Painted Desert horizons under one of Arizona's darkest skies.
Updated:
· Tonight: Friday, August 14, 2026
📍 Northern AZ🌑 Bortle 2🚗 Fly into Phoenix, then drive about 3.5 hours east, or fly into Albuquerque and drive about 3 hours west.📅 International Dark Sky Park.
About Petrified Forest
Petrified Forest is an International Dark Sky Park, but its gates normally close at dusk — so the truly dark, star-filled sky here is something only backpackers and holders of a special Dark Sky Viewing Permit get to see.
What you can see in the sky
Extremely dark, dry-air skies with the colorful badlands and petrified wood as foreground.
Best time of year
New moon nights; apply for the free Dark Sky Viewing Permit or the wilderness backpacking permit in advance.
Why this site is worth the drive
International Dark Sky Park with very low humidity and clear air
Two ways to see it after hours: backpack into the wilderness area, or reserve a same-day Dark Sky Viewing Permit
Painted Desert overlooks give a wide, open horizon
Practical tips for Petrified Forest
The park is normally closed overnight — you need either a wilderness camping permit or one of the two daily Dark Sky Viewing Permits
Permits are free but limited (two issued per day, first come first served)
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 Petrified Forest good for stargazing tonight?
Tonight's verdict is Fair (Medium confidence). Short 2h window, otherwise mean cloud 54%. Worth a look if you're nearby.
When is the best time of year to stargaze at Petrified Forest?
New moon nights; apply for the free Dark Sky Viewing Permit or the wilderness backpacking permit in advance.
How long is the drive from Toronto?
Fly into Phoenix, then drive about 3.5 hours east, or fly into Albuquerque and drive about 3 hours west.
What can I see in the sky here?
Extremely dark, dry-air skies with the colorful badlands and petrified wood as foreground.
How dark is the sky? (Bortle scale)
Petrified Forest 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.