Here, you’ll find the locations I’ve covered in the Wilderness Astronomer column I write in each issue of SkyNews: The Canadian Magazine of Astronomy & Stargazing. Each guide below includes a link to more information on observing sites, events, dining/accommodation, and other information about each destination I couldn’t fit in the print column. To get the actual magazine column itself, you can find SkyNews on many newsstands in Canada (including newsstands at WalMart), subscribe to it, or buy a digital copy here.
March/April 2016 – McDonald Park In the March/April 2016 issue of SkyNews: The Canadian Magazine of Astronomy & Stargazing, I looked at how Jasper National Park went from a stargazing session or two a season to becoming a full-fledged dark sky preserve, launching a dark sky festival that draws thousands each year, and opening a 35-seat planetarium. As mentioned at the end of the article, here’s some more info, including additional photos, festival and planetarium dates/times, as well as links to book astronomy adventures in Jasper, as promised in the SkyNews print edition…
Jan/Feb 2016 – Old Man On His Back nocturnal preserve In the Jan/Feb 2016 issue of SkyNews: The Canadian Magazine of Astronomy & Stargazing, I looked at how Jasper National Park went from a stargazing session or two a season to becoming a full-fledged dark sky preserve, launching a dark sky festival that draws thousands each year, and opening a 35-seat planetarium. As mentioned at the end of the article, here’s some more info, including additional photos, festival and planetarium dates/times, as well as links to book astronomy adventures in Jasper, as promised in the SkyNews print edition…
Nov/Dec 2015 – Jasper dark sky preserve comes-of-age In the Nov/Dec 2015 issue of SkyNews: The Canadian Magazine of Astronomy & Stargazing, I looked at how Jasper National Park went from a stargazing session or two a season to becoming a full-fledged dark sky preserve, launching a dark sky festival that draws thousands each year, and opening a 35-seat planetarium. As mentioned at the end of the article, here’s some more info, including additional photos, festival and planetarium dates/times, as well as links to book astronomy adventures in Jasper, as promised in the SkyNews print edition…
Sept/Oct 2015 – Jasper dark sky preserve comes-of-age In the Sept/Oct 2015 issue of SkyNews: The Canadian Magazine of Astronomy & Stargazing, I looked at how Jasper National Park went from