Iowa’s Darkest Skies – The Absolute Best Places to See the Stars [LIST]

The darker the sky, the brighter the stars! There are some awesome places for stargazing across the state of Iowa, including one park that's a Class Two on the Bortle Scale!

According to Wikipedia, the Bortle Scale "is a nine-level numeric scale that measures the night sky's brightness of a particular location." The darkest skies would be rated Class One, while the brightest would be rated Class Nine. The website Go-Astronomy doesn't list any locations in Iowa as Class One, but we do have a Class Two! That would be Nine Eagle State Park in Davis City.

Known as the "hidden secret of Decatur County," Go-Astronomy says that Nine Eagle State Park is the only dark sky park in Iowa with a Class Two rating on the Bortle Scale. The 1,100-acre park includes 300 year-old trees, bridle trails, hiking trails, a 64-acre lake for swimming and fishing, three campgrounds, and several picnic areas.

Here are the places in Iowa that Go-Astronomy lists as Class 3 on the Bortle Scale:

• Lake Darling State Park, Brighton
• Lake of Three Fires State Park, Bedford
• Lake Wapello State Park, Drakesville
• Loess Hills State Forest, Pisgah
• Moore-Gosch Memorial Park, Lineville
• Okamanpedan State Park, Dolliver
• Prairie Rose State Park, Harlan
• Preparation Canyon State Park, Pisgah
• Rock Creek State Park, Kellogg
• Springbrook State Park, Guthrie Center
• Stephens State Forest, Chariton
• Yellow River State Forest, Harpers Ferry

Another popular place to see the stars in Iowa is the Whiterock Conservancy in Coon Rapids. Travel Iowa writes:

"The park makes it a point to keep light pollution as low as possible and hosts various events throughout the year to introduce visitors to the starry skies. Join the Ames Area Amateur Astronomers at their annual Star Party in August, where they give a short presentation before letting participants look through various telescopes. If the weather is clear, you can admire different galaxies, nebulas and stars that are millions of light years away."

Other recommendations from Travel Iowa include Eden Valley Wildlife Refuge in Baldwin, Annett Nature Center and Park in Indianola, and Echo Valley State Park in West Union. You can check out a list of planetariums and conservatories in the state from Travel Iowa HERE.