California Dark Sky Parks
Joshua Tree National Park
127.9 miles (205.83 km) from Los Angeles, CA
For residents of the greater Los Angeles area, Joshua Tree National Park is the nearest convenient place to go stargazing under a relatively dark sky.
While the western half of the Park is significantly impacted by light from Palm Springs and, to a lesser extent, the cities of the nearby Morongo Basin, visitors who make the trek to the Park’s eastern wilderness area are rewarded with some of the darkest night skies left in the region.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
152.3 miles (245.1 km) from Los Angeles, CA
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is state park in southern California, U.S. By land area, it is the country’s second-largest state park, after New York’s Adirondack State Park.
The Park is a component of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and adjacent to the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.
Death Valley National Park
Phtoto: Emre Corbaci
214.9 miles (345.85 km) from Los Angeles, CA
Death Valley National Park is distant enough from the large cities of the southwest so that much of the night sky above the desert floor is near pristine and, in many places, offers views close to what could be seen before the rise of cities.