# Elk Island National Park (Beaver Hills DSP)

Region: Beaver Hills, AB, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates: 53.6333, -112.85
Bortle class: 3 (1 = pristine, 9 = inner city)
Drive from Toronto: Fly into Edmonton, then drive about 45 minutes east on Highway 16.
Best time: Year-round, but the park's Milky Way Day event runs every Labour Day weekend — a good target date if you want guided viewing.

## Overview
Elk Island National Park, just east of Edmonton, is part of the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve — one of the closest genuinely dark skies to a major Canadian city. Free-roaming bison graze right up to the roads, and the Astotin Lake Day Use Area doubles as the park's go-to stargazing spot and the site of its annual Milky Way Day celebration with RASC's Edmonton Centre.

## What to see
Milky Way over open aspen parkland, aurora during active geomagnetic periods, and meteor showers from the lake's open shoreline.

## Highlights
- Part of the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve, minutes from Edmonton
- Astotin Lake Day Use Area hosts an annual public star party
- Free-roaming plains and wood bison make daytime visits worthwhile too

## Tips
- Park entry fee applies
- Watch for bison on the road at dusk — they do not yield
- Bring a blanket and campfire wood for the Astotin Lake area

## Live forecast
View the live tonight-score and 48-hour forecast for Elk Island at:
https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=elk-island-np

Structured data: https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/elk-island-np.json

Source: Parks Canada — Elk Island National Park — https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/elkisland/activ/experiences/etoiles-stargazing

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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=elk-island-np.