Stargazing - Zion - Zion Ponderosa - East Zion Adventures

Guided night-sky viewing experiences are offered periodically at many locations in Utah and, for that matter, around the world, but few places offer guided opportunities on a nightly basis. Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort stands among the premiere nightly stargazing destinations in the western United States.

Utah is home to the most certified dark-sky locations on this planet, and this comes from the natural abundance of remote high-elevation locations and the clear and clean-air skies in these locations. Zion National Park is an officially designated International Dark Sky Park.

Situated at over 6,500' in elevation and at a significant distance from major cities that leak light pollution into the atmosphere, Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort is one destination that is ideally suited to offer nightly stargazing excursions. The skies over southern Utah are most often clear of cloud cover and this enables easier viewing of the night skies and in particular the stars of the milky way.

Night Sky enthusiasts that are staff members of the East Zion Adventure company are the guides for these stargazing experiences. EZA is the company that operates all of the adventure tours for Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort, and this night-time adventure is always the last tour of each day.

While viewing billions of stars against a deep black sky backdrop is an overwhelming visual experience, it is even more impressive to have the opportunity of viewing the Milky Way as it stretches across the sky from one horizon to the other. From late spring to early fall the Milky Way is best viewed because it sits higher overhead than in other months of the year. With the earth's rotation the Milky Way actually seems to twist on its axis throughout the night hours. To the naked eye the Milky Way appears as a thick band of stars that glows more brightly in the night sky than the less intense viewable collection of stars that surround it.

At higher elevation the air is much thinner and as long as there is not significant cloud cover the stargazing experience at Zion Ponderosa is quite spectacular. In summer months the night conditions are generally warm, but guests will wish to bring additional clothing and blankets depending on temperatures and conditions in other times of the year. If the moon is more visible during the late evening time-frame it can lessen the visibility of the night stars.

Using just normal eyesight participants will initially view the entire sky overhead as a guide describes some of the key visible stars and constellations but guests will also have the opportunity to use a high-powered telescope for a closer view. With your own pair of binoculars it's also possible to have a much closer view of specific stars, planets, and even the moon when it is in a viewable position over the northern hemisphere. Some guests choose to bring a camera with manual controls, and a tripod, to shoot longer exposures of the stars.

In addition to the thick glowing band of the Milky Way, it is possible to see falling stars or meteor showers sometimes also referred to as shooting stars. Various planets in our solar system are visible and multiple star formations are easily found, a guides – using laser pointers will direct attention to these overhead attractions.

For the stargazing experience at Zion Ponderosa guest gather after dark at the recreation center and then take a short 10-minute uphill walk to a viewing platform which is a broad cement covered top of a water-tank. Once the viewing opportunities have concluded guests can depart for their lodging or walk as a group back to the recreation center. Some guests choose to linger around area firepits to share stories and get to know other guests from around the globe.

Whether you are a guest of the resort, or not, the opportunity is open to all visitors to register for a night-sky milky way stargazing tour. It is very common for visitors who are staying overnight in communities such as Springdale, Mt. Carmel Junction, Orderville, and Kanab, to venture the drive to Zion Ponderosa for this experience.

Accessible only from the Zion Ponderosa property, some visitors may choose to take an early evening hike out to Observation point and wait past sunset for the Milky Way to emerge. Flashlights or headlamps is a must for this 3.25 mile (one-way) return back to the trailhead. Another location for stargazing against the sandstone rock formations of Zion is within the main canyon of the park along locations on the Pahrus trail. Some intrepid star-fans may even choose to spend a late night on Angels Landing which sits below the canyon rim, but Observation Point offers a better wide view of full sky.