Kentucky Is Home To One Of The Best Dark Sky Reserves In The World
By Sarah McCosham|Published October 12, 2022
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
There’s so much more to the Bluegrass State than meets the eye. For example, most know that the longest underground cavern system on the planet is in Kentucky. A place with many feathers in its cap, Mammoth Cave also boasts amazing above-ground hiking and biking trails, as well as some of the best stargazing in the country. In 2021, Mammoth Cave National Park became the first National Park Service operated site *and* Dark Sky Place in Kentucky to receive International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) status, and it’s true: the stargazing here is out-of-this-world.
Mammoth Cave is the superlative superstar of the Bluegrass, earning the state world-wide acclaim and attention.
In addition to its epic underground tours, aboveground adventures abound here, too. The hiking at Mammoth Cave National Park is phenomenal; the park is home to over 70 miles of surface front-country and back-country trails, many of which are ADA accessible and beginner-friendly.
Recently designated an official IDSP, Mammoth Cave National Park is the first National Park Service operated site *and* Dark Sky Place in Kentucky, and it’s well-earned: the stargazing here is nothing short of extraordinary.
To gain this elite status, the NPS spent years retrofitting the park with IDA-compliant lighting systems, developing a robust plan to manage outdoor lighting for future park projects, and demonstrating a commitment to promote the benefits of dark skies to park visitors and neighbors.
Light pollution, as you can see in this map, is a prevalent problem in the U.S., particularly the more densely populated eastern half of the country.
Mammoth Cave offers the opportunity for visitors to experience unfettered views of the starry night and evoke a new appreciation for the park’s dark sky environment. Simply put, it's one of the best Dark Sky Parks in the world.
Who knew you could unlock the secrets to the universe right here, in Kentucky? We're not surprised. We've known all along how special the Bluegrass State is.
Have you been stargazing at Mammoth Cave before? Did you know about this world-famous International Dark Sky Park in Kentucky? What a wondrous state we live in!
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