bryce canyon telescope tour

Dark Ranger Telescope Tours

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Dark Ranger Telescope Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

Dark Ranger Telescope Tours

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Similar Experiences

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Dark Ranger Telescope Tours Guide - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Dark Ranger Telescope Tours

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Similar Experiences

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Dark Ranger Telescope Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Dark Ranger Telescope Tours

Review Highlights

“ Kevin puts a ton of warnings about this on his site, but it really does get very, very cold in the evenings. ” in 33 reviews

“ They also showed us Nebulas, star clusters, a comet, constellations and different visuals on the moon . ” in 18 reviews

“ My husband and I were very excited to see the night sky but didn't know what to expect with Dark Rangers. ” in 10 reviews

Location & Hours

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1 Miles South East Fork Rd

Bryce Canyon City, UT 84764

Serving Bryce Canyon City Area

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Amenities and More

About the business.

Business owner information

Business Owner

Dark Ranger Telescope Tours is a small family business dedicated to increasing science literacy thru astronomy, building enthusiasm for humanity to become a space faring civilization, and heightening awareness about the importance of protecting natural darkness, for its myriad of values, against the malignancy of light pollution. We further these goals through public presentations and K-12 educational outreach. Our observatory, The Dark Ranger Observatory, is located in Tropic, Utah on the boundary of beautiful Bryce Canyon National Park. Not only do we have one of the largest collections of telescopes in the 4-corners region (Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado), we also have nearly a century of collective stargazing experience among our staff. Above all, we pride ourselves in being entertaining, educational, and energetic hosts. …

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If you do anything while your in Bryce Canyon, it should most definitely be night sky viewing with Dark Ranger Tours! This was by far our favorite activity on our trip. Ray was our guide was very knowledgeable and excited to share all kinds of stars, constellations, planets and the moon with us. We did the private viewing tour and it was so worth it! I was anxious about clouds because the weather didn't cooperate the whole day with us, but we managed to get a few hours during our tour without clouds getting in the way, and got some amazing views. Another great thing is that these guys were so good about communication! They even gave us updates throughout the day on potential cloud cover and what to expect. All in all it was a great night! You are at 8000 feet elevation so even in the summer time, you will need long pants and a jacket. Thank you Dark Ranger tours!

We were excited to see the stars. We got to look at Jupiter, Saturn and the moon. The clarity was awesome. We also looked at other things like constellations, stars in the Big Dipper and various other stars. The presentation was generally over my head and difficult to focus since it was so cold outside. I would have rather talked about stars we could see with the naked eye and possibly how stars related to astrology, Overall, this was a great addition to our hiking vacation. If it was warmer, I would have enjoyed taking more time to ask questions and see more. The guys helping were willing to stay as long as we wanted. Dress warm!!

Awesome experience! Even if you aren't into Astronomy it's an amazing experience. Try to go on a night without full moon, but even then they have amazing stuff to show. It begins with a 30-45 min presentation, then they line up the telescopes to see different deep space objects. They supply coffee, Cider, tea. 10/10 experience.

Dark Ranger Tours had the potential to be awesome, but we ended up disappointed. Our "tour" started an hour and a half late, an email going out 20 minutes before it was supposed to start. First annoyance since we were so far out of town. When it did start, we were told we'd look at some stars, get hot drinks, watch a presentation and look at more stars. We only did the first part. There were no cups provided for the hot drinks (if you've gotta bring your own, put it in the email) and the presentation never happened. We ended up leaving after a little over an hour. It had potential to be incredible, and it was to see the moon up close... but over promised, under delivered.

Kevin The Dark Ranger P.

