Liberty Hill, Texas
Some light pollution · Constellations, not much Milky Way
3 stays nearby →Jonestown, Texas Dark Sky Community
A small city on Lake Travis, 25 miles northwest of Austin, where a volunteer night sky group holds star parties at the city's lakeside park.
- How dark?
- Some light pollution · Constellations, not much Milky Way
- Food & town
- Lago Vista · about 3 mi
- Certified
- Dark Sky Community · 2023
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 6–11.
| Best nights | Moonlight | Worth staying up for |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 6–11 | None · darkest skies | A sky full of stars, and extra shooting stars (Leonids) |
| Dec 5–11 | Mostly none · thin crescent on the edge nights | 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 2–8 | Thin crescent, sets early | The Milky Way core |
| Mar 3–9 | Thin crescent, rises late | The Milky Way core |
| Apr 2–8 | Mostly none · thin crescent on the edge nights | The Milky Way core |
| May 2–7 | Thin crescent, rises late | The Milky Way core, and a meteor shower peak (Eta Aquariids) |
| Jun 1–5 | Thin crescent, rises late | The Milky Way core |
| Jul 1–6 | Thin crescent, sets early | The Milky Way core |
| Jul 31–Aug 5 | Thin crescent, sets early | The Milky Way core, and extra shooting stars (Southern Delta Aquariids and Perseids) |
| Aug 29–Sep 3 | None · darkest skies | The Milky Way core |
| Sep 27–Oct 3 | Thin crescent, sets early | The Milky Way core |
Computed from public astronomical data for this location. Updated monthly. How it's computed
Milky Way season here: Early Feb to late Oct. Out of season until early Feb. In season now, through late Oct.
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 Jonestown, Texas.
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
Jonestown is a small, mostly residential city of about 2,500 people about 25 miles northwest of Austin, on Lake Travis. It calls itself the Gateway to the Hill Country, and it's surrounded by more than 60,000 acres of protected land in the Balcones Canyonlands, on a route that migrating birds follow every year.
Its dark sky work began in 2021, when the city and a new volunteer committee, Jonestown Night Sky Advocacy, wrote and passed a lighting ordinance that follows DarkSky's guidelines. With help from the local electric provider, every streetlight was changed to comply, and the city has inventoried the rest of its own lights and is fixing the ones that fall short. The mayor recalls family nights twenty years ago, with blankets, telescopes, and binoculars, watching meteor showers, and ties the ordinance to protecting that.
For a night out, watch for the group's star parties at Jones Brothers Park on the lake. The most recent ran from 5 to 10 pm on October 10, 2026, and the two before it were also in October. The group's events page posts the next date. Visitors from outside the city need a $20 daily parking permit, paid at the kiosk in the park. The permanent restroom locks at 8 pm, though portable toilets stay available around the park.
In April the group has also held daytime events, such as a children's story time at the Jonestown Community Library.
Food, fuel, and supplies
Lago Vista, TX is about 3 mi away in a straight line, with groceries (Brookshire Brothers, Lowe's Market), 3 gas stations, and 4 places to eat on the map. The nearest gas is closer: Exxon, under 1 mi away in Jonestown, TX. Nearest places to eat on the map: Rounders Pizza (under 1 mi, in Jonestown, TX), Sonic (about 3 mi), and Maria's Bar & Grill (about 3 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 5–6, estimated (Sep 2026) · nearest town from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) (Sep 2026)
Dark sky places near Jonestown, Texas
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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