Exploring Dark Skies

Duration:

2 minutes, 27 seconds

Half the park is after dark!

 

 

Forget not to look up. Step out into the darkness and let the moment shape itself as you get lost in the beauty above. Stand under a blanket of stars and be filled with awe and wonder.

Natural darkness is quickly becoming a rare sight. Cities are letting off light pollution, filling the evening sky with a lightened hue. If you are lucky enough, your backyard may be a place to go out, look up, and see what’s above. If not journey here to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, or to your nearest National Park site to take in the breathtaking views of a star-filled night sky.

 

Visiting the Lakeshore after dark

Remember that half of the park is after dark! If you do plan on visiting the park at night remember to:

• Bring your park pass with you! While Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is open for 24 hours a day, you are still required to have a pass if you plan on being in the park.

• Bring a flashlight! You will want to be able to see where you are going!

• Do not use your phone as your only source of light! Plan on having an additional flashlight, headlamp, or lantern to light your way. Your phone is not a reliable source of light.

• Use a red-light flashlight! Red light will help you to preserve your night vision. If you don’t have a red-light flashlight, you can also wrap red cellophane around your phone light or another flashlight.

• Be respectful of others enjoying the night sky! Avoid shining lights on other visitors as it may disrupt their night vision.

• Dress in layers! Summer nights are often chilly in Northern Michigan.

• Bring something to sit on! A blanket or a chair will make your experience more comfortable as you look up.

• Bug spray! If you would be more comfortable not being a mosquito’s evening meal, use some bug spray.

• Leave No Trace! Leave it better than you found it by remembering to take home everything that you brought with you.

Roads, trailheads, and parking lots in the Lakeshore are open 24 hours a day. Campgrounds, visitor centers, and facilities have separate hours. Camping is only permitted in designated campgrounds and campsites. Off-trail camping, boondocking, or overnight parking for sleeping is illegal within Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Places in the Lakeshore to view the night sky

The best locations to view the night sky are locations that are away from sources of light. Light pollution can affect how much of the night sky that we can see. Try and find locations where you are unable to see the affects of light from nearby Traverse City. It will also take your eyes around 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Let your eyes adjust by looking at no artificial lights, even your phone!

Once your eyes are adjusted take in the night sky. If you’re lucky enough to see the Nothern Lights (the Aurora Borealis) remember to look to the North.

 

 

Events in the Lakeshore, including Star Parties

 

