You've Probably Never Heard of the Top Stargazing Towns in the U.S.

Let's face it—once May comes around (and that's going to happen in less than a couple of weeks), it's basically summer. And with a whole summer ahead, it is officially time to lift your nose to the sky and marvel at the many shows the space has to offer us.

It's a known fact—summer is the ultimate stargazing season, and with a myriad of celestial events coming up, it is definitely in a stargazer’s best interests to know where to go for the best viewing experience. Vacation rental marketplace HomeToGo is luckily here to help. The platform just released its annual Stargazing Index, which ranked the top 24 Dark Sky communities (and therefore stargazing destinations) in the US.

To come up with the ranking, HomeToGo analyzed a variety of factors, including weather forecasts and average clear sky data, population density to indicate how secluded an area is, and the accessibility of affordable accommodations in the vicinity, among others. Additionally, it even looked at HomeToGo internal demand data to find under-the-radar areas with the lowest search volume.

"Astrotourism has emerged as the defining travel trend of 2024 so far, with April's total solar eclipse generating a notable uplift in demand. Leading up to the event, the search demand for vacation rentals in towns along the path of totality skyrocketed by 139% week-over-week on HomeToGo, with median nightly prices registering increases of 40%," said Eleanor Moody, HomeToGo spokesperson and travel expert, in a statement shared with Thrillist. "We predict that this piqued interest in celestial tourism will persist further into the year, and have curated HomeToGo's 2024 Stargazing Index with a new wave of eager astro-travelers in mind."

The winning region for stargazing, according to the index, is the Southwest, which is home to the highest number of stargazing-friendly destinations. Within the region, two specific locations also flaunt the highest number of clear sky days from April 12 through October 1 of this year, namely Fountain Hills, Arizona and the town of Castle Valley, Utah. The latter was also named this year's hidden gem, with the highest "under-the-radar" score.

Take a look at the complete ranking of the top US destinations for stargazing below:

1. Borrego Springs, California
2. Fountain Hills, Arizona
3. Flagstaff, Arizona
4. Dripping Springs-Wimberley, Texas
5. Cottonwood, Arizona
6. (tie) Big Park/Village of Oak Creek, Arizona
6. (tie) Town of Castle Valley, Utah
8. Sedona, Arizona
9. Lakewood Village, Texas
10. Torrey, Utah
11. Westcliffe & Silver Cliff, Colorado
12. Crestone, Colorado
13. Julian, California
14. Horseshoe Bay, Texas
15. Ridgway, Colorado
16. Hawthorn Woods, Illinois
17. Blanco, Texas
18. Springdale, Utah
19. (tie) Groveland, Florida
19. (tie) Jonestown, Texas
21. Ketchum, Idaho
22. Bee Cave, Texas
23. Norwood, Colorado
24. Beverly Shores, Indiana

For more information and to read the complete report, you can visit this website. If you're still feeling indecisive about where to start your stargazing journey, you can consult our own guide to the nation's top stargazing sites.

Here are all the best stargazing events that you can get out and see this month or you could stay in and stream the northern lights from home. If you're just getting started, check out our guide to astronomy for beginners or easy stargazing road trips from big US cities.

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