UNITED STATES

The south-west United States – namely the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico – are rich in starry skies. The region’s dry climate and high elevation make for the perfect conditions for night-sky viewing. The first-ever IDSP – the International Dark Sky Community of Flagstaff, Arizona – was certified in 2001 and DarkSky International has its headquarters in Tucson, Arizona. Meanwhile, Utah and Colorado compete for the most IDSPs per state, with stargazing in deserts and mountain landscapes such as Arches National Park. Utah also boasts the first-ever Dark Sky-certified resort – Under Canvas Lake Powell.

How to get there

Fly from the UK to Denver, Colorado or Phoenix, Arizona. You will need a hire car to reach the dark sky parks. Las Vegas is handy for reaching the dark sky park at Zion National Park. If you want to tick off bucket list experiences, you could add a luxury train journey aboard the Rocky Mountaineer (rockymountaineer.com; from £1,369) from Denver to the Dark-Sky Parks in Moab, Utah.

When to go

Stargazing tours and star parties are held in the national parks in summer but winter is relatively free of crowds.

When to book

Summer books up quickly in the national parks and on the Rocky Mountaineer. Book early in the year to avoid disappointment. For a last-minute trip, head to less-visited New Mexico, home to nine IDSPs, including the Native American settlement at Chaco Canyon.

How much does it cost?

The biggest expenses are airfare, car hire and petrol. Permits to enter the national parks are charged per vehicle; to avoid racking up fees, purchase an annual US National Park pass which gives access to all the federal parks and monuments for a flat fee (nps.gov; £63).

The best package

Check each national park’s website for details of its dark sky events, festivals and star parties. A Stargazer Tent at Under Canvas Lake Powell (00 1 888 496 1148; undercanvas.com) costs from £251. Private operators offer stargazing tours all over the region, including Sleeping Rainbow Adventures (srad ventures.com) at Capitol Reef, Utah; Dark Ranger Telescope Tours (dark rangertelescopetours.com) in Bryce Canyon, Utah; Star Dudes (fhdarksky. com) in Fountain Hills, Arizona; and Astronomy Adventures (astronomyadventures.com) in Santa Fe, New Mexico.