Stargazing Campgrounds

Falling stars, full moons, and a bevy of celestial events this year ... summer camping is full on fantastic when you 'set your sites' on these cool campgrounds featuring dark skies and famous observatories. Bonus: There's first-come, first-served options, too.

Week: 06.27.2019
Regions: Southern CA

White Tank Campground for Stargazing

Stargazing and Camping in Joshua Tree National Park

Heaven for star buffs: the best campground in Joshua Tree National Park for night-sky viewing, in a place named an International Dark Sky Park, with a full-on observatory just minutes away! White Tank Campground is at 3,800 feet in the eastern part of the park.
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Explore Wayyy Northern California!

Del Norte County Summer Adventures

Gondola Through the Redwoods Where else can you take a gondola through a redwood forest? Hop on board the Trees of Mystery “Sky Trail” gondola for a bird’s-eye view of giant redwoods. Bonus: From the summit’s observation deck, you’ll get a mountaintop ocean vista, too! Low Tide L
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Palomar's Star Power

Camp at Observatory Campground on Palomar Mountain

Palomar Mountain State Park in northern San Diego is like having a friend in a high place. There are perks to be had! The 6,138-foot namesake mountain offers cooler climates during the hot summer, and a way-up-there campground brings you even closer to the stars—and closer to one of the most famous observatories in the world!
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Laguna Campground

Stargaze at Laguna Campground in San Diego County

Star travelers can find dark skies and solitude for stargazing only an hour away from downtown San Diego at Laguna Campground in the Cleveland National Forest. Go on a weeknight to enjoy solitary communion with the stars, or pitch your tent over the weekend to become a part of an
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Aloha from California

    Say Aloha without leaving California with a 7-mile out-and-back hiking adventure to Lake Aloha in El Dorado National Forest. You can also camp here, a premier place for stargazing.

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  2. Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave

    Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!

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  3. Easiest Best Hike in the World

    Choose the easiest and most view-rewarding hike in Yosemite. Okay, we’ll go first: the combination of hiking to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Both of these lookouts are within a couple miles of each other on Glacier Point Road

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  4. Hiker in the forest at Mount Sutro in San Francisco

    San Francisco's Middle Earth

    No need to travel to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth. San Francisco’s Mount Sutro Open Space is practically Hobbiton—a hidden “shire” in the middle of the city. Okay, maybe not quite as magical, but still an incredible place to take a hike in city limits.

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Can't Top This

    San Francisco’s Presidio was already a fantastic place to hang out for the afternoon, a beautiful site within the largest urban national park in the United States (the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). And Presidio Tunnel Tops is like a cherry on top. Make that two cherries on top, with the newly opened (July 2025) Outpost Meadow, a 1.5-acre green space located at Old Mason Street across from the Crissy Field Marsh in the Presidio.

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  2. Underground Garden

    Looking to escape the summer heat? Head to Fresno and discover its cool secret: the Forestiere Underground Gardens–an enchanting garden and architecture oasis like no other.

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  3. Volcanic Activity

    Northern California is home to one of the most unique ecosystems in the country: Lassen Volcanic National Park. The region features geothermal areas, including the largest dome volcano in the world, Lassen Peak. Hike to the top of this active volcano on a 5-mile out-and-back.  

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  4. Oh Ryan

    Sure, it’s those whimsical trees that give Joshua Tree National Park its marquee billing; but this beautiful landscape also has surrounding mountains and its night sky—one of the darkest in Southern California and designated an International Dark Sky Park. Joshua Tree has four allowable stargazing parking lots, and a newly opened haven for spending the night nearby...

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