Astronomy lovers will have a new way to enjoy all that Nevada has to offer with the Park to Park in the Dark Astro-tourism route.
The route connects Great Basin and Death Valley via highways US-95 and US-6 and offers plenty of fun stops along the way. The best part is, travelers can choose their own adventure and discover some of Nevada’s best-kept secrets as they go.
“People usually just zip through these areas on the highway and don’t realize what they’re missing out on,” says Elizabeth Woolsey, organizer of the Park to Park in the Dark initiative. “I drove the route the other day and discovered there are lava flows here in Nevada that I never knew about. There are so many cool towns with shops, museums and restaurants along the route. You can really make an entire week's adventure out of it and get to know the state in a new way.”
Both Death Valley and Great Basin have astronomy tours at the parks and there are telescopes set up for visitors to use. Since there is little to no light pollution, stargazers will be treated to everything from stars and planets to nebulae, meteors and comets. Camping is available at both parks and along the route, and there are also plenty of hotel accommodations in towns like Ely, Baker, Beatty, Goldfield and Tonopah.
The ‘Park to Park in the Dark’ route is thanks in part to the implementation of Senate Bill 52, the Nevada dark sky designation program signed into law by Governor Sisolak in May 2021.
For more information on the route and what you can discover along the way, visit: Parktoparkinthedark.org