Jump to date

Search Filters

By Park

Park l'île Sainte-Croix Lieu historique international Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park Acadia National Park Adams National Historical Park African American Civil War Memorial African Burial Ground National Monument Agate Fossil Beds National Monument Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail Alagnak Wild River Alaska Public Lands Alcatraz Island Aleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site Amache National Historic Site American Memorial Park Amistad National Recreation Area Anacostia Park Andersonville National Historic Site Andrew Johnson National Historic Site Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve Antietam National Battlefield Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Appalachian National Scenic Trail Appomattox Court House National Historical Park Arches National Park Arkansas Post National Memorial Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial Assateague Island National Seashore Aztec Ruins National Monument Badlands National Park Baltimore-Washington Parkway Bandelier National Monument Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site Bering Land Bridge National Preserve Big Bend National Park Big Cypress National Preserve Big Hole National Battlefield Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area Big Thicket National Preserve Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument Biscayne National Park Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park Blackwell School National Historic Site Blue Ridge Parkway Bluestone National Scenic River Booker T Washington National Monument Boston National Historical Park Boston African American National Historic Site Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park Bryce Canyon National Park Buck Island Reef National Monument Buffalo National River Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail Cabrillo National Monument California National Historic Trail Camp Nelson National Monument Canaveral National Seashore Cane River Creole National Historical Park Canyon de Chelly National Monument Canyonlands National Park Cape Cod National Seashore Cape Hatteras National Seashore Cape Henry Memorial Part of Colonial National Historical Park Cape Krusenstern National Monument Cape Lookout National Seashore Capitol Hill Parks Capitol Reef National Park Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Capulin Volcano National Monument Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument Carlsbad Caverns National Park Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site Casa Grande Ruins National Monument Castillo de San Marcos National Monument Castle Clinton National Monument Castle Mountains National Monument Catoctin Mountain Park Cedar Breaks National Monument Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park César E. Chávez National Monument Chaco Culture National Historical Park Chamizal National Memorial Chamizal monumento conmemorativo nacional Channel Islands National Park Charles Pinckney National Historic Site Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park Chesapeake Bay Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park Chickasaw National Recreation Area Chiricahua National Monument Christiansted National Historic Site City Of Rocks National Reserve Civil War Defenses of Washington Clara Barton National Historic Site Colonial National Historical Park Colorado National Monument Coltsville National Historical Park Congaree National Park Constitution Gardens Coronado National Memorial Cowpens National Battlefield Crater Lake National Park Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Cumberland Island National Seashore Curecanti National Recreation Area Cuyahoga Valley National Park Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park De Soto National Memorial Death Valley National Park Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Denali Nationalparken und Reservat Denali National Park & Preserve Devils Postpile National Monument Devils Tower National Monument Dinosaur National Monument Dry Tortugas National Park Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site Effigy Mounds National Monument Eisenhower National Historic Site El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Sendero Histórico Nacional El Malpais National Monument El Morro National Monument Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site Ellis Island Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site Everglades National Park Federal Hall National Memorial Fire Island National Seashore First Ladies National Historic Site First State National Historical Park Flight 93 National Memorial Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Ford's Theatre Fort Bowie National Historic Site Fort Caroline National Memorial Fort Davis National Historic Site Fort Donelson National Battlefield Fort Dupont Park Fort Foote Park Fort Frederica National Monument Fort Laramie National Historic Site Fort Larned National Historic Site Fort Matanzas National Monument Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Fort Monroe National Monument Fort Necessity National Battlefield Fort Point National Historic Site Fort Pulaski National Monument Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Fort Scott National Historic Site Fort Smith National Historic Site Fort Stanwix National Monument Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park Fort Union National Monument Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Fort Washington Park Fossil Butte National Monument Frances Perkins National Monument Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park Freedom Riders National Monument Friendship Hill National Historic Site Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve Gateway National Recreation Area Gateway Arch National Park Gauley River National Recreation Area General Grant National Memorial George Rogers Clark National Historical Park George Washington Memorial Parkway George Washington Birthplace National Monument George Washington Carver National Monument Gettysburg National Military Park Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument Glacier National Park Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Glen Echo Park Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site Golden Gate National Recreation Area Golden Spike National Historical Park Governors Island National Monument Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument Grand Portage National Monument Grand Teton National Park Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site Great Basin National Park Great Egg Harbor River Great Falls Park Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve Great Smoky Mountains National Park Green Springs Greenbelt Park Guadalupe Mountains National Park Guilford Courthouse National Military Park Gulf Islands National Seashore Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Haleakalā National Park Hamilton Grange National Memorial Hampton National Historic Site Harmony Hall Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Harriet Tubman National Historical Park Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park Harry S Truman National Historic Site Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Herbert Hoover National Historic Site Historic Jamestowne Part of Colonial National Historical Park Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site Homestead National Historical Park Honouliuli National Historic Site Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site Horseshoe Bend National Military Park Hot Springs National Park Hovenweep National Monument Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site Ice Age National Scenic Trail Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail Independence National Historical Park Indiana Dunes National Park Iñupiat Heritage Center Isle Royale National Park James A Garfield National Historic Site Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve Jewel Cave National Monument Jimmy Carter National Historical Park John Day Fossil Beds National Monument John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site John Muir National Historic Site Johnstown Flood National Memorial Joshua Tree National Park Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail