Central Idaho
Exceptional darkness · Milky Way obvious
3 stays nearby →Ketchum, Idaho Dark Sky Community
A ski town of about 3,650 people in Idaho's Wood River Valley, next to the country's first International Dark Sky Reserve.
- How dark?
- Dark · Milky Way overhead, hazy lower down
- Food & town
- Ketchum · in town
- Certified
- Dark Sky Community · 2017
How dark is it, really?
Dark enough to see the Milky Way overhead on a clear night, though glow from nearby towns washes out the sky near the horizon. (For the detail-minded: Bortle class 4, an estimate.)
When should I go?
Pick a night when the moon is down. The next stretch of moonless evenings is Nov 5–12.
| Best nights | Moonlight | Worth staying up for |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5–12 | Thin crescent, rises late | A sky full of stars, and extra shooting stars (Leonids) |
| Dec 5–11 | None · darkest skies | A sky full of stars, and extra shooting stars (Geminids) |
| Jan 3–9 | None · darkest skies | A sky full of stars, and a meteor shower peak (Quadrantids) |
More dark windows, through Oct 2027
| Best nights | Moonlight | Worth staying up for |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 1–8 | Thin crescent, sets early | A sky full of stars |
| Mar 2–9 | Thin crescent, rises late | The Milky Way core |
| Mar 31–Apr 7 | Crescent, rises late | The Milky Way core |
| Apr 30–May 7 | Crescent, rises late | The Milky Way core, and a meteor shower peak (Eta Aquariids) |
| May 31–Jun 6 | None · darkest skies | The Milky Way core |
| Jul 1–7 | None · darkest skies | The Milky Way core |
| Jul 30–Aug 7 | Mostly none · crescent on the edge nights | The Milky Way core, and a meteor shower peak (Southern Delta Aquariids) |
| Aug 29–Sep 5 | Crescent, sets early | The Milky Way core |
| Sep 27–Oct 4 | Crescent, sets early | A sky full of stars |
Computed from public astronomical data for this location. Updated monthly. How it's computed
Milky Way season here: Early Mar to late Sep. Out of season until early Mar. In season now, through late Sep. Out of season until early Mar.
Meteor showers ahead: Leonids on Nov 17–18 (half moon, sets around midnight), Geminids on Dec 13–14 (thin crescent, sets early), Ursids on Dec 22–23 (full moon, up all night), and Quadrantids on Jan 3–4 (none · darkest skies)Lyrids on Apr 22–23 (bright moon for most of the night)Eta Aquariids on May 5–6 (none · darkest skies)Southern Delta Aquariids on Jul 30–31 (thin crescent, rises late)Perseids on Aug 12–13 (bright moon for most of the night).
Email me before the next dark window at Ketchum, Idaho.
About one email a month, a few days before the moon goes dark: the dates here, the moonlight, and what's worth staying up for. Unsubscribe in one click.
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What it's like
Ketchum is a small city of about 3,650 people at roughly 5,850 feet in the Wood River Valley of central Idaho. It started in the mining boom of the late 1800s and now lives mostly on tourism, built around its winter skiing, with an active arts scene on the side.
What makes it a dark sky town is its setting. Ketchum sits in a remote part of the state among the Sawtooth Mountains, where rugged ground and a great deal of public land have kept development sparse, and the region is still remarkably dark at night. Ketchum passed its first comprehensive outdoor lighting ordinance in 1999 and later updated it to meet International Dark Sky Community standards, which it earned in 2017. The city has committed to bringing its own lighting into line with the code and has worked to educate residents about why it matters.
Ketchum also supported the effort to designate the country's first International Dark Sky Reserve in the neighboring Sawtooth National Forest, so the dark country runs right up to town. Many residents count that darkness among the reasons they live here.
Food, fuel, and supplies
Ketchum, ID is right here, with groceries (Atkinson's Market, Village Market), no gas station, and 13 places to eat on the map. Nearest places to eat on the map: Michel's Christiania (under 1 mi), Wildflour Cafe (under 1 mi), and Starbucks (under 1 mi).
Distances are straight-line and approximate. Places on the map may not be open. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
✓ Certification verified Jun 2026 against DarkSky International registry (Internet Archive capture) · darkness: Bortle 4, estimated (Sep 2026) · nearest town from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) (Sep 2026)
Dark sky places near Ketchum, Idaho
For a trip with more than one dark night: the closest within 150 miles, nearest first. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Dark Sky Reserve Dark Sky Park Craters Of The Moon National Monument
Exceptional darkness · Milky Way obvious
1 stay nearby →Dark Sky Park Bruneau Dunes State Park
Dark · Milky Way overhead, hazy lower down
2 stays nearby →Dark Sky Park City of Rocks National Reserve
Very dark · Milky Way across the sky on clear nights
1 stay nearby →