Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve

The stars shine bright in the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve. The lack of artificial light means the stars, planets and — if you’re lucky — northern lights, really stand out. Best of all, it's only 50 km (30 mi) east of Edmonton. At 300 sq km (116 sq mi), the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve is big. It encompasses Elk Island National Park and the neighbouring Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area. Elk Island offers camping, so you can stay a few nights to get the maximum skywatching or attend the annual Star Party in September. Both areas offer plenty of year-round daytime fun to while away the hours before sunset. Activities include cross-country skiing, hiking, mountain biking and birding. You can even try your hand at dogsledding in the winter at Cooking-Lake Blackfoot.