# Cottonwood Canyon State Park

Region: North-central OR, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates: 45.45, -120.4667
Bortle class: 3 (1 = pristine, 9 = inner city)
Drive from Toronto: Along the John Day River in north-central Oregon, roughly 45 minutes south of The Dalles via Highway 206.
Best time: Spring and fall bring the most comfortable temperatures; the park hosts an annual 'Night Sky Over Cottonwood Canyon' event in September.
Established: Certified an International Dark Sky Park in 2024.

## Overview
Cottonwood Canyon is Oregon's second-largest state park, more than 8,000 acres of cliffs and grassland along the John Day River, and became one of the state's newest certified International Dark Sky Parks in late 2024. It's rugged, quiet, and largely undeveloped — a real change of pace from a typical state park.

## What to see
Milky Way over the canyon rims and John Day River, with minimal light interference from any direction.

## Highlights
- Newly certified International Dark Sky Park (2024)
- Oregon's second-largest state park at over 8,000 acres
- Dramatic basalt canyon scenery along the John Day River

## Tips
- Very limited services on site — bring your own water and supplies
- Trails and canyon terrain are exposed; watch footing after dark
- Check for the annual fall dark-sky event for a guided experience

## Live forecast
View the live tonight-score and 48-hour forecast for Cottonwood Canyon at:
https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=cottonwood-canyon-sp

Structured data: https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/cottonwood-canyon-sp.json

Source: Oregon State Parks — Cottonwood Canyon State Park — https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=195

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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=cottonwood-canyon-sp.