Stargazing

Are you an avid stargazer or do you simply enjoy looking up into the night sky? Waterton Lakes National Park offers breathtaking dark sky views 365 days a year.

Our favourite stargazing locations

All year long, several locations within Waterton offer breathtaking night skies. These areas are accessible and suitable for most visitors:

• Bison Paddock overlook: this spot, just before you leave the park on Highway 6, offers the chance to see the prairie sky in all its glory
• Cameron Bay: located at the south end of Evergreen Avenue, within walking distance of community and the Townsite Campground
• Cameron Lake: the lake and Mount Custer at its southern end offer an incredible foreground for any night photography
• Maskinonge overlook: located on Highway 5 before turning left onto the entrance road at the park gate, giving you a panoramic view of the Waterton valley
• Red Rock Parkway: stop at any one of the pullouts to see where the mountains meet the prairie and the sky 

Map of Waterton Lakes National Park

The best time of year

Around new moon nights with clear skies, especially in fall and winter.

The best weather conditions

Clear, cool nights with low humidity. 

What to bring

• A sense of wonder!
• Warm layers (temperatures can drop quickly at night)
• A red light flashlight to preserve your night vision
• binoculars or small telescope (optional but helpful)
• A blanket or reclining chair
• A star map or astronomy app
• Set up your camera on a tripod. With a wide-angle lens, low aperture, slow shutter speed, and high ISO, you will capture fantastic photos of the night sky! Modern smartphones with ‘night mode’ will also produce incredible images.

Astronomy highlights

Every season brings its own celestial wonders to the skies.

In spring, Orion sets early while the constellations Leo and Virgo take centre stage. This is also the time to catch the Lyrids meteor shower streaking across the darkness, typically between April 16 and 25.

Summer belongs to the Milky Way. Its dense centre arches overhead from July through September, offering unforgettable astrophotography opportunities. In mid-August, the Perseids meteor shower adds hundreds of shooting stars. It is a must-see for sky watchers.

As fall arrives, the Andromeda Galaxy, our neighbouring galaxy, comes into view. With just a pair of binoculars, you can see its soft glow rising in the east by September. It reaches its highest point around midnight in October.

Winter brings back Orion. Its famous belt of three stars climbs into the eastern sky from November through February. This is also the season of the spectacular Geminids meteor shower. Bundle up and head outside for one of the brightest and most reliable displays of the year! On clear, cold nights, you might even see one of nature’s greatest light shows, the aurora borealis, shimmering across the horizon.

International Dark Sky Park designation

 

The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is recognized as an International Dark Sky Park by DarkSky International.

Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park in Montana, U.S., are collectively the first IDA International Dark Sky Parks, spanning both sides of an international border.

This designation recognizes the commitment to protecting and preserving high-quality night sky conditions. Many species of plants and wildlife rely on darkness to forage, breed, and to navigate. Protecting the dark sky not only provides a magical experience for you, but it also protects ecosystems!

Explore the wonders of the night in any of Parks Canada’s officially designated Dark Sky Preserves.