< dark sky directory

ME dark sky places

List of darkest parks and places in Maine 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.

DARK PARK BORTLE
Acadia National Park
AMC Maine Woods State Park
Baxter State Park 2
Coastal Rivers 1
Cobscook Bay State Park 2
Durham State Forest
Grafton Notch State Park 2
Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument 2
Lily Bay State Park 2
Mount Blue State Park 2
Peaks-Kenny State Park 2
Quoddy Head State Park 2
Rangeley Lake State Park 2
Roque Bluffs State Park 2
White Mountain National Forest


Light pollution map w/ Bortle

On the left is a 2023 satellite image of ME 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.

ME night sky light pollution map