The summer sun stretches long into the evenings this time of year, but it’s the summer nights when Jasper comes alive. After the sun goes down, look up at the stars! It’s a celestial celebration like you’ve never seen before!

Jasper’s Dark Skies

At over 11,000 km² in size, Jasper National Park is the second largest Dark Sky Preserve in the world. What does that mean? Dark-Sky Preserves promise to protect the night sky and reduce or remove light pollution. You’ll notice these features throughout town and at businesses: streetlights have been replaced with downward-facing fixtures, operations are adjusted to take place primarily during daylight hours, and education about the night sky is easy to find. This improves the habitat for nocturnal creatures. It is shown to have health benefits for humans, and it means you can see stars, constellations, and galaxies throughout the year, simply by looking up.

Stargazers Paradise

Stargazing is easy: all you have to do is wait for the sun to go down and look up! Of course, times around the new moon with clear, cool nights and low humidity make for the best times to see the stars. Some great stargazing locations include Pyramid Island, Jasper Lake, Old Fort Point, and the toe of the Athabasca Glacier. From July through September, the Milky Way arches overhead, making for great photo opportunities. In the fall, check out the Andromeda Galaxy, which you can clearly see with just a pair of binoculars. Fall is also the time for the annual Dark Sky Festival, which brings renowned speakers, Indigenous knowledge keepers, and special programming to celebrate the night sky. This year’s festival takes place October 16 to 25, 2026.

Learn the Stories

Learn all about the night sky at the Jasper Planetarium. Their tours include a guided tour of the skies in a domed theatre, an experience with the largest, most powerful telescope in the Rockies, and more. Learn about Indigenous constellation stories, Northern Lights insights, tips on how to photograph the Milky Way, and hands-on experiences such as interacting with meteorites. For a tour on how to photograph the night sky with your own electronics, check out Jasper Photo Tours.

Taylor Jaine