CAPITOL REEF STARGAZING TOURS
Public stargazing tours in Capitol Reef available most Wednesdays and Fridays
Bonfire and Star Party at Cougar Ridge Resort (Torrey, UT) available most Tuesdays and Saturdays – open to the public
Private tours available most days – call or email for availability and booking!
Capitol Reef is a gold tier International Dark Sky Park, and our home of Torrey, Utah was one of the first International Dark Sky Communities in the USA. We are one of the best places in the country to see the Milky Way and incredible dark skies. You haven’t experienced Capitol Reef until you’ve looked up at our night sky!
Join us on a public tour inside Capitol Reef National Park, enjoy a bonfire with s’mores hosted at the Cougar Ridge Lodge in Torrey, or contact us to set up a private night sky tour for an unforgettable experience under the stars.
During our fun and informative program, we use bright lasers to point out constellations, satellites, and planets while sharing entertaining stories from ancient mythology and fascinating facts about what we're seeing.
We also set up a powerful telescope that will allow you to see the planets and moon up close, and reveal normally hidden phenomena like double stars, nebulas, and even peer into neighboring galaxies*.
We provide chairs, blankets, and warm beverages like hot chocolate, cider, tea, and locally roasted coffee, have a supply of blankets by our side, and set up our camping chairs for you. On nights hosted at the Cougar Ridge Resort in Torrey, we begin the evening with s'mores around a roaring bonfire.
Most people enjoy our tour of the night sky for at least an hour, but you're free to leave whenever you'd like. We usually are out no more than two hours, but feel free to stay at our stargazing locations or enjoy the bonfire at the Cougar Ridge after we pack up.
We have spent years studying the night sky and hosting stargazing events, and are considered the local experts when it comes to night sky activities. We love to share our amazing night sky, and we truly believe it is one of Capitol Reef’s most unique and best features!
*Views of the Milky Way, planets, constellations, and deep space objects change seasonally, and are affected by the current moon phase. View our guide of what to expect or check out our calendar to see what conditions will be when you visit.
CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK STARGAZING TOURS
- Duration: 1-2 Hours - You're free to leave early or stay at our stargazing location after our program ends
- Price: $35 per adult/ $20 per child
- Number of attendees: Minimum of 6 - maximum of 30
- Location: Meet in Torrey, stargazing inside Capitol Reef National Park
Available most Wednesdays and Fridays, our tour of the night sky at our secluded, “wild” spot inside Capitol Reef National Park.
We meet at the parking lot of the Rim Rock Inn about an hour after sunset. You’ll follow us in your own vehicle to our stargazing spot, so you can stay as long as you’d like.
Minimum of six bookings are required for program to proceed, should this not be met, you’ll be given the option to either purchase the remaining ticket or receive a full refund.
Includes:
Astronomy guide
Chairs and blankets
Hot drink bar: hot chocolate, cider, tea, coffee, water
Telescope and constellation viewing
Does not include:
Transportation to stargazing site (contact us for transportation options if you do not have a vehicle)
No bathroom at location
COUGAR RIDGE BONFIRE AND STAR PARTY
- Duration: 1-2 Hours - You're free to leave early or stay at our stargazing location after our program ends
- Price: $50 per adult/ $35 per child
- Number of attendees: Minimum of 4 - maximum of 25
- Location: Cougar Ridge Lodge
A tour of the night sky hosted at the Cougar Ridge Resort and Lodge – open to all members of the public! Sit by the fire, enjoy a delicious treat, and watch the stars reveal themselves in the evening sky.
We meet at the Cougar Ridge about an hour after sunset. Feel free to come up to 30 minutes before our stargazing program starts for more time around the bonfire!
Minimum of four bookings are required for program to proceed, should this not be met, you’ll be given the option to either purchase the remaining “seats” or receive a full refund.
PRIVATE STARGAZING TOURS
- Duration: 1-2 Hours
- Price: Starting at $250 for a group of 1-4
- Number of attendees: With advance notice, we can accomodate 30+ people
- Location: Wherever you'd like - our secluded spot inside Capitol Reef, your lodging, or the Cougar Ridge Lodge. We have also traveled to other locations in Southern Utah like Escalante, Moab, and Zion.
Our amazing stargazing program, hosted exclusively for you. This private experience will provide the peace and solitude you’re seeking to celebrate a special occasion, or to provide an ample amount of time to look through our telescope.
We love to entertain groups, corporate events, reunions, and weddings and we can travel to you! Contact us for group rates.
We can accommodate private tours on the same night as public tours, but we have a limited number of guides and telescopes. To book a private tour on a public night, we may have to limit the attendees of the public night – this means your stargazing price we quote you may instead be the price of booking out public tickets for the public night. We encourage you to consider attending the public night first – you’ll still have a great time!
STARGAZING GUIDE, EXPECTATIONS, AND FAQS
While we have practically zero light pollution in Capitol Reef National Park, the current moon phase has a major impact on visibility of the stars. A full moon or first quarter moon are awesome to look at in our telescope, but the Milky Way won’t be visible and most deep space objects like galaxies and nebulas will be extremely hard to see in the telescope when the Moon is so bright. We suggest visiting around a “New Moon” phase for the best conditions for viewing the Milky Way and deep space objects in our telescope, but it’s still worth it anytime of the month.
What do you mean you didn’t plan your entire trip around the moon phase!? We think it’s still worth checking out a stargazing tour even when the Moon is out! We just want to let you know what to expect so you don’t show up expecting to see the Milky Way on a full moon night.
During our fun and informative program, we use bright lasers to point out constellations, satellites, and planets while sharing entertaining stories from ancient mythology and fascinating facts about what we’re seeing.
We also set up a powerful telescope that will allow you to see the planets and moon up close, and reveal normally hidden phenomena like double stars, nebulas, and even peer into neighboring galaxies*.
We provide chairs, blankets, and warm beverages like hot chocolate, cider, tea, and locally roasted coffee, have a supply of blankets by our side, and set up our camping chairs for you. On nights hosted at the Cougar Ridge Resort in Torrey, we begin the evening with s’mores around a roaring bonfire.
Most people enjoy our tour of the night sky for at least an hour, but you’re free to leave whenever you’d like. We usually are out no more than two hours, but feel free to stay at our stargazing locations or enjoy the bonfire at the Cougar Ridge after we pack up.
We have spent years studying the night sky and hosting stargazing events, and are considered the local experts when it comes to night sky activities. We love to share our amazing night sky, and we truly believe it is one of Capitol Reef’s most unique and best features!
*Views of the Milky Way, planets, constellations, and deep space objects change seasonally, and are affected by the current moon phase. View our guide of what to expect or check out our calendar to see what conditions will be when you visit.
- Duration: 1-2 Hours – You’re free to leave early or stay at our stargazing location after our program ends
- Price: $35 per adult/ $20 per child
- Number of attendees: Minimum of 6 – maximum of 30
- Location: Meet in Torrey, stargazing inside Capitol Reef National Park
A tour of the night sky at our secluded, “wild” spot inside Capitol Reef National Park.
We meet at the parking lot of the Rim Rock Inn about an hour after sunset. You’ll follow us in your own vehicle to our stargazing spot, so you can stay as long as you’d like.
Minimum of six bookings are required for program to proceed, should this not be met, you’ll be given the option to either purchase the remaining tickets or receive a full refund.
Includes:
Astronomy guide
Chairs and blankets
Hot drink bar: hot chocolate, cider, tea, coffee, water
Telescope and constellation viewing
Does not include:
Transportation to stargazing site (contact us for transportation options if you do not have a vehicle)
No bathroom at location
- Duration: 1-2 Hours – You’re free to leave early or stay at our stargazing location after our program ends
- Price: $50 per adult/ $35 per child
- Number of attendees: Minimum of 4 – maximum of 25
- Location: Cougar Ridge Lodge
A tour of the night sky hosted at the Cougar Ridge Resort and Lodge – open to all members of the public! Sit by the fire, enjoy a delicious treat, and watch the stars reveal themselves in the evening sky.
We meet at the Cougar Ridge about an hour after sunset. Feel free to come up to 30 minutes before our stargazing program starts for more time around the bonfire!
Minimum of four bookings are required for program to proceed, should this not be met, you’ll be given the option to either purchase the remaining “seats” or receive a full refund.
- Duration: 1-2 Hours
- Price: Starting at $250 for a group of 1-4
- Number of attendees: With advance notice, we can accomodate 30+ people
- Location: Wherever you’d like – our secluded spot inside Capitol Reef, your lodging, or the Cougar Ridge Lodge. We have also traveled to other locations in Southern Utah like Escalante, Moab, and Zion.
Our amazing stargazing program, hosted exclusively for you. This private experience will provide the peace and solitude you’re seeking to celebrate a special occasion, or to provide an ample amount of time to look through our telescope.
We love to entertain groups, corporate events, reunions, and weddings and we can travel to you! Contact us for group rates.
We can accommodate private tours on the same night as public tours, but we have a limited number of guides and telescopes. To book a private tour on a public night, we may have to limit the attendees of the public night – this means your stargazing price we quote you may instead be the price of booking out public tickets for the public night. We encourage you to consider attending the public night first – you’ll still have a great time!
While we have practically zero light pollution in Capitol Reef National Park, the current moon phase has a major impact on visibility. A Full Moon looks great in our telescope, but unfortunately no Milky Way will be visible and deep space objects will be extremely hard to see because the Moon is so bright. We suggest visiting around a “New Moon” phase for the best conditions for viewing the Milky Way and deep space objects in our telescope.
What do you mean you didn’t plan your entire trip around the moon phase!? We think it’s still worth checking out a stargazing tour even when the Moon is out! We just want to let you know what to expect so you don’t show up expecting to see the Milky Way on a full moon night.
