Dark sky parks in Nebraska

One certified place protects Nebraska's night, with 3 stays listed nearby.

Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area: Exceptional darknessMerritt Reservoir State Recreation Area
The pin opens the place.Outlines: U.S. Census Bureau (public domain).
Dark Sky Park

Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area

Certified 2022

Exceptional darkness. Dark enough that the Milky Way is obvious the moment you look up, with no town glow worth mentioning on any horizon. (Bortle 1–2, an estimate.)

The next stretch of moonless evenings is Nov 5–12.

Nearest town
Valentine · about 25 mi
Stays nearby
3 listed
Milky Way core season
Early Mar to late Sep

How dark, when to go, where to stay →

A town has at least 250 people and a grocery store on the map; distances are straight lines, so the drive is longer (how). Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

The Dark Sky Trip Calendar

About one email a month: the new-moon windows, the meteor showers worth a drive, and the parks at their best. Nothing else.

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