Prineville Reservoir State Park
Dark · Milky Way overhead, hazy lower down
3 stays nearby →Sisters, Oregon Dark Sky Community
A small western-style town in central Oregon, with national forest on three sides and a reputation for clear nights, certified as a Dark Sky Community in 2025.
- How dark?
- Dark · Milky Way overhead, hazy lower down
- Food & town
- Sisters · in town
- Certified
- Dark Sky Community · 2025
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 1–8 | Crescent, sets early | 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 Sisters, Oregon.
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.
We'll email you a link to confirm.
Almost there. Check your email for a link to confirm your address. Once you confirm, we'll email you the dates at Sisters, Oregon a few days before each dark window, with the Dark Sky Trip Calendar.
That email address doesn't look complete. Check it and send it again.
We couldn't check that you're a person. Click into the form, wait until the check below the button shows success, then send it again.
Too many sign-ups from this connection just now. Please try again in an hour.
Something went wrong on our side and your address wasn't saved. Please try again later.
We use your email only for this, and never sell or share it. How we handle it.
What it's like
Sisters is a town of about 3,500 people in central Oregon, about 20 miles from Bend, with the Deschutes National Forest on three sides: ponderosa pine to the west and high desert to the east. It is known for clear nights and low light pollution, and in 2025 it was certified as an International Dark Sky Community.
The certification grew out of a long local effort. A community astronomy club formed in 2000, local high schools added an astronomy curriculum, and residents have gathered sky quality measurements to track how artificial light affects the sky. As part of the application, the city strengthened its outdoor lighting ordinance to meet DarkSky International's standards.
For visitors, that means a town that looks after its own lights and a great deal of public land close by. The forest and desert around Sisters draw hikers, skiers, and people headed for alpine lakes, and the town's clear nights are part of the draw. The area was home to the Paiute, Warm Springs, and Wasco peoples before settlers arrived in the late 1860s, and the town itself dates to 1901.
Food, fuel, and supplies
Sisters, OR is right here, with groceries (Ray's Food Place), 5 gas stations, and 20+ places to eat on the map. Nearest places to eat on the map: High Camp Taphouse (under 1 mi), Dutch Bros. Coffee (under 1 mi), and Suttle Tea (under 1 mi).
Distances are straight-line and approximate. Places on the map may not be open. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
✓ Certification verified Jul 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 Sisters, Oregon
For a trip with more than one dark night: the closest within 150 miles, nearest first. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Dark Sky Park Dark Sky Community Antelope, Oregon
Very dark · Milky Way across the sky on clear nights
3 stays nearby →Dark Sky Park Cottonwood Canyon State Park
Very dark · Milky Way across the sky on clear nights
3 stays nearby →