Homer Glen, Illinois
Bright sky · Only the brightest stars
3 stays nearby →Middle Fork River Forest Preserve, a Dark Sky Park
Illinois's first International Dark Sky Park, a county forest preserve on a Wild and Scenic river, with a dark sky trail, an observatory, and campsites set aside for stargazers.
- How dark?
- Some light pollution · Constellations, not much Milky Way
- Food & town
- Paxton · about 10 mi
- Certified
- Dark Sky Park · 2018
How dark is it, really?
The Milky Way is hard to make out here, though the main constellations and bright planets are easy to find. (For the detail-minded: Bortle class 5–6, an estimate.)
When should I go?
Pick a night when the moon is down. The next stretch of moonless evenings is Nov 6–12.
| Best nights | Moonlight | Worth staying up for |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 6–12 | Thin crescent, sets early | A sky full of stars, and extra shooting stars (Leonids) |
| Dec 5–11 | Thin crescent, sets early | A sky full of stars, and extra shooting stars (Geminids) |
| Jan 3–9 | Thin crescent, rises late | 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 | Mostly none · thin crescent on the edge nights | A sky full of stars |
| Mar 2–9 | Thin crescent, rises late | The Milky Way core |
| Apr 1–8 | Mostly none · thin crescent on the edge nights | The Milky Way core |
| May 1–7 | Thin crescent, rises late | The Milky Way core, and a meteor shower peak (Eta Aquariids) |
| Jun 1–6 | Thin crescent, sets early | The Milky Way core |
| Jul 1–7 | Thin crescent, sets early | The Milky Way core |
| Jul 31–Aug 6 | Crescent, sets early | The Milky Way core, and extra shooting stars (Southern Delta Aquariids and Perseids) |
| Aug 29–Sep 4 | None · darkest skies | The Milky Way core |
| Sep 27–Oct 3 | None · darkest skies | The Milky Way core |
Computed from public astronomical data for this location. Updated monthly. How it's computed
Milky Way season here: Late Feb to early Oct. Out of season until late Feb. In season now, through early Oct. Out of season until late Feb.
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 (thin crescent, rises late)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 Middle Fork River Forest Preserve.
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
Middle Fork River Forest Preserve covers about 1,700 acres in the northeast corner of Champaign County, along the Middle Fork River, the first in Illinois to be federally designated Wild and Scenic. It's the largest preserve in the county's forest preserve district, with oak woods, restored prairie, and river bottom forest, and it keeps a pocket of real darkness amid the glow of Champaign, Urbana, and Rantoul. It became an International Dark Sky Park in 2018.
The Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society has run stargazing programs here with the district since 2007. A typical program starts with a talk, then moves outside to members' telescopes, and weather can cancel them; the 2026 Dark Sky Week evening was free and needed no registration. In 2025 the district opened a Dark Sky Trail with an observatory, hammock stands, and concrete pads for telescopes, reached by a half-mile gravel walk from the Activity Center.
The district names three viewing areas, from least to most dark. The campground has dark sky approved lighting throughout. Sugar Creek has no lights, but it does have a restroom and an open shelter. The North Waterfowl Area is very dark, with no restrooms at all.
The Harry L. Swartz Campground has electric sites, primitive sites, and 11 sites set aside for their open view of the sky. Quiet hours run from 10 pm to 7 am, water is on from May through October, and weekends take a two-night minimum. Bring a red flashlight; the district recommends red-filtered light only.
Food, fuel, and supplies
Paxton, IL is about 10 mi away in a straight line, with groceries (Kirby Foods), 3 gas stations, and 14 places to eat on the map. The nearest gas is closer: Casey's General Store, about 6 mi away in Gifford, IL. Nearest places to eat on the map: Longbranch (about 6 mi, in Gifford, IL), Stagecoach (about 6 mi), and Just Hamburgers (about 9 mi). The preserve closes 30 minutes after sunset, so to be here after dark you need a campsite or a scheduled program.
Distances are straight-line and approximate. Places on the map may not be open. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
✓ Certification verified Aug 2026 against DarkSky International registry (Internet Archive capture) · darkness: Bortle 5–6, estimated (Sep 2026) · nearest town from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) (Sep 2026)
Dark sky places near Middle Fork River Forest Preserve
For a trip with more than one dark night: the closest within 150 miles, nearest first. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
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