Where are Washington’s best spots for stargazing? Check out these ‘hidden gems’
Clear skies might not be the first thing you associate with Washington st.
The summer months tend to bring cloudless nights to the Evergreen State, making it a great time for stargazing.
Three Washington spots were among the top 70 places in the country to see stars in 2025, according to a new study from TarotCards.io. The website offers daily tarot readings and psychic chats.
“When it comes to travel, most people can rattle off the must-see landmarks in their state — the best hikes, the famous viewpoints, the iconic photo ops,” TarotCards.io said on its website. “What about the best places to simply look up?
The site said it surveyed more than 3,000 people across the United States to “uncover the hidden gems where Americans escape light pollution and find their perfect view of the night sky.”
These were the “most cherished dark-sky destinations” in Washington and beyond, TarotCards.io said.
Where are best places in Washington for stargazing?
TarotCards.io said it identified 145 of the “most beloved local spots for stargazing” in the United States.
North Cascades National Park in northwest Washington was the best place for seeing stars in the state, the site said, and 24th-best in the country.
TarotCards.io said North Cascades offers easily-accessible spots for stargazers including Ross Lake and Diablo Lake, as well as skies dark enough to see plenty of stars.
The park boasts more than 600,000 acres of protected wilderness, according to the National Park Service.
Southern Washington’s Goldendale Observatory was No. 34 on TarotCards.io’s list of America’s top stargarzing sanctuaries.
The observatory, which is run by Washington State Parks, is in Klickitat County, around 70 miles south of Yakima and just north of the Oregon border.
The final Washington site to make TarotCards.io’s list was Camp Wooten, a retreat center in the southeast corner of the state. It landed at No. 66.
Run by Washington State Parks, the Columbia County spot features 17 cabins in the Blue Mountains along the Tucannon River.
There, visitors can open skies and minimal light pollution, along with views of the Milky Way Galaxy, according to the study.
What are the top 5 spots for stargazing in the U.S.?
These were the top five spots in the country for stargazing in 2025, according to TarotCards.io:
- Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area, HawaiiAdirondack Sky Center & Observatory, New York
- Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
- Big Bend National Park, Texas
- Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
Best US national parks for stargazing? WA spot makes top 10
Washington’s Olympic National Park was among the best U.S. national parks for stargazing in 2025, according to Kühl.
The outdoor clothing company ranked all 63 national parks based on visitors’ access to campgrounds, the number of stargazing events and other factors.
Olympic National Park landed at No. 10 on the list, while Mount Rainier National Park was No. 28 and and North Cascades National Park was No. 35.
When to watch meteor shower, full moon in Washington
What should you look for while stargazing in Washington state?
According to the Planetary Society, there are a few notable celestial events in store before the weather turns cold — including shooting stars, visible planets and full moons.
According to NASA, the popular Perseids meteor shower is visible from mid-July to late August and reaches its peak on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
August’s full moon, known as the sturgeon moon, will reach peak illumination on Saturday, Aug. 9, according to Astronomy.com.
On Sept. 21, Saturn is set to be the most visible it will be from Earth all year. Neptune will follow suit two days later.
Even on nights without a major astronomical happening, you can still look up in the night sky to see stars and constellations.
You can find a comprehensive list of the constellations visible from Washington in the summer online.
How did tarot card reading website come up with list?
TarotCards.io said it conducted an online survey of 3,018 “active campers and stargazers” based on age, gender and geography to find the best spots for stargazing.
The website then compiled the responses to create its rankings.
This story was originally published August 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Where are Washington’s best spots for stargazing? Check out these ‘hidden gems’."