Steinaker State Park

Steinaker State Park is a reservoir and state park in Uintah County, Utah, about seven miles north of Vernal, formed behind Steinaker Dam on Ashley Creek. In January 2018 it became the fourth Utah state park to earn International Dark Sky Park status, in a state that has more certified dark-sky sites than anywhere else on Earth.

Why Steinaker State Park is a top stargazing spot

Before certification, park staff spent 18 months measuring sky quality and upgrading lighting fixtures around the reservoir to reduce glare and improve conditions for stargazers, work that helped Steinaker earn its designation. The park's remote setting keeps its skies dark: the nearest significant light source, Vernal, is screened out by local topography, while the surrounding Ashley National Forest protects the northern and western horizons from encroaching light. Sky quality here is noted as darker than Utah's already favourable statewide average.

What you can see

With light pollution shielded on multiple sides by terrain and forest, the reservoir setting gives stargazers open horizons and dark, glare-free skies for viewing the Milky Way and fainter stars overhead. The open water also makes for a good foreground when the sky is at its clearest, with little to interrupt the view from horizon to horizon.

Visiting Steinaker State Park at night

Steinaker runs ranger-led stargazing programs with local sky volunteers, offering both naked-eye and telescope viewing for visitors who want some guidance. Red-light flashlights are required or strongly encouraged at these events to protect everyone's night vision, a small courtesy that makes a real difference once the sky is fully dark. Steinaker's location just outside Vernal makes it an easy stop for stargazers exploring Utah's cluster of dark-sky sites, and it's worth checking the official park site for current hours and any scheduled programming before you go.

Best time to go

Utah's clear, dry climate means good stargazing conditions through most of the year, though summer brings the warmest nights for spending time outdoors. The Perseid meteor shower peaks in mid-August, the Geminids in December, and the Quadrantids in early January, all worth planning around if meteors are the goal. As with any dark-sky visit, time your trip around a new Moon, give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust once you arrive, and bring a red light rather than a white torch, in keeping with the park's own policy for stargazing events.

Getting there

Steinaker State Park is located at 4335 N Highway 191, about seven miles north of Vernal, Utah. The route north from Vernal on Highway 191 is straightforward, and the park is an easy addition to a trip through Utah's dark-sky-heavy Uintah Basin.

See your named star from here

Skies shielded by forest and topography like Steinaker's are ideal for tracking down a single named star among the crowd. Bring your certificate's coordinates and a stargazing app, look the star up in our catalogue beforehand, or start with our packages if you haven't named one yet; you can also browse Utah's other certified sites via our observatories page.