Kalaupapa National Historical Park Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Katmai National Park & Preserve Kenai Fjords National Park Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Keweenaw National Historical Park Kings Mountain National Military Park Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit National Historical Park Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site Kobuk Valley National Park Korean War Veterans Memorial Lake Clark National Park & Preserve Lake Mead National Recreation Area Lake Meredith National Recreation Area Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Lassen Volcanic National Park Lava Beds National Monument LBJ Memorial Grove on the Potomac Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Lewis y Clark parque histórico nacional Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial Lincoln Home National Historic Site Lincoln Memorial Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Little River Canyon National Preserve Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site Lowell National Historical Park Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic River Lower East Side Tenement Museum National Historic Site Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park Maggie L Walker National Historic Site Maine Acadian Culture Mammoth Cave National Park Manassas National Battlefield Park Manhattan Project National Historical Park Manzanar National Historic Site Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument Mesa Verde National Park Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument Minidoka National Historic Site Minute Man National Historical Park Minuteman Missile National Historic Site Mississippi National River & Recreation Area Missouri National Recreational River Mojave National Preserve Monocacy National Battlefield Monte Rainier Parque nacional Montezuma Castle National Monument Moores Creek National Battlefield Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail Morristown National Historical Park Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rushmore National Memorial Muir Woods National Monument Natchez National Historical Park Natchez Trace Parkway Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail National Capital Parks-East National Mall and Memorial Parks National Park of American Samoa National Parks of New York Harbor Natural Bridges National Monument Navajo National Monument New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park New England National Scenic Trail New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park New Philadelphia National Historic Site New River Gorge National Park & Preserve Nez Perce National Historical Park Nicodemus National Historic Site Ninety Six National Historic Site Niobrara National Scenic River Noatak National Preserve North Cascades National Park North Country National Scenic Trail Obed Wild & Scenic River Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Oklahoma City National Memorial Old Spanish National Historic Trail Olympic National Park Oregon National Historic Trail Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm Ozark National Scenic Riverways Padre Island National Seashore Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park Pea Ridge National Military Park Pearl Harbor National Memorial Pecos National Historical Park Pennsylvania Avenue Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial Petersburg National Battlefield Petrified Forest National Park Petroglyph National Monument Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Pinnacles National Park Pipe Spring National Monument Pipestone National Monument Piscataway Park Point Reyes National Seashore Pony Express National Historic Trail Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail Poverty Point National Monument President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site Presidio of San Francisco Prince William Forest Park Pullman National Historical Park Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site Rainbow Bridge National Monument Reconstruction Era National Historical Park Redwood National and State Parks Richmond National Battlefield Park Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River River Raisin National Battlefield Park Rock Creek Park Rocky Mountain National Park Roger Williams National Memorial Roosevelt Campobello International Park Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park Russell Cave National Monument Sagamore Hill National Historic Site Saguaro National Park Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway Saint Croix Island International Historic Site Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park Salem Maritime National Historic Site Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve San Antonio Missions National Historical Park San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park San Juan National Historic Site San Juan Island National Historical Park Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Santa Fe National Historic Trail Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Saratoga National Historical Park Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site Scotts Bluff National Monument Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Shenandoah National Park Shiloh National Military Park Sitka National Historical Park Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument Springfield Armory National Historic Site Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Statue Of Liberty National Monument Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park Steamtown National Historic Site Stones River National Battlefield Stonewall National Monument Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial The White House and President's Park Theodore Roosevelt National Park Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site Theodore Roosevelt Island Thomas Cole National Historic Site Thomas Edison National Historical Park Thomas Jefferson Memorial Thomas Stone National Historic Site Timpanogos Cave National Monument Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve Tonto National Monument Touro Synagogue National Historic Site Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail Tule Lake National Monument Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument Tumacácori National Historical Park Tupelo National Battlefield Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site Tuzigoot National Monument Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River Valles Caldera National Preserve Valley Forge National Historical Park Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site Vicksburg National Military Park Vietnam Veterans Memorial Virgin Islands National Park Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument Voyageurs National Park Waco Mammoth National Monument Walnut Canyon National Monument War In The Pacific National Historical Park Washington Monument Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail Washita Battlefield National Historic Site Weir Farm National Historical Park Whiskeytown National Recreation Area White Sands National Park Whitman Mission National Historic Site William Howard Taft National Historic Site Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Wind Cave National Park Wing Luke Museum Affiliated Area Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts Women's Rights National Historical Park World War I Memorial World War II Memorial Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve Wright Brothers National Memorial Wupatki National Monument Yellowstone National Park Yorktown Battlefield Part of Colonial National Historical Park Yosemite National Park Yucca House National Monument Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve Zion National Park

By State

State Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

By Event Type

Event Type Boat Cruise Bus Tour Campfire/Evening Program Children’s Program Cultural/Craft Demonstration Exhibition/Show Festival Guided Tour Hike Living History Management/Planning Other Partner Program Performance Ride Talk Virtual/Digital Volunteer Event Walk

By Keyword

Filter by Keyword

Keyword

Search Clear Filters

Day Week Month

REPEATING EVENTS

• Show
• Hide

Loading Events...