First IDA International Dark Sky Sanctuary in North America — Bortle 1.
Updated:
· Tonight: Friday, August 14, 2026
📍 SW NM🌑 Bortle 1🚗 On Highway 180 near Glenwood, New Mexico, about 90 minutes north of Silver City.📅 International Dark Sky Sanctuary since 2016.
About Cosmic Campground
Cosmic Campground is a tiny, purpose-built stargazing site in New Mexico's Gila National Forest — just 3.5 acres, but it was the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary in North America. There's almost nothing here but gravel pads, a pit toilet, and an enormous open sky.
What you can see in the sky
A genuinely edge-to-edge Milky Way with the zodiacal light visible on the darkest nights — one of the least light-polluted sites in the lower 48.
Best time of year
Year-round; the site is open and free, with the darkest views on clear, moonless nights.
Why this site is worth the drive
First International Dark Sky Sanctuary in North America
Concrete telescope pads built specifically for astrophotography and visual observing
Free, open year-round, with no reservation required for day/night use
Practical tips for Cosmic Campground
No potable water — bring everything you need
Only a pit toilet on site; nearest full services are in Glenwood, NM
A handful of primitive campsites nearby fill up on new-moon weekends
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 Cosmic Campground good for stargazing tonight?
Tonight's verdict is Excellent (High confidence). 7h of clear sky (≤30% cloud) during tonight's astronomical night, mean cloud 14%.
When is the best time of year to stargaze at Cosmic Campground?
Year-round; the site is open and free, with the darkest views on clear, moonless nights.
How long is the drive from Toronto?
On Highway 180 near Glenwood, New Mexico, about 90 minutes north of Silver City.
What can I see in the sky here?
A genuinely edge-to-edge Milky Way with the zodiacal light visible on the darkest nights — one of the least light-polluted sites in the lower 48.
How dark is the sky? (Bortle scale)
Cosmic Campground sits at Bortle class 1 on the 1–9 dark-sky scale, where 1 is a pristine wilderness sky and 9 is an inner-city sky.