Jun 3, 2023

Hi Shelby, I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. From what you have written it sounds like there was a communication breakdown. And you missed all the good stuff by leaving before we had barely started. During El Nino years we often do a rain delay. On the night of your tour it was only a 15-minute delay, so the start time was 9:30pm instead of usual 9:15pm. Unfortunately it seems like you trusted old Yelp information (Spring start time of 8:00pm which should have struck you as odd because Sun doesn't set until 8:45pm), instead of the email confirmation you received, the same day reminder message, and both the text and email message sent to you after 7:00pm, all of which had the correct start time. Pro Tip: Don't trust unofficial social media about a business (We don't even advertise with Yelp because we don't like their business model). Instead trust the actual information the business sends you, their paying customers. We care about your experience. Yelp just wants your clicks. Who should you trust? Our Free hot drinks are not available to guests until after our first session at the telescopes is complete. We don't want liquids anywhere near our $10k-$25k telescopes. So we don't set out any cups until we are done with the first telescope session. Language barriers, bad listeners, etc. means the only way we can trust inattentive guests to NOT accidentally damage our equipment is by withholding cups. They are unlikely to pour boiling water into their hands. LOL! But you left too early. Had you carefully read either of the 7pm text and email message you said you received, you would have read that when doing a rain delay we prefer to show you more with the telescopes in the first session. That way if people need to leave early cuz of early bedtimes, they still get the full experience we are known for, namely "Telescopes" (it's literally in the business title, right?). Those who don't require early bedtimes and thus don't want to cheat themselves of the full experience can then see the presentation (which is the only time hot drinks are made available for the obvious reasons already explained) and even stick around for a 2nd telescope session, green laser constellation tour, etc. If you didn't read carefully I can understand why you might feel you didn't get the full experience. It doesn't make sense that you seem to think this is a valid review when you denied yourself half of the experience, and yet criticize us for... what? Not sending more messages that you might also not have read well enough? Us not abandoning those who understood the format to chase you down if we noticed you leaving early, and then pleading with you to stay longer? Certainly if you had bothered to ask a single question of any of our staff or even another patron, anybody could have cleared up your confusion. Did you see any other guests bringing their own cups? Tragic that instead of that simple human interaction, you would be so certain your understanding was flawless, and that a business with our ratings and reputation must instead have "over promised" and "under delivered"; that you chose to leave early in an ignorant huff. Weird that you'd later write this review, apparently without double-checking all the information you received from us, to see if you could have possibly made a bad assumption... or two... or three...

It was cold, muddy and a bit cloudy but still an amazing experience. Listen to their suggestions regarding dressing warm. Seth was a great guide and very knowledgeable. My 8 and 10 year olds enjoyed it and I would do it again.

Excellent except my boobs and toes should never, never be allowed to get that cold. It was 32 degrees as we left. Three sweatshirts and a jacket, still bloody cold. Do yourself a favor and wear two pairs of socks, and sandwich in a hand warmer over each set of toes. Also have handwarmers in your gloves. All the cold aside, dang that was a great presentation. He's one serious geek. You get to see all kinds of astronomical stuff. It's fascinating. And amazing... and dark. Very dark, so you really see the stars.

Great location not far off the main road. Amazing views of the night sky and I am from Northern Tucson, AZ area where I thought we had great views already. Truly amazing. I never saw so many satellites in one night which is an indication of how dark it really is; you pick up these moving objects easily. Not only do you get an education on stars and constellations, folks are funny, and a great atmosphere to learn about the stars and telescopes. The telescopes are moved frequently to keep you engaged. They educated us on the parade of planets that happened to be occurring and I woke up early the next AM and saw four planets together with the moon. Once in a life-time event and never would of done it without their education and outreach to help folks learn. My two teenagers [15 and 16] were not bored at all. My 16 year old son is an amateur enthusiast with his one telescope and couldn't of been happier. He actually said, "This is so beautiful". We stayed until 11:30PM and only left because we had to get up early for hiking. Staff are very responsive from booking, keeping you posted for the event in case weather does not play nice. It does cool off quickly so bring extra jackets and no shorts [check the temps :)]. They were nice enough to have extra blankets and some jackets for folks who forgot to bring anything. Keep up the great work. Amazing night time event that everyone should do.

Unfortunately there were clouds so our viewing was limited but the presentation was interesting and kept my 7 year old engaged. All over their site they warn how cold the evenings are and it was COLD! Hot drinks are provided which helps.

