Have you ever stargazed from a mountaintop, seen the milky way from a glassy lake or spotted constellations from the middle of a forest — surrounded not by public campsites but by Mother Nature all around you?
It may be an intimidating thought, since stargazing often takes extra steps to plan. Safe navigation and transportation in the dark are a must. Nearby accommodations late at night are helpful. And bonuses like a thoughtful thermos of hot chocolate, telescopes, red-light headlamps and expert knowledge of the landscape and night skies can really take any stargazing experience to the next level.
Enter Oregon’s guided dark-sky tour experiences. Oregon is a spectacular place for stargazing, with many high-desert regions (a quarter of the state) renown for their lack of light pollution and sublime landscapes for viewing. Each outfitter across the state brings a wholly unique experience, so it’s possible that after your first one you’ll be hooked — and come back for more. Most dark-sky experiences happen during the summer and early autumn months. Make sure to book early, as trips fill up fast. Dark-sky experiences are great for families and all ages, and the best part is that all you usually have to do is show up — the guide plans the rest.
Here’s a quick look at some of the special stargazing events planned for International Dark Sky Week and beyond, each April:
- OMSI Portable Planetarium
- PLAYA Experience: Outback Dark Sky Celebration Week
- Community Dark Sky Party & Open Mic
- Fort Rock Sunset Hike and Dark Sky Tour
- Dark Sky Event
For more events, visit DarkSky Oregon.
Here’s a look at some of Oregon’s dark-sky tour experiences.
Ranger-Led Stargazing Experiences
Sometimes you really want to enjoy all of the amenities of a public campground, but still enjoy a pristine dark sky as you’re tucking in for the evening. Luckily several of Oregon’s state parks include ranger-led stargazing experiences that are free and open to all.
Prineville Reservoir State Park, northeast of Bend, is a top destination for stargazers since it is Oregon’s first state park to earn certification as an International Dark Sky Park, one of fewer than 200 such places around the world. Make sure to book your summer campsite early and take advantage of daytime activities at the park like fishing, paddling, hiking and biking.
The rugged and vast Cottonwood Canyon State Park is a gem in Eastern Oregon, yet only 2 hours southeast of Portland. Visitors get to admire the vertical cliffs carved by the John Day River to deep side canyons and arid, rocky grasslands that extend for miles in all directions. It’s an ideal place for stargazing by night and hiking, biking, fishing, rafting and horseback riding along the river canyon trails by day.
Both parks are top destinations for summer star parties. Here are a few more (for details visit the park websites): L.L. Stub Stewart State Park (just west of Portland in Buxton), Rooster Rock State Park (just east of Portland in Corbett), Wallowa Lake State Park (in Joseph) and Shore Acres State Park (on Oregon’s South Coast).
Stargaze with an Astronomer at Smith Rock
One of Oregon’s newest guided stargazing experiences is located within steps of one of Oregon’s most popular destinations, Smith Rock State Park. Visitors can book The Spot at Smith Rock experience and opt to either camp on site or stay in the Scandinavian-style guesthouse, which includes three queen bedrooms (bookable separately), a shared kitchen and common area as well as a hot tub, outdoor fire pit and lounging area. Views of Smith Rock’s grandeur are visible from every angle.
A short walk from the back of the guesthouse is the nonprofit Asterisk Observatory, a tiny custom-built structure with a roof that retracts to allow use of a high-powered telescope pointed at the night sky, with 360-degree views. Cassandra Fallscheer, an astrophysicist and longtime member of the climbing community at Smith Rock, runs the stargazing session from this space — and if cloudy skies prevent stargazing she leads an alternate indoor activity. Fallscheer partnered with the landowner to create the observatory with the goal of sharing her wonder of the cosmos with more visitors. Bookings are available March through June and September through October.
Stargazing from a Treetop Perch
You may have camped among the trees before, but what about camping in the treetops? Tree Climbing at Silver Falls (May through September) is the ultimate night-time adventure, allowing you to make your perch in a secured hammock or tree tent (portaledge) at the top of some of Oregon’s largest old-growth trees just in time to catch the sunset and marvel at the night skies over the Willamette Valley. Some, in fact, call it forest star-bathing. All climbing equipment and instruction plus an extensive training session is included, and no experience is necessary but it does take some strength. You may book a battery-powered ascender if you’d like more assistance. It’s also an option to climb and camp at a feet of 20 feet versus 300 feet. Children age 7 and up are welcome. A guide is part of this tour for the entire experience.
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Guided Night Hiking, Stargazing and a Concert
In Eastern Oregon, visitors can marvel at the expansive nighttime sky along a specially curated trip by Go Wild: American Adventures. Listening to the Stars: Guided Night Tours is billed as a sensory experience of music and nature set against Eastern Oregon’s dark skies and ancient forests. The all-inclusive tour in Pendleton includes night hiking, guided stargazing and a private outdoor concert featuring local talent against the backdrop of the Blue Mountains. It’s a chance to experience the forest and connect with the natural world in a new, awe-inspiring way, hearing a local expert’s ecological and cultural interpretation of the night skies, star stories and more. Locally sourced snacks and craft beverages are included.
