Looking to stargaze in a Washington national park? These new rankings reveal best spot

If you’re looking to stargaze, one of the best national parks for it is in Washington.

Under Lucky Stars, a group that creates star maps of the constellations, made a stargazing guide for every U.S. national park. North Cascades National Park in Washington ranked No. 4.

“America is home to some of the most stunning national parks, filled with incredible scenery, roaming wildlife and different terrain to explore, and if you’re a lover of the night sky, these are some of the best spots in the world to witness the constellations,” Under Lucky Stars said about the project.

Washington is home to three national parks. The state’s national parks are all unique and frequently visited. Millions of people visited Olympic, Mount Rainier and North Cascades national parks in 2019, according to the National Park Service.

North Cascades is the state’s least visited national park.

“The North Cascades located in Washington State is a vast terrain of wilderness,” Under Lucky Stars said. “Filled with a varied species of animals and birds, the remote park is an outdoor dream. With just 38,208 yearly visitors to the vast land combined with low light pollution, the park is the perfect peaceful destination to enjoy the stars in the sky.”

The National Park Service said visitors who spend an evening in the park will “rediscover the wonder of utter darkness.” Most of the park is free of man-made lights.

“Here the heavens seem to shine with more vigor and vibrance as the wilderness serenades us with its symphony of nighttime activity. Seventy percent of all animal life is nocturnal creating a cacophony of sounds in the darkness,” the National Park Service said. “This is the music of the wilderness at night—a perfect complement to the spectacle of the stars.”

Washington’s other national parks don’t rank very high. Mount Rainier ranks 43th against the country’s 62 national parks. Olympic ranked even lower at No. 53.

This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 11:52 AM with the headline "Looking to stargaze in a Washington national park? These new rankings reveal best spot."