IDA-certified — sandstone arches frame the Milky Way from May to September.
Updated:
· Tonight: Friday, August 14, 2026
📍 Southern UT🌑 Bortle 2🚗 The entrance is on Highway 191, about 5 miles north of Moab, Utah.📅 International Dark Sky Park since 2019.
About Arches
Arches protects more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches near Moab, Utah, and became a certified International Dark Sky Park in 2019 after park staff retrofitted lighting throughout the visitor facilities. The iconic arches make dramatic foreground silhouettes against the Milky Way.
What you can see in the sky
Milky Way framed through Turret Arch and other formations; the park's stargazing page publishes a full moon-phase table for planning.
Best time of year
Spring and fall for cooler nights; new moon periods give the darkest views of the arches against the sky.
Why this site is worth the drive
International Dark Sky Park with a full lighting retrofit completed for certification
Iconic arch formations make distinctive astrophotography foregrounds
Close to Moab for easy overnight logistics
Practical tips for Arches
The park can be extremely busy by day — arrive well before dark to find parking
Artificial light sources, including some photography lighting, are restricted in the park
No lodging inside the park; Moab has full services
Live 48-hour forecast
Tonight's verdict above is a build-time snapshot. For the full
hourly view — cloud cover, transparency, seeing, smoke, humidity,
moon altitude and a Bortle-aware tonight score by observing mode
(visual, deep-sky, planetary, astrophoto) — open the live forecast:
The live page combines Open-Meteo weather, US-AQI wildfire smoke,
moon math and Bortle-scale darkness into a single tonight score
(0–100), updated continuously.
Frequently asked questions
Is Arches good for stargazing tonight?
Tonight's verdict is Good (High confidence). 5h clear window during astronomical night, mean cloud 36%.
When is the best time of year to stargaze at Arches?
Spring and fall for cooler nights; new moon periods give the darkest views of the arches against the sky.
How long is the drive from Toronto?
The entrance is on Highway 191, about 5 miles north of Moab, Utah.
What can I see in the sky here?
Milky Way framed through Turret Arch and other formations; the park's stargazing page publishes a full moon-phase table for planning.
How dark is the sky? (Bortle scale)
Arches sits at Bortle class 2 on the 1–9 dark-sky scale, where 1 is a pristine wilderness sky and 9 is an inner-city sky.