Dark Sky Parks in WA

List of darkest places in Washington for stargazing, astrophotography, star parties, and club events. Often these are national and state parks and forests that are either remote or "protected" against light pollution.

National parks often let you stay overnight under the stars, hence their motto - "Half the park is after dark".

The IDA column indicates if a site is IDA-certified. Bortle scale for sites is given where known. Also use your local astronomy club for guidance as they will know the darkest places.

NAME	IDA	BORTLE
Brooks Memorial SP		2
Camp Wooten SP		2
Colville NF		2
Crawford SP		2
Fields Spring SP		2
Hoh Rainforest
Hurricane Ridge
Leadbetter Point SP		2
Lyons Ferry SP		2
Mount Rainier NP		2
Mt Adams		2
North Cascades NP		2
Okanogan NF
Olympic NP		2
Palouse Falls SP		2
Pearrygin Lake SP		2
Rockport SP	park	2
Sun Lakes SP		2

NP = national park | SP = state park | NF = national forest | SF = state forest | NWR = national wildlife reserve | SRA = state recreational area

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Light Pollution Map w/ Bortle

On the left is a 2019 satellite image of WA showing light pollution from the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center. On the right is a 2015 light pollution map showing sky brightness at the zenith from World Atlas data. Colors correspond approximately to the Bortle scale. Use as a guide to find the darkest sky locations near you.