I would highly recommend making this part of your trip to the area. This is much more than just seeing the sky (which is truly amazing in this area of the country). The team is extremely knowledgeable and ensured that we not only saw cool stuff but also spent the time to explain exactly what we're seeing. They also went out of their way to address and reschedule a smokey night that obstructed the sky on the actual night we were scheduled for. We would 100% do this again next time we are in the area.

Came here not exactly knowing what to expect but was blown away! Learned so much cool stuff about space and the planets! Saw Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, and so many other amazing things through high school quality telescopes. People running the place were very knowledgeable and a great overall experience!

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Bryce Canyon Country

Registration confirmation will be emailed to you.

Discover the glimmering field of stars that appear after a radiant-colored sunset on the hoodoo horizon of Bryce Canyon Country. Visitors are often stunned by the number of shining stars and the swirling Milky Way that can be seen stretching from one end of the sky to the other.

About one-third of the world’s population misses out on the beauty of the night sky’s glow because they live surrounded by city lights and light pollution that fills towns and urban areas. As a low-populated area far from cities, Bryce Canyon Country offers an ideal scenic view both day and night filled with stars.

Bryce Canyon Country has some of the best stargazing locations anywhere in the world! The following areas provide some of the best stargazing experiences in Utah.

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Bryce Canyon National Park

In Bryce Canyon National Park , visitors can see up to 7,500 stars on a moonless night. As stargazers look at the sky, the Milky Way stretches from horizon to horizon. Among the stars, some planets, including Venus and Jupiter, can be seen and are shining brightly enough to cast a shadow.

On August 13, 2019, Bryce Canyon National Park received certification as an International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) from the International Dark-Sky Association and National Park Service. 

This certification recognizes Bryce Canyon as a Gold Tier Dark-Sky Park indicating the exceptional quality of the park’s night skies. With this award, the park becomes one of over 120 certified IDSPs in the world. As one of the first parks to offer night sky programs 50 years ago, this achievement took decades to achieve and continues a long tradition of dark sky advocacy, education, and conservation.

Kodachrome Basin State Park

Kodachrome Basin State Park has clear, beautiful night skies. “The night skies over here are some of the best I’ve seen,” said Prajit Ravindran, who has a passion for astrophotography. Night photography along with wildlife watching, camping, and hiking are perfect activities in the park, with the sandstone, sandpipe columns as a backdrop.

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is a large, remote monument, making it a great place for campers to experience the night sky. Visitors have an opportunity to stay in campgrounds or primitive camping locations and sleep under the stars.

Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park is the seventh unit of the National Park Service to become an International Dark Sky Park designated by the International Dark-Sky Association. Being labeled a “Gold Tier” park signifies the highest-quality night skies.

Stargazing Tours And Programs

Observe the nighttime scene with hoodoo silhouetted by the Milky Way when you participate in Bryce Canyon Country’s stargazing tours and programs. 

Private Tour Companies help you explore the sky with big telescopes in the darkest places. Watch live multimedia presentations, learn constellations in laser sky tours or join a full moon hike. 

Bryce Canyon National Park has staff, rangers, and volunteers qualified for detailed presentations that occur on Wednesday and Friday evenings from May through September. These astronomy programs are usually a short presentation followed by stargazing with telescopes. No reservations are required, but it is advised to arrive 15-30 minutes early. Ranger-guided full moon hikes are an exciting way to experience the park and its stunning sky. Full moon hiking spots are limited and last 1-2 miles or 2-3 hours.

Another highlight during the summer in Bryce Canyon is the Astronomy Festival, which celebrates the new moon in late June or early July each year. During the festival, rangers conduct more nightly presentations and night hikes. Experts also lead telescope-viewing sessions throughout the festival. Other star-related events in the park are programs and workshops focusing on topics including selecting and operating telescopes and involving the entire family in astronomy.

