# Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve

Region: Sawtooths, ID, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates: 44, -114.75
Bortle class: 2 (1 = pristine, 9 = inner city)
Drive from Toronto: Centred on Stanley, Idaho, reached via Highway 75 through the Sawtooth Valley; Boise is the nearest major airport, roughly 2.5–3 hours south.
Best time: July through September for warm, clear high-desert nights and easy road access; Stanley Lake's reflection shots are best on calm summer evenings.
Established: Designated an International Dark Sky Reserve in December 2017 — the first in the U.S.

## Overview
The Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve became the first International Dark Sky Reserve in the United States in 2017, protecting 1,400 square miles of the Sawtooth, White Cloud and Boulder mountains around the town of Stanley. It's a working landscape, not a single park — small mountain towns, wilderness areas and Stanley Lake all sit inside the reserve boundary.

## What to see
The Milky Way reflected in Stanley Lake and Redfish Lake, alpine silhouettes of the Sawtooth peaks, and frequent meteor activity given the exceptionally clear mountain air.

## Highlights
- First International Dark Sky Reserve in the United States
- Anchored by the town of Stanley, Idaho, one of the coldest and darkest inhabited places in the Lower 48
- Includes wilderness areas with essentially no artificial light for tens of miles

## Tips
- Stanley has limited services — fuel up and stock supplies before heading into the reserve
- Mountain nights are cold even in summer; pack layers
- Stanley Lake and Redfish Lake both have public access points popular for night photography

## Live forecast
View the live tonight-score and 48-hour forecast for Central Idaho at:
https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=central-idaho-dsr

Structured data: https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/central-idaho-dsr.json

Source: DarkSky International — Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve — https://darksky.org/places/central-idaho-dark-sky-reserve/

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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=central-idaho-dsr.