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Dark sky places in the United States

A dark sky designation is something a place holds, not a kind of place. Parks, whole towns, reserves and sanctuaries all carry one, and each is listed here under the record that proves it.

89 places in the United States hold a DarkSky International designation, every one traced to its public record.

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The designation directory

Every dark sky place in the record

Browse by designation, or narrow the directory to a state. Each place links to its public record, which carries the source.

State membership uses recorded coordinates.

89 places in the record

International Dark Sky Parks

63 places

International Dark Sky Communities

19 places

International Dark Sky Reserves

1 place

International Dark Sky Sanctuaries

4 places

Urban Night Sky Places

2 places

Certification is granted by DarkSky International. This list is read from Wikidata (CC0), which records the designation and the year it began, and was last queried on August 10, 2026. Missing years and articles are omitted. A place without a coordinate in the state boundaries remains in the complete directory, without a state claim.

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