Where And When to Get the Best Photos of the Milky Way

The Best Places in North America to See Our Galaxy This Summer:

1. Joshua Tree National Park, California

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If you can avoid stumbling into cacti, this national park (and a certified International Dark Sky Park) straddling the Mojave Desert and lower Colorado Desert is an iconic place to view the Milky Way for anyone living in the Greater Los Angeles area. Cottonwood Campground has the darkest skies.

2. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

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It might be the Old Faithful geyser field and the colorful Grand Prismatic Spring that gets visitors to Yellowstone, but it’s often sparkling views of the Milky Way that make them return. Just north of those two popular sights is Madison Campground; the nearby Madison River is the perfect place to wait for galaxy-rise.