Stories

This area of cosmic wonder includes portions of Malheur, Lake and Harney counties to the east of larger Southern Oregon cities like Medford, Klamath Falls and Ashland. They are so sparsely populated that the region is also known as the Oregon Outback. And while much of the nighttime world grows brighter every year, as much as 11 million acres of Outback are on track to become an official Dark Sky Sanctuary in 2023. That would be the largest area of its kind, and good news not just for curious humans checking out the Milky Way but also for wildlife that needs the dark to thrive.

If you’re looking for a break from city lights, head for Southern Oregon. The region is blessed with some of the darkest skies in the country, and conservationists and communities are teaming up with Dark Sky Oregon to help keep them that way. It’s not only good for stargazing; wildlife and migrating birds benefit from the cover of night, too. From the Oregon Outback to the Oregon Caves, you’ll find a variety of landscapes and many ways to enjoy the region’s star-studded skies.

When it comes to astrotourism, visitors to Southern Oregon enjoy an array of options. Light-pollution maps show large swaths of gray and black in the region, especially in the Oregon Outback. That’s good.

What Is International Dark Sky Week? Imagine standing beneath a sky so dark and clear that the Milky Way stretches […]

Sometimes the name of a place tells us just one part of the story. At Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, you may very well spy the fleet-footed pronghorn antelopes for which the refuge is named, perhaps as many as several dozen in a day if you’re lucky.