle Islands NS
Local Relevance
For observers in Wisconsin, Outer Island Sand Spit serves as the definitive baseline for high-altitude transparency and localized skyglow data.
"Sky quality measurements were recorded at Outer Island Sand Spit in Apostle Islands NS on 9/14/2012. The site demonstrated a scientific darkness reading of 21.59 SQM."
Dune Trail
Sleeping Bear Dunes NL
Local Relevance
Wisconsin enthusiasts typically use the instrumented readings from Dune Trail to calibrate their deep-sky expectations for the area.
"Good detail in the Milky Way with good contrast and dust lanes/Great Rift visible. Cygnus dust lane visible. Sagittarius star cloud visible, as is the Prancing Horse."
Hawk Ridge
Duluth
Local Relevance
For observers in Wisconsin, Hawk Ridge serves as the definitive baseline for high-altitude transparency and localized skyglow data.
"Good visibility during the day. According to the weather record, it rained in the previous days. Duluth light dome is clearly visible. Zodiacal light is visible. Milky Way is visible overhead and to the north, and it spans about 50 degrees across the sky. M31 is moderately visible with naked eyes."
Kemil Beach
Indiana Dunes NL
Local Relevance
The scientific findings at Kemil Beach provide Wisconsin residents with the most reliable data on regional atmospheric stability.
"Local glare from the western most home in the "1933 Century of Progress" homes. Other glare sources from the power plants to the SW and NE along the lakeshore are easily visible but did not saturate the camera sensor. A clear view across Lake Michigan to the Chicago skyline, though clouds and haze never completely cleared away. I suspect the industrial developments from the Port of Indiana all the way around to Chicago has a significant impact on aeresols and local cloud development. Even so, at 35 miles distant, the illuminated buildings of the Chicago skyline were easily visible to the naked eye on this evening. The light dome of Michigan City (5 miles to the ENE) was very bright, but the dome from Chicago all the way to south of INDU is by far the greatest source of skyglow. The Milky Way was visible from 15° above the horizon at both ends. Not a lot of detail was visible in the Sagittarius or Cygnus star clouds. M31 was barely visible to the naked eye without using averted vision. Comparitively, for the region, this is not too bad a place to view the night sky. If not for the local glare sources, it would be fairly quick to dark adapt and be able to see many celestial features."
Certified Dark Sky Parks
International Dark Sky Association certified locations. Visiting a park? Don't forget a red-light flashlight to preserve the dark.
Beaver Island State Wildlife Research Area
The Beaver Island State Wildlife Research Area International Dark Sky Sanctuary (locally, the “Sanctuary”) is situated on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan…
Official Details →Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness management area located in the northern third of the Superior National Forest in…
Official Details →Hawthorn Woods, Illinois
Located 65 kilometers northwest of Chicago, IL, the Village of Hawthorn Woods prides itself as an upscale yet friendly community which places a high value on…
Official Details →Homer Glen, Illinois
Homer Glen is a city of 25,000 people located thirty miles southwest of Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 2001 as a city committed to sustainable growth and…
Official Details →Keweenaw Dark Sky Park
The Keweenaw Dark Sky Park is located at the top of the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan, U.S. Surrounded by Lake Superior on three sides, the peninsula is a…
Official Details →Newport State Park
Newport State Park is situated on 960 hectares (2,373 acres) of publicly-owned land at the tip of the Door Peninsula, a geographic feature extending 130…
Official Details →Palos Preserves
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County (the “Forest Preserves”) is one of our nation’s oldest and largest conservation districts containing nearly 70,000…
Official Details →Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park’s name commemorates the voyageurs—French-Canadian fur traders who were the first European settlers to frequently travel through the area.
Official Details →Gearing Up for Wisconsin Nights
"Because Wisconsin contains multiple distinct climate zones, ensure your observation kit includes flexible thermal management and multi-stage dew protection."
The Wisconsin Field Kit
Every dedicated Wisconsin enthusiast eventually curates a setup that can scale from suburban driveways to the most isolated dark sites in the state.
Browse Cities
Find detailed scientific reports for 152 unique locations across Wisconsin.