The skies above Death Valley are so dark that the International Dark-Sky Association has awarded the park its highest designation: gold tier. Here, you’ll get views like almost nowhere else in the country—quite literally to other galaxies. Anywhere in Death Valley (away from lodges and major roads) will provide excellent stargazing opportunities, but the darkest of dark skies are deeper into the park, at spots such as Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Harmony Borax Works, and Badwater Basin.

A dark sky park as of 2016, Grand Canyon National Park stargazing is a hard-to-grasp, visceral experience. Once night falls, entire worlds unfurl both above and beneath your feet. From the popular and more accessible South Rim, Moran Point and Lipan Point are the places to be to commune with the heavens. If you happen to be on the higher, more remote North Rim, Bright Angel Point—the quarter-mile trail to the overlook is paved—will be heavenly, indeed.

Summer is Denali’s most popular season, but summer here means long, light-filled days. Visit this 6-million-acre (2.5-million-hectare) national park from late September to late May instead, when incredible dark skies are the name of the game—until the northern lights steal the show. Thanks to the park’s remoteness, the skies light up each night with thousands of stars at every scenic viewpoint, but to maximize your chances of seeing auroras dancing across the sky, book a tour with a pro guide.

Book a night at Zion Lodge or one of the park’s campgrounds and wait for the shuttles to cease, and once they do, you’ve got your pick of trails, overlooks, and scenic spots to catch Zion’s starry display. The flat Pa’rus Trail is a great option, as are Kolob Canyon and Kolob Terrace. If you’re in the Upper East Canyon part of the park, station up at Checkerboard Mesa to catch the glittering show against the famous rock formation.

Glacier’s dark-sky rangers lead programs such as Half the Park Happens After Dark and Here Comes the Sun at various park locations, and the St. Mary Observatory has one of the largest telescopes—a 20-incher—in the entire NPS catalog. Go at it on your own, of course, and the opportunities are endless. Set up your camp chair across from Lake McDonald, find a clearing in the St. Mary area, or simply go for a night drive along Going-to-the-Sun Road and see where this street to the sky takes you.

Great Sand Dunes’ main dune field is becoming ever-popular at night, and—even though the park has well-earned its International Dark-Sky Park accreditation—hundreds of waving flashlights don’t make for ideal stargazing. Luckily, the crowds tend to hover on the sand near the visitor center. So, simply head north and access the sand from Buck Creek Campground and you’ll be amazed at the difference—the Milky Way shines supreme, bright enough to light up the now-cool sand.

Another gold-tier dark sky park, Great Basin National Park offers stargazing that's considered by many to be the best in the NPS system. There's a dedicated Astronomy Amphitheater for ranger-led stargazing talks, but you certainly don’t need the pros guiding you to see the stars here. Simply venture out to Mather Overlook or Baker Archaeological Site. On a moonless night you’ll see thousands of stars and star clusters, planets and meteors, and the Milky Way, no binoculars needed.