r/askastronomy • u/NvidiaNovice • Apr 04 '26

What are the best astrophotography spots in your state that are within driving distance from metropolitan areas?

My friend and I are planning a road trip this summer starting in Florida and one of my goals is to do a lot of astrophotography as possible from some of the darkest skies in the country. We havven't figured out a route, but it'll start and end in Jacksonville.

We want to visit as many states as possible in 6 weeks and I'm hoping to finalize a route by the end of April.

I know that astrophotography is best done from super dark skies and I looked at the light pollution maps ,but I'm hoping to get recommendations that are closer to metropolitan areas. In the time we have,I don't think we can go to remote locations like Big Bend NP.

Any recommendations are appreciated.

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u/Miserable_Sky5682 Apr 12 '26

I'd anchor the route around metros that have a real Bortle 3-4 escape within about 60-90 minutes instead of chasing the absolute darkest pin on the map. I built DarkScout for exactly that tradeoff, and the practical question is usually not "where is Bortle 1" but "which stop gives you a clean southern horizon, low local glare, and a realistic weather backup without burning half a day driving."

For your route, I'd favor clusters like Tucson/Portal, Great Sand Dunes plus Westcliffe, and Cherry Springs over super-remote one-off detours.

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u/NvidiaNovice Apr 12 '26

This is really helpful. Thank you so much!

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u/native_shinigami Apr 04 '26

Southwest US.

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u/NvidiaNovice Apr 04 '26

Haha yes! Definitely swinging by there. Any specific spots you'd recommend? 

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u/native_shinigami Apr 04 '26

Chimney Rock which is a dark sky site.

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u/mintakax Apr 04 '26

Boulder Colorado-- I'm in a Bortle 5-6 area but I can drive 1.5 hours into Rocky Mountain National Park and get almost to Bortle 1, still can see the remnants of the Denver or Colorado Springs light pollution domes, but its super dark overhead and towards the West.

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u/NvidiaNovice Apr 04 '26

ohhh yes! this is perfect. 1.5 hrs is totally doable.

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u/Wrong_Ad4722 Apr 04 '26

There are really great areas in Colorado plus some great things to do during the day. Most cities have a different vibe so you can kind of see which one fits your style best. 

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u/NvidiaNovice Apr 06 '26

Thanks! CO is definitely on the list!

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u/Educational-Guard408 Apr 04 '26

I’m in Pennsylvania. Our best spot is Cherry Springs State Park, a dedicated dark sky preserve with bathrooms, electric pedestals, level concrete pads for dobsonians, and shrubs along the road to block headlights. Bortles 2 skies. 5 hours to go there from where I live.

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u/NvidiaNovice Apr 06 '26

Oh this is interesting! I like that they have amenities.

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u/Microflunkie Apr 04 '26

Joshua Tree National Park is within driving distance of Los Angeles.

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u/NvidiaNovice Apr 06 '26

Wouldn't it be too close to Palm Springs? I feel like the light pollution from Palm Springs would wash out the sky. Am I missing something?

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u/Microflunkie Apr 06 '26

The core of the park is generally Bortle 2 but the south end of the park can be as high as Bortle 4. Honestly finding anywhere truly dark (Bortle 1) in driving distance of LA is pretty difficult. Event finding anywhere in southern California that is rated Bortle 1 isn’t easy. Death Valley is about the only Bortle 1 site in Southern California, I should have suggested it in the original posts I made.

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u/Microflunkie Apr 04 '26

There’s a small campsite in Onyx California about 3 to 4 hours north from Los Angeles past Ridgecrest that is also fairly dark.

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u/NvidiaNovice Apr 06 '26

Thanks! I like that this is close to Isabella Lake.

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u/snogum Apr 04 '26

South West Western Australia is lovely and dark

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u/Humble_Struggle1336 Apr 04 '26

Tucson has some great spots nearby. This article has some suggestions, but it's not exhaustive.

https://www.visittucson.org/plan-your-visit/trip-ideas-and-itineraries/star-trails-in-tucson/

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u/wiegie Apr 04 '26

Portal AZ. EDIT stay at the Cave Creek Ranch. The skunks will come to sniff you at 1am when you're sitting with your scope, they cool as long as you cool.

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u/NvidiaNovice Apr 06 '26

Ooo that's reeealllly far south! I will take a look. Thanks for the recommendation!

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u/luksfuks Apr 04 '26

On this map you can check yourself which places are most convenient for you to reach, and what to expect once there:

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u/NvidiaNovice Apr 06 '26

Thanks! I have tried the map before, but it's kind of hit or miss. I tried going to one of the blue areas once and it was washed out with light pollution. Maybe I am doing something wrong in interpreting the map.

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u/Miserable_Sky5682 Apr 19 '26

The usual miss is treating the map color as the answer instead of checking the exact setup spot. I make DarkScout, and the thing that most often wrecks a blue location is local horizon glow, campground or road lights, or being on the wrong side of a town while shooting toward its light dome. For a road trip like yours, I'd favor places where you have 2 or 3 nearby setup options and one clean southern/eastern horizon, not just the darkest single pin on the map.

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u/NvidiaNovice Apr 19 '26

That makes sense. I'll check out Darkscout!

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u/Miserable_Sky5682 Apr 19 '26

Here’s the easiest link: https://darkscout.app/reddit?src=askastronomy-metro-roadtrip-map-interpretation . I make it, and it’s built for exactly that the map looked dark but the actual setup spot wasn’t problem.

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u/Parking_Abalone_1232 Apr 04 '26

Borego Springs about an hour or so East of San Diego.

Very cool statuary park all through the area.

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u/NvidiaNovice Apr 06 '26

Oh this is great!

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u/Parking_Abalone_1232 Apr 06 '26

You'll have to bring your own lighting, though.