Kodachrome Basin State Park hosts star parties throughout the summer where the park manager guides you through a constellation tour. In the tour, learn about the planets, stars, galaxies and other celestial phenomena. For updated information, please check the park’s website.  Dark Ranger Telescope Tours will take you on a tour of the wonders of the Universe through their BIG telescopes in the darkest/best stargazing location in the USA. Watch live multimedia presentations about astronomy and nocturnal animals. Learn constellation stories during laser sky tours. Build and launch model rockets. Join a full moon hike.

Astronomy Tours

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Stargazing with Dark Ranger Telescope Tours at Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon National Park is one of the darkest places on Earth, making it the perfect spot to learn about and enjoy the splendor of the night sky. It is so far from the light pollution that you can see the milky way with your naked eye. Cool right? 

Keep reading the post, if you are passionate about observing millions of stars. As I will share details about my breathtaking stargazing expedition. You are in for a real treat!

Table of Contents

About Dark Ranger Telescope Tour

During my recent visit to the Bryce Canyon National Park, I stumbled upon  Dark Ranger Telescope Tours  and decided to book a tour with them. This family-owned business is dedicated to fostering science literacy and igniting a passion for space exploration and is merely 7 minutes from the park entrance. 

Pro tip:  Dark Ranger Telescope Tour offers public and private tours, which you can book on their  official website . 

Our Stargazing Experience

From the moment we arrived at the  Dark Ranger Observatory , I knew we were in for a treat. They had red lights everywhere because it helps in maintaining night vision.

They provided us with lounge chairs, ensuring we were comfortable. Moreover, Bryce Canyon is a desert, and no matter how hot it is during the day, it does get quite cold at night. Therefore, they had plenty of extra blankets and jackets for those who weren’t dressed warmly. Here’s a short vlog of our stargazing experience. 

Round 1 of stargazing

Our three knowledgeable tour guides and astronomers,  Kincaid ,  McKenna , and  Lukas , skillfully set up four massive telescopes, preparing us for a close encounter with the cosmos. Our stargazing journey began by admiring the brilliance of Venus, the fiery red glow of Mars, the captivating radiance of Vega (the fifth brightest star), the famous double star Mizar from the Big Dipper, and the Pole star. It was a delightful introduction to the celestial playground above us.

Hot drinks & presentation

As we marveled at the celestial bodies, the tour guides set up two tables with hot cocoa and apple cider, adding a comforting touch to the cold night. While we sipped our warm drinks, one of the guides delivered a fascinating and informative presentation on the birth, life, and death of stars. Several interesting questions came up throughout the presentation, and our guide did a fantastic job breaking down complex astronomy into easy-to-understand nuggets.

Round 2 of stargazing

Now it was time to put this newly acquired knowledge to the test as we stepped away from our seats for another round of stargazing. It was very dark by now, and our eyes had adapted to the darkness. 

We were treated to a breathtaking sight—a colossal milky band stretched across the night sky. It was my first encounter with the magnificent Milky Way, truly a sight to remember!

The tour continued with interesting chats between the participants and the tour guides. We geeked out together, discussing everything from the incredible telescopes in the Dark Ranger’s collection (each with its name!) to the intricacies of celestial objects. Moreover, I was impressed by the guides’ efficiency in programming the telescopes to swiftly navigate from one object to another. They explained to me how this works. It is a bit like triangulation in GPS.

Some spectacular astronomical objects we saw

• Swan Nebula : A graceful nebula resembling a celestial swan. This was my favorite and the highlight of the night, besides seeing the Milky Way.
• Ring Nebula : A doughnut-shaped cloud of glowing gas showcasing the cycles of stellar life and death.
• Hercules Cluster : A dazzling congregation of stars, forming a tightly knit celestial family in the constellation Hercules.
• Sunflower Cluster : Radiant clusters of stars that illuminate the night sky, resembling blossoming flowers.
• Owl Cluster : An intriguing arrangement of stars, evoking the image of wise and watchful eyes in the cosmic expanse.
• Dumbbell Nebula : A unique and elongated nebula, resembling a cosmic dumbbell suspended in the vastness of space.
• Whirlpool Galaxy : A grand spiral galaxy, displaying a swirling beauty.
• Dark Eye Galaxy : An enigmatic galaxy with a mysterious dark center.
• Sagittarius Cluster : A cluster of stars located in the constellation Sagittarius.

