North Park's dark skies and the Moose Visitor Center star nights

Drive a few minutes out of Walden after dark and the sky changes. North Park sits in a high basin ringed by mountains, and the Medicine Bow Range to the east acts like a wall, blocking much of the glow from Fort Collins and the Front Range. That leaves one of the least light-polluted corners of the state, where the Milky Way reads as a bright smear rather than a faint hint.

You do not have to go it alone. At the Moose Visitor Center on Highway 14, between Ranger Lakes and Gould, volunteers host a free program called “Starry, Starry Night.” They set it up on Saturday evenings nearest the new moon, when there is little moonlight to wash out the view, and they bring a 10-inch reflecting telescope that can pull in galaxies, nebulas, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

If you would rather camp and look up on your own time, Bockman Campground in State Forest State Park sits in the range’s shadow. The park’s visitor bureau says it is working toward a DarkSky certification; check the calendar before you go, since events follow the moon, and bring warm layers, because mountain nights run cold even in summer.

For event dates and directions, see Visit North Park’s stargazing page at visitnorthparkco.com.