Tour the Universe through our BIG telescopes!
Have a Bryce Night!
Everybody wishes you to have a "Nice Day." but we want you to have a "Bryce Night!" -- the best possible nights for stargazing. If your travel dates are flexible, check our list for the Bryce-ist of nights. Then come back to this page to book your telescope tour.
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The Astronomy You Prefer
Within the ranks of the Dark Rangers®, there is enough knowledge to give you an entertaining show on almost any astronomy subject. After booking your tour below, you'll be invited to pick your show preference by title in a follow-up questionnaire.
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Yes, reservations are required.
That way we will know how many telescopes to setup.
That way we will know how many telescopes to setup.
SUMMER AND WINTER PUBLIC TELESCOPE TOURS
Pick your season. Summer nights are the least cold and offer a greater variety of deep-space objects. Winter nights are especially frigid, but cold air is also the most transparent, resulting in stunningly bright stars. Moonless nights during December thru March ALSO offer the rare view of the Orion Spur, the closest but dimmer arm of the Milky Way -- a subtle but sublime sight few humans ever have, or ever will ever see with their own eyes.
Scroll to the bottom of the page for our pricing and cancellation policy.
Scroll to the bottom of the page for our pricing and cancellation policy.
Summer Telescope Tour (May - October)
These public Summer Telescope Tours are offered nightly at the Dark Ranger Observatory (adjacent to, but NOT inside Bryce Canyon National Park).
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Summer sky is dominated by the the Milky Way, extending to the horizons on moonless nights. The best views of the galactic arm are not through telescopes, but from a Zero-gravity lounger. Our BIG telescopes show colorful close-ups of the planets and deep space objects way beyond human vision: distant galaxies, exploded stars, star-birth nebulae, and star clusters.
Nightly Tour Format:
DRESS WARMLY, so you don't get tired or bored early!
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Winter Telescope Tour (November - April)
2-hour Winter Telescope Tours are offered at the Dark Ranger Observatory (adjacent to, but NOT within Bryce Canyon), on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday (plus holiday Sundays). Then every night after 2nd Sunday in March (DST).
Need a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday winter night (Nov-Feb)? EVERY winter night, can be booked as a Small Private Telescope Tour. |
Cold air is best for telescopes, but it's challenging for humans. Our winter nighttime temperatures can be 10°
to -10°F (-12° to -24°C). DRESS VERY WARMLY! Unless you are a Yeti / Wampa you will need: - Multiple layers of clothing including a ski hat - Snow boots or hiking boots with toe-warmers - Ski gloves or winter gloves with hand-warmers Nightly Tour Format:
Due to Antivaxxers' efforts to extend the COVID-19 Pandemic, our Winter Public Tours must occur entirely outdoors. Please choose a Small Private Telescope Tour for added benefits of using our smaller auditorium, as a warming hut, and seeing an indoor live, multimedia show, in lieu of a longer Constellations Tour.
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full moon hike (suspended until further notice)
Our Full Moon Hikes begin & end at the Dark Ranger Observatory (adjacent to, but NOT within Bryce Canyon) and are offered during full Moons:
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Please standby while we develop new hiking routes
Our hikes are conducted on 3 different routes of varying difficulty, ranging from 1.5 (2.5 km) to 3.5 miles (5.5 km) in round-trip length -- the first to book a given night will be contacted and invited to pick the route. All hikes fully immerse you in the nocturnal realm. Indeed, flashlights & headlamps are NOT USED! Instead you will trust in the guidance of your fearless Dark Ranger and your innate, if untested, ability to safely explore the night. And of course, you'll also get to use our BIG telescopes -- before and after the hike.
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Click here to purchase $1/Ticket Alternate Night Booking
4-ticket Minimum (NOT per booking, Just per night):
For ALL activities a 4-ticket minimum must be met each night (not per booking, just per night).
For example, if you are the first person to book for a particular night and you only buy 2 tickets you will not be charged until the nightly minimum of 4 is met. If by 6pm the night of your tour, nobody else has booked 2 more tickets, the tour will be cancelled and you will not have been charged. Alternatively, if you decide to book 2 extra tickets (for 2 imaginary friends) the show will go on. If later, somebody else books 2 or more tickets for the same night, your 2 imaginary tickets will be fully refunded, after the tour takes place.
For example, if you are the first person to book for a particular night and you only buy 2 tickets you will not be charged until the nightly minimum of 4 is met. If by 6pm the night of your tour, nobody else has booked 2 more tickets, the tour will be cancelled and you will not have been charged. Alternatively, if you decide to book 2 extra tickets (for 2 imaginary friends) the show will go on. If later, somebody else books 2 or more tickets for the same night, your 2 imaginary tickets will be fully refunded, after the tour takes place.
The night I want is already full! Is their a waiting list?
Bummer. And Yes, we do keep a waiting list for public telescope tours and Small Private Telescope Tours.
Here's the secret "hack" for getting on a waiting list.
1. Return to booking system (pages with white background instead of grey) by clicking a "book now" button above.
2. Click on the "full/not offered" night you want.
3. Confirm the start time (a little bubble that pops up under the calendar)
4. Enter your contact info.
5. Hope for good luck without wishing misfortune on others who might actually cancel.
If spots open up we will contact wait-listed folks in the order they joined the list. If you later realize you no longer want to be on the wait list please contact us ASAP by sending an email or text message.
Did you notice we call this a "waiting list" and not a "trying to decide if this is something we REALLY, like, wanna actually do... er something...? List" If you are not sure what the difference implies you might be part of problem that explains why so few businesses including restaurants, keep a waiting list anymore. The newer technology is more conducive to the win-win goals of a wait list, but sadly the newer humans seem less so.
Here's the secret "hack" for getting on a waiting list.
1. Return to booking system (pages with white background instead of grey) by clicking a "book now" button above.
2. Click on the "full/not offered" night you want.
3. Confirm the start time (a little bubble that pops up under the calendar)
4. Enter your contact info.
5. Hope for good luck without wishing misfortune on others who might actually cancel.
If spots open up we will contact wait-listed folks in the order they joined the list. If you later realize you no longer want to be on the wait list please contact us ASAP by sending an email or text message.
Did you notice we call this a "waiting list" and not a "trying to decide if this is something we REALLY, like, wanna actually do... er something...? List" If you are not sure what the difference implies you might be part of problem that explains why so few businesses including restaurants, keep a waiting list anymore. The newer technology is more conducive to the win-win goals of a wait list, but sadly the newer humans seem less so.
The wait list is full! Does your wait list have a wait list?
Really?! And no, sorry, our wait list does NOT have a wait list. We are not that popular... yet.
Public Tour Ticket Prices
NOTE: This pricing includes Utah sales tax. Because we are a small business another 6% will be charged for credit card transaction and booking fees.
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Public Tour Cancellation Policy
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