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What we do International Dark Sky Places

Newport State Park

Europe Bay at Newport State Park with aurora and the Pilot Island Lighthouse in the background. Photo by Denny Moutray.

About

Newport State Park is situated on 960 hectares (2,373 acres) of publicly-owned land at the tip of the Door Peninsula, a geographic feature extending 130 kilometers (70 miles) into Lake Michigan from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Park’s territory consists of evergreen and hardwood forests, wetlands and upland meadows, along with 18 km (11 miles) of lake shoreline and 48 km (30 miles) of hiking trails. It is Wisconsin’s only wilderness-designated state park.

Because of its geographic situation, Newport’s nights are remarkable dark. The Park’s location at the sparsely-populated end of the peninsula, separated from the mainland by 24 km (15 miles) of open water, makes its dark sky resource highly defensible in the future. Recognizing the value of its dark skies, for the past 25 years the Park has undertaken public outreach and education on astronomy and the importance of natural darkness to local wildlife. It has also brought its minimal site lighting into full compliance with IDA guidelines for parks.

Designated

2017

Category

Dark Sky Park

Address

475 County Highway NP
Ellison Bay WI 54210 USA
Google Maps

Contact

Beth Bartoli
Website

Land Area

9.6 km2

Documents

Application
Announcement
Annual Reports

Weather

Click here to find ideal environmental conditions for viewing the night sky at Newport State Park (45.23594, -86.99361). Don’t forget to plan your trip during the new moon and astronomical twilight to enhance the viewing experience!