HEBER CITY, Utah — With 15 state parks honored with dark sky designations, Utah is renowned for being one of the best places to stargaze with more locations than any other state or park system in the world.
Jordanelle State Park in Wasatch County achieved the designation bestowed by the International Dark-Sky Association in January 2021. A naturalist and law enforcement officer for the Utah Department of Natural Resources says the park boosts the area’s astrotourism, which is a sector of the travel industry that has gone through a lot of growth recently.
“I do think we see a lot of people that come in … [they] want to come in and just see the dark skies,” said Sierra Schaefer-Funsch.
However, Schaefer-Funsch says areas with dark sky designations must meet certain criteria to maintain this status, part of which requires taking dark sky readings with a device called a Sky Quality Meter.
“We are required to take them four times a year, preferably in different seasons during a new moon,” Schaefer-Funsch explained.
Smoke and clouds can’t be present either, or parks risk inaccurate readings.
Schaefer-Funch says she noticed slightly higher light readings at certain GPS coordinates in the park, speculating that it has to do with newer developments nearby.
“With more and more homes coming up, I think we are going to see a lot more light pollution in this area,” she explained.
While light pollution poses the biggest threat to dark skies, Schaefer-Funch says Wasatch County has policies in place to mitigate light pollution.
Along with city and county policies, the public will also need to do their part. Schaefer-Funch urges people to turn off unnecessary lights, make sure they’re shielded or pointed downward, and to select lights that emit warmer hues.
Utah residents can CLICK HERE to keep tabs on all the dark sky programs around the state.