Overall experience

All three tour guides were exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly. Although the tour starts promptly at the start time, it ends only when all guests have had their fill of stargazing and have left. McKenna mentioned to me that the longest a tour has lasted is 3 am! 

If you are ever in Bryce Canyon National Park, don’t miss the opportunity to join a Dark Ranger Telescope Tour. Thanks to their passionate guides and amazing telescopes, you will leave with a newfound appreciation for the wonders of the universe. Keep watching this space or subscribe to our newsletter to get latest info about new travel guides and ideas.  

Meet Abhishek, my dear husband and an avid foodie and traveller by heart. He loves to binge Highway on my Plate (Rocky and Mayur's travel show) and pretend to be on the show while exploring a new restaurant. Here's him sharing his thoughts about the places he visits and everything that comes in between.

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Dark Skies of Bryce Canyon

Long after the last drop of twilight fades to black, the next phase of the earth's rotation begins to shine. It is a part of the 24-hour cycle that many developed places have lost to the constant shine of the cityscape — most Americans live in an area where they cannot see the Milky Way due to lighting from cities. Utah has several certified  Dark Sky Parks,  with Bryce Canyon being Utah's fourth national park, and 13th location altogether, to receive dark sky certification from the  International Dark-Sky Association . At Bryce, there's something awe-inspiring about the way the canyon's red rock hoodoos interact with the infinite depths of the Universe.

Stunning views from the rim of Bryce Canyon.

Photo: Matt Dieterich

Bryce Canyon's iconic hoodoo, Thor's Hammer, and the Milky Way.

Photo: Kedar Halbe

Stargazing from the Navajo Loop Trail in Bryce Canyon.

Photo: Tunc Tezel

Bryce Canyon Stargazing Programs

Amateur astronomers will find Bryce to be a prime destination to set up a telescope and observe celestial events, but if you are not equipped to do that, you can join the free educational and entertaining  stargazing programs  at the visitor center organized by the park’s Astronomy Rangers. Alternatively, you can purchase professional telescope tours from the Dark Rangers at their  observatory  outside the western boundary of Bryce Canyon National Park.

Both entities follow a similar format: a 45-minute multimedia show, followed by a 90-minute telescope session, where you can observe some of the 7,500 stars that can be seen on a moonless night, along with the incredibly bright, silver Milky Way stretching across the sky. Planets like Venus and even Jupiter shine bright enough to cast your shadow on the earth! No vacation at Bryce Canyon National Park is complete without some stargazing.

When to Visit

Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays, during spring, summer and fall, Bryce Canyon National Park offers about 100 astronomy programs per year, presented by its Astronomy Rangers and volunteers. Some recommend the best time to come is when the sky is darkest — during the week of the new moon or the week prior to the new moon. Most offered astronomy programs are followed by stargazing with telescopes. Check the program schedule or  Bryce Canyon Visitor Center  for more information. Programs are subject to weather and may be cancelled in the event of adverse conditions. Reservations are required and be sure to arrive 15-30 minutes early for seating.

Every summer, Bryce Canyon also hosts an annual  Astronomy Festival , more than 16 years running! Attendees will enjoy a variety of astronomy-themed activities and programs offered both day and night.

Big views from Bryce Canyon's Rim Trail.

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Dark Sky Parks

Head to one of Utah’s many Certified International Dark Sky Parks for the best celestial views on earth. You can find a dark sky experience that fits every itinerary.

Utah offers many stellar stargazing opportunities in its state parks, national parks and national monuments. Find a certified dark sky viewing location in Utah.

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This road trip through southwest Utah takes you to four of Utah’s best places to see the Milky Way — Capitol Reef National Park, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument.

Adventure, Scenic Drives/Road Trips, Solitude, Stargazing

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Last updated: April 22, 2024

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P.O Box 640201 Bryce, UT 84764

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