Dark Sky Preserve · AB, CA
Wood Buffalo National Park
Wood Buffalo National Park, on the Alberta and Northwest Territories border, is a Dark-Sky Preserve (2013) promoted as the world's largest. The Fort Smith Visitor Centre, 867-872-7960, is the main contact, and camping comes in frontcountry, group and backcountry forms. Visitor services run May to October, the Milky Way shows from fall through spring, and some areas stay closed after the 2023 fires.
Official site (opens in new tab) View on OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab) Source (opens in new tab)
| Type | Dark Sky Preserve |
| State / Province | AB |
| Country | Canada |
| Nearest town | Fort Smith |
| Certified | 2013 |
| Coordinates | 59.3830, -112.9830 |
| Source | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_Buffalo_National_Park (opens in new tab) |
Plan Your Night
Tonight’s moon
Waning Crescent
1% illuminated. Rises 7:35 AM MDT. Sets 4:21 PM MDT. 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
- Lakeland Provincial Park · 522 km (325 mi)
- Bon Accord · 618 km (384 mi)
- Beaver Hills Dark-Sky Preserve · 641 km (399 mi)
- Jasper National Park · 792 km (492 mi)
- Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation Area · 950 km (591 mi)