Entry No. 77 — the Colorado Springs file — filed under: after-dark

Florissant Fossil Beds Night Sky Program

Certified an International Dark Sky Park in 2021, this high-meadow monument an hour west of the Springs goes pitch black enough to throw the Milky Way overhead in a bright band. The Park Service teams with the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society for a handful of summer-into-fall night programs (June 6, July 10, Aug 15, Oct 3 in 2026) with a fleet of telescopes and astronomers on hand. By day it preserves 34-million-year-old petrified redwood stumps, so the ancient and the cosmic share one valley.

The move: Drive out at dusk, let your eyes adjust on the dark prairie, and take turns at the volunteers' scopes hunting galaxies, planets, and satellites while an astronomer narrates the sky.

📍 Before you go $10 per person age 16+, scheduled dates only, weather-dependent. About 35-40 miles west; programs run roughly 9-11pm in summer, earlier in fall.

• 📍 Florissant
• 💸 $
• ⚡ Low-key
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, 15807 Teller County Rd 1, Florissant, CO 80816

Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-23