Guided Night Photography With Personal Instruction
For many star enthusiasts, the beauty and challenge of night-sky photography is the biggest appeal. Bend Photo Tours, a woman-run business, offers a guided 4-hour night photo tour as one of its many bookable experiences. In the heart of Central Oregon’s high desert, Bend and neighboring areas are home to awesome night photography. This personalized tour (up to 2 people) is tailored to the photographer’s specific goals, whether it’s capturing the milky way, star trails, the moon, planets or another celestial phenomenon. The tour includes personalized instruction for photo enthusiasts of all levels, and a fun, guided experience based on a professional photographer’s expertise with these landscapes.
Stargazing with a Side of Hiking, Paddling, Caving and Snowshoeing
Bend-based Wanderlust Tours offers a variety of different stargazing opportunities. Daily tours include Moonlight & Starlight Canoe Tours (June-October), Starlight Snowshoe Tours (November-April, weather permitting) and Starlight Cave Tours (April-May and October-November). Wanderlust also regularly hosts special stargazing events like their Perseids Meteor Shower Hiking and Canoe Tours in August and their Geminids Meteor Shower Snowshoe Tour in December. Keep your eye out for a guided starlight hike during International Dark Sky Week in April.
Stargazing and Glamping in the Outback
If you’re looking to really get off the grid, head to Harney County in Oregon’s southeastern corner and you’ll find extraordinary skies with Calamity Butte Guide Services. This outfitter offers two designated dark-sky tours, but “literally every single one of our trips could be a dark-sky trip,” considering that the Oregon Outback is soon to be designated as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, says Tory Schmidt, who co-owns the operation with her husband, Jeff. Both are ranchers and artists, and recently began offering guided trips.
Stargazing in a Coastal Forest with Tea Ceremony
With a variety of tours that operate out of Oregon’s South and Central Coast, Mossy Lotus offers a private dark-sky tour that involves 2 to 4 hours of easy to moderate hiking and a tea ceremony. You can book with a minimum of two people, plus a small fee for each additional person. The tour takes visitors to local mountaintop sites for great celestial views, with a focus on forest bathing — the practice of finding healing and balance in nature.
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Stargazing and a Nighttime Paddle
Based in Oakridge-Westfir, women-owned Cascades Outdoor Center offers guided experiences such as rafting, mountain biking, hiking and kayak tours in the Willamette National Forest. Featured is the stargazing kayak tour for stargazing adventurers, experience the stars of the milky-way and the light of the moon while paddling on a cascade lake. The quietness of the night will be enhanced with the sounds of nature as you paddle. Your guide will point out celestial bodies of the night sky and the natural environment that emerges from the night. These guided evening tours take place on designated dates May through September, scheduled to coincide with moon events or meteor showers (all gear and instruction included, no experience needed). Guests can enjoy snacks and a beverage on the Cascades Outdoor Center patio before heading out at sunset to reach the lake. After the sun sets, the expert guide leads the stargazing journey, weaving in their local knowledge. Easy accommodations are available at Westfir Lodge. Westfir is located at the base of the world-famous Oakridge Trail System, with nine cozy rooms and mountain-bike shuttles and tours that depart daily.
Save time to continue the nighttime adventures in Northeast Oregon, where you can take a glass-bottom kayak out on Wallowa Lake with the guides at Jo Paddle. These multicolored light-up kayaks look magical in the dark and illuminate the water so you can see the fish and rocks under the surface. When the stars come out you can look up, too, and have the expert navigation skills of your guides to lean on.
Guided Stargazing from High-Powered Telescopes
If you’re new to stargazing, it’s usually enough to gaze up and marvel at the night sky with the naked eye. More dedicated stargazers, however, appreciate the use of a telescope for a prime viewing experience. In Central Oregon Pine Mountain Observatory, just southeast of Bend, has been a go-to spot for decades. Their public nights program includes two weekends per month (July through September), on chosen dates when there’s no moon for the darkest sky possible.
On these nights the public is invited in ($5 donations requested) to use their two large permanent telescopes and a fleet of smaller telescopes. The best time to visit is about 30 minutes before sunset, so you can walk up to the top of the observatory and enjoy the sunset over the high desert and stay a few hours for prime star viewing. Note that the access road to the observatory is a bit bumpy; you can also pull your vehicle into the federal campground across the street to extend your visit in the Deschutes National Forest. While you’re in the area, Sunriver Observatory and Prineville Reservoir State Park are also excellent stops for any stargazing adventure.
Stargazing at Cozy Lodgings
Central Oregon-based Starshine offers a few guided stargazing adventures aimed at the whole family, with a goal to bring the magic of nature alive through outdoor adventures for kids and adults. Book a private tour or sign up for a group tour based at one of three local resorts: Black Butte Ranch, House on Metolius and The Suttle Lodge. You’ll hear ancient stories about the stars, locate constellations and see visible planets, the moon, and other astronomical objects through a 6″ telescope. The guides also bring a kids’-sized scope and binoculars for visitors to use, and each group receives and learns how to use a sky map, specialized to the month of viewing.
If You Go:
Wherever you go to enjoy the stars, we encourage you to follow a few tips for the best experience.
- If you’re looking for clear skies, check the forecast to avoid heavy cloud cover.
- Be prepared as you travel to remote areas like the Oregon Outback, where cell service and gas stations are limited.
- You may want to bring a camera and tripod, binoculars and a paper map along with your Ten Essentials and download an app for stargazing. Most headlamps have a red-light setting that will let you see at night but won’t disturb wildlife or other stargazers.
- Support and be respectful of nearby small communities as you travel, and always be sure to pack everything out.
