Teton County
Dark · Milky Way overhead, hazy lower down
3 stays nearby →Jackson Hole Airport Urban Night Sky Place
The only commercial airport inside a national park, and the first airport in the world certified as an Urban Night Sky Place.
- How dark?
- Dark · Milky Way overhead, hazy lower down
- Food & town
- Jackson · about 8 mi
- Certified
- Urban Night Sky Place · 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 | Thin crescent, rises late | 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 Jackson Hole Airport.
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
Jackson Hole Airport is an unusual dark sky place: a working commercial airport, and the only one inside a national park, Grand Teton. In 2025 it became the first airport in the world certified by DarkSky International as an Urban Night Sky Place. For a visitor, the certification means the airport is working to keep its own lights from washing out the Grand Teton sky.
The changes are practical. The airport adopted a lighting management plan, replaced hundreds of outdoor fixtures with 3000K lights that meet DarkSky requirements, and fitted motion sensors that dim lights to 30 percent when they can't be switched off after hours for safety or operations. Staff have measured sky quality at ten spots around the airport since 2016, on clear nights near the new moon.
The airport's stated aim is to let neighbors and visitors see the stars over Grand Teton National Park and around the airport itself, and to protect wildlife that depend on natural darkness. It hosts educational events on dark sky preservation and works with the park and Wyoming Stargazing on educational material.
Food, fuel, and supplies
Jackson, WY is about 8 mi away in a straight line, with groceries (Creekside Deli and Market, Pearl Street Market, Albertsons and 3 more), 7 gas stations, and 20+ places to eat on the map. The nearest gas is closer: Sinclair, about 4 mi away. Nearest places to eat on the map: Jedediah's (under 1 mi), Dornans Chuckwagon (about 4 mi), and Dornans Pizza and Pasta Company (about 4 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 Jackson Hole Airport
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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1 stay nearby →