New astro-tourism route invites stargazers to Nevada

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A new astro-tourism route is inviting all astronomy lovers to Nevada.

The Park to Park in the Dark Astro-tourism route will give visitors the chance to stargaze from Great Basin National Park to Death Valley National Park, which both have official “dark sky” certifications from the International Dark-Sky Association.

With very little light pollution, stargazers will be treated to stars, planets, nebulae, meteors and comets. Both Death Valley and Great Basin have telescopes for visitors to use.

“People usually just zip through these areas on the highway and don’t realize what they’re missing out on,” said 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.”

For more information on the route and how to experience it for yourself, click here. Parktoparkinthedark.org