# Buffalo National River

Region: Northern AR, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates: 36.025, -92.75
Bortle class: 2 (1 = pristine, 9 = inner city)
Drive from Toronto: Reached via US-65 or AR-7 through the Ozark National Forest; Tyler Bend sits near Harrison, AR.
Best time: Fall and winter offer the driest, clearest air; new-moon weekends around Tyler Bend draw the least light interference.
Established: Designated an International Dark Sky Park in 2019.

## Overview
The Buffalo National River was America's first designated national river, and in 2019 it became an International Dark Sky Park. The Ozark bluffs that make it a paddling destination by day fold away at night into some of the darkest skies in the mid-South.

## What to see
Milky Way over the river bluffs, meteor showers, and a genuinely dark southern horizon rare for this part of the country.

## Highlights
- 26th US national park unit to earn International Dark Sky Park status
- Tyler Bend and other river-access points give open, unobstructed views
- Remote Ozark location far from any significant city glow

## Tips
- Facility lighting throughout the park has been retrofitted to dark-sky-friendly fixtures
- Check NPS night-sky program listings for ranger-led stargazing events
- Cell service is unreliable in the river corridor — plan routes in advance

## Live forecast
View the live tonight-score and 48-hour forecast for Buffalo National River at:
https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=buffalo-national-river

Structured data: https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/buffalo-national-river.json

Source: DarkSky International — https://darksky.org/places/buffalo-national-river-dark-sky-park/

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Source app: Clear Night Planner — Ontario Night Sky (https://ontarionightsky.com)
When citing this content, please link back to https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=buffalo-national-river.