Pennsylvania has one certified dark sky place in our directory: one dark sky park, Cherry Springs State Park, certified in 2008.
The DarkSky International place types guide (opens in new tab) describes a dark sky park as land with notably dark, star-filled skies that is protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural or recreational value.
Check the moon phase before you book. A full moon makes faint objects much harder to see, as Great Basin National Park's stargazing page (opens in new tab) points out. Summer nights show the Milky Way at its densest, and winter brings Orion and the Pleiades (Great Basin National Park (opens in new tab)).
Every listing links to its own page with coordinates, certification details and visiting notes, so you can compare places and plan a route across several nights.
Meteor showers give more reasons to go: Great Basin National Park lists (opens in new tab) the Perseids in August, Orionids in October, Leonids in November and Geminids in December as good chances for shooting stars.
Before you go, see the Pennsylvania dark sky laws for how local lighting rules protect these skies.
Cherry Springs State Park, on a 2,300-foot mountaintop in northern Pennsylvania, has been an International Dark Sky Park since 2008. The Night Sky Public Viewing Area suits visits of a few hours, while the Overnight Astronomy Observation Field has telescope pads, 120-volt outlets and a user fee, and bans white light. The rustic campground runs mid-April to late October.
See also the dark sky lighting law for Pennsylvania.