10,000 ft IDA park — coldest, driest skies in southern Utah.
Updated:
· Tonight: Friday, August 14, 2026
📍 SW UT🌑 Bortle 2🚗 About 23 miles east of Cedar City, Utah via Highway 14, then north on Highway 148.
About Cedar Breaks
Cedar Breaks sits at over 10,000 feet on the edge of a colorful eroded amphitheater in southern Utah, which means thinner, cleaner air and some of the steadiest skies in the state. Rangers run telescope nights from the rim right through summer.
What you can see in the sky
Milky Way and planets through park telescopes at Point Supreme, plus regular meteor and aurora viewing at this dark, high-altitude site.
Best time of year
Summer, when the monument's high-elevation road is open (it closes in winter); night sky tours run Friday–Sunday evenings.
Why this site is worth the drive
International Dark Sky Park
Ranger-led Night Sky Tours run seasonally at Point Supreme Overlook
Annual Southwest Astronomy Festival links Cedar Breaks with Bryce Canyon and Zion
Practical tips for Cedar Breaks
The park road closes with the first heavy snow, typically late October to May
Elevation over 10,000 ft — dress warmly even in July
Camping outside the main campground/overlooks is not permitted
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 Cedar Breaks good for stargazing tonight?
Tonight's verdict is Fair (Medium confidence). Short 2h window, otherwise mean cloud 81%. Worth a look if you're nearby.
When is the best time of year to stargaze at Cedar Breaks?
Summer, when the monument's high-elevation road is open (it closes in winter); night sky tours run Friday–Sunday evenings.
How long is the drive from Toronto?
About 23 miles east of Cedar City, Utah via Highway 14, then north on Highway 148.
What can I see in the sky here?
Milky Way and planets through park telescopes at Point Supreme, plus regular meteor and aurora viewing at this dark, high-altitude site.
How dark is the sky? (Bortle scale)
Cedar Breaks 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.