Teton silhouettes over Snake River — Bortle 2 valley skies.
Updated:
· Tonight: Friday, August 14, 2026
📍 NW WY🌑 Bortle 2🚗 Just south of Yellowstone in northwestern Wyoming, about 30 minutes north of Jackson, Wyoming via Highway 191.📅 Neighbouring Teton County became the world's first International Dark Sky Community in April 2025.
About Grand Teton
Grand Teton sits right beside Teton County, Wyoming — the world's first International Dark Sky Community, certified in 2025 after a decade of lighting work by the county, the Town of Jackson, and local dark-sky advocates. The park itself actively studies and manages its outdoor lighting to protect the view of the Tetons against a starry sky.
What you can see in the sky
Milky Way rising behind the Teton Range, best viewed from turnouts along Highway 191 or at Jenny Lake.
Best time of year
Late summer and fall for clear, dry nights; the Teton Range gives a dramatic jagged foreground for Milky Way photography.
Why this site is worth the drive
Adjacent to Teton County, the world's first International Dark Sky Community
Dramatic mountain silhouettes make for some of the best dark-sky photography backdrops in the US
Park actively studies and upgrades outdoor lighting to protect night skies
Practical tips for Grand Teton
Turnouts along Highway 191 offer easy roadside access with Teton views
Wildlife is active at dusk and dawn — use caution driving park roads at night
Jackson has full services and is a good base for multi-night visits
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 Grand Teton good for stargazing tonight?
Tonight's verdict is Poor (Medium confidence). No sustained clear window; brief gaps possible (min cloud 13%).
When is the best time of year to stargaze at Grand Teton?
Late summer and fall for clear, dry nights; the Teton Range gives a dramatic jagged foreground for Milky Way photography.
How long is the drive from Toronto?
Just south of Yellowstone in northwestern Wyoming, about 30 minutes north of Jackson, Wyoming via Highway 191.
What can I see in the sky here?
Milky Way rising behind the Teton Range, best viewed from turnouts along Highway 191 or at Jenny Lake.
How dark is the sky? (Bortle scale)
Grand Teton 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.