There’s No Place to Celebrate International Dark Sky Week Like Minnesota

This year, International Dark Sky Week runs from April 21 to April 28, 2025—and the Land of 10,000 Lakes is one of the best places to celebrate this annual festival of the firmament. In case you didn't know, Minnesota is home to a certified Dark Sky Park as well as one of the largest Dark Sky Sanctuaries in the world. Moreover, there are plenty of other spots in the rural (particularly northern) parts of the North Star State where you'll see little to no light pollution.

So, if you're a lover of the night sky and are wondering what to do for this year's International Dark Sky Week in Minnesota, sit back and relax—we've got you covered. But, first, let's dive into a little background.

International Dark Sky Week was launched in 2003 by a Virginia high school student, Jennifer Barlow, who had a love for astronomy and a dream: to reduce light pollution and to help folks understand how it affects the world around us. The idea took off, and more than two decades later, the event is celebrated around the globe. In 2024, Governor Tim Walz issued a formal proclamation recognizing Dark Sky Week in Minnesota.

DarkSky, the Tucson, Arizona-based non-profit that's been championing reductions in light pollution and educating the public on the topic since 1988, took up Barlow's cause and now serves as a spearhead for the annual week-long event. DarkSky also certifies parks and other "Dark Sky Places" around the world.

In Minnesota, two spots have earned official designations from the organization. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was one of the first, and remains among the largest, Dark Sky Sanctuaries when it was designated in 2020. Later that same year, Voyageurs National Park received its Dark Sky Park certification.

In Minnesota, Voyageurs has become the de facto headquarters for celebrating Dark Sky Week, and it typically hosts several events during the festival. This year, a NASA Solar System Ambassador will lead nightly presentations at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center, which is located just east of International Falls. The indoor presentations will be followed by hour-long outdoor telescope sessions using the park's powerful telescope to explore the night sky. Visit the Voyageurs Conservancy website for more details on the program.

Even if you can't make it all the way up to Voyageurs or the Boundary Waters for Dark Sky Week in Minnesota, there are plenty of other places around the state where you can escape from light pollution and enjoy the night sky. George H. Crosby Manitou, Scenic, and Itasca State Parks all offer relatively remote locations with excellent stargazing potential. The McGregor area and Savanna Portage State Park are also excellent spots for enjoying the night skies—and, of course, the northern lights when we're graced with their presence.

Even if you live in a city and can't get away, you can still see a decent amount of the night sky in Minnesota. Just find a relatively dark place where city lights aren't too intrusive, like a park or nature area, grab a star atlas and some binoculars, lean back, and look up.

Do you have a favorite place for stargazing in Minnesota? We'd love to hear about it!