Texas’ Big Bend National Park is the #2 Best Stargazing Spot in America According to a New Study

Did you know that one of the best places to admire the night sky is right here in our great state?

Under Lucky Stars conducted a study on the best national parks for stargazing, and Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas was ranked number two.

One of the reasons Big Bend scored a top spot is because it’s easily accessible by car. You can take several highways to get there, including US 90 and TX 118.

Another perk is that the park isn’t crowded, which makes for better stargazing.

It gets less than 500,000 visitors each year, so it’s a beautiful place to enjoy nature and the stars undisturbed.

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Did you know that half the park is after dark? Big Bend is known as one of the outstanding places in North America for stargazing! In fact, it has the least light pollution of any National Park unit in the lower 48 states. This can be a real surprise to visitors when they are outside on a clear night and see the Milky Way in its full glory for perhaps the first time in their life. Do you have a memorable night sky moment in Big Bend? Do you remember where you were when you first experienced the grandeur of the Milky Way? #didyouknow #milkyway #hikebigbend #bigbend #bigbendnps #bigbendnightsky #darksky #nightsky #stars #optoutside #findyourpark #parkstarwars

A post shared by Big Bend National Park (@bigbendnps) on Dec 15, 2018 at 10:51am PST

The park also has little to no light pollution. This makes it possible to see many more stars and constellations than you can in the city.

Although we love visiting Big Bend at night, it’s just as gorgeous during the day.

The park is home to the Chisos mountain range and the biggest area of protected Chihuahuan Desert in the whole country.

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Today is the 104th birthday of the National Park Service! Let’s see if we can come up with 104 reasons that the National Park Service is America’s Best Idea. If you need inspiration, head to your nearest national park. They’re all free today! NPS Photo #lostminetrail #bigbend #sunrise

A post shared by Big Bend National Park (@bigbendnps) on Aug 25, 2020 at 2:11pm PDT

It even has over 150 miles of hiking trails that wind through the desert and mountains.

We highly recommend getting there early so you can admire the scenery during both the day and night!

Featured image from the official Big Bend National Park Instagram account