# Great Basin National Park

Region: Eastern NV, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates: 38.9833, -114.3
Bortle class: 2 (1 = pristine, 9 = inner city)
Drive from Toronto: In eastern Nevada near the Utah border, about 4.5 hours north of Las Vegas via Highway 93.
Best time: The annual Great Basin Astronomy Festival, typically mid-September around the new moon, or any clear night the rest of the year.
Established: Certified a Gold Tier International Dark Sky Park in 2016.

## Overview
Great Basin was recognized as a Gold Tier International Dark Sky Park in 2016 — the highest tier DarkSky awards — and the park leans into it with a dedicated astronomy amphitheatre and an annual Astronomy Festival held around the September new moon. Wheeler Peak towers over some of the darkest measured skies in the country.

## What to see
Milky Way setting behind Wheeler Peak, viewed from the park's dedicated Astronomy Amphitheater.

## Highlights
- Gold Tier International Dark Sky Park — DarkSky's top designation
- Dedicated Astronomy Amphitheater for ranger and guest-astronomer programs
- Annual Astronomy Festival draws visiting astronomers with telescopes

## Tips
- Astronomy Festival dates shift slightly year to year — check the NPS event page
- The park is remote — fuel up in Baker or Ely, Nevada before arriving
- High elevation means cold nights even in summer

## Live forecast
View the live tonight-score and 48-hour forecast for Great Basin at:
https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=great-basin-np

Structured data: https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/great-basin-np.json

Source: National Park Service — Great Basin Astronomy Festival — https://www.nps.gov/grba/planyourvisit/great-basin-astronomy-festival.htm

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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=great-basin-np.