Park · CO, US
Browns Canyon National Monument
Browns Canyon National Monument is a 21,589-acre canyon monument in Chaffee County, Colorado, certified as a dark sky place in 2024. Ruby Mountain and Hecla Junction have campgrounds, and access is by unpaved roads; Forest Service Road 1434A is gated December 1 to April 15. Salida holds the visitor center where annual passes are sold.
Official site (opens in new tab) View on OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab) Source (opens in new tab)
| Type | Park |
| State / Province | CO |
| Country | United States |
| Nearest town | Nathrop |
| Certified | 2024 |
| Coordinates | 38.7709, -106.1141 |
| Source | https://darksky.org/places/browns-canyon-national-monument/ (opens in new tab) |
Plan Your Night
Tonight’s moon
New Moon
0% illuminated. Rises 6:16 AM MST. Sets 4:24 PM MST. Times are local to the park.
Next new moon
November 9, 2026
The darkest, best-for-stargazing night in the current lunar cycle. See the full trip planner for the next 12 months of new-moon windows.
Upcoming meteor showers
- Leonids Meteor Shower Peak 2026, November 17, 2026
- Geminids Meteor Shower Peak 2026, December 13, 2026
- Ursids Meteor Shower Peak 2026, December 22, 2026
5 nearest dark sky places
- Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument · 74 km (46 mi)
- Town of Breckenridge, Colorado · 79 km (49 mi)
- Frisco, Colorado · 89 km (56 mi)
- Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, Colorado · 90 km (56 mi)
- Crestone, Colorado · 93 km (58 mi)