Dark Sky Places in AR

List of darkest places in Arkansas for stargazing, astrophotography, astrotourism, star parties, and astronomy club events. Often these are national and state parks and forests that are either remote or "protected" against light pollution.

National and state parks often let you stay overnight under the stars, hence their motto - "Half the park is after dark".

Bortle scale for sites is given where known. Also ask your local astronomy club for guidance as they will know the darkest places.

NAME BORTLE
Beaver Lake State Park
Buffalo National River National Reserve 2
Cossatot River State Park 2
Friends of Hobbs State Park
Hot Springs National Park
Lake Ouachita State Park
Ouachita National Forest
Ozark-St. Francis National Forest
Pinnacle Mountain
Queen Wilhelmina State Park 2
Toltec Mounds State Park
White Rock
Woolly Hollow State Park


Light Pollution Map w/ Bortle

On the left is a 2019 satellite image of AR showing light pollution from the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center. On the right is a 2015 light pollution map showing sky brightness at the zenith from World Atlas data. Colors correspond approximately to the Bortle scale. Use as a guide to find the darkest sky locations near you.

AR night sky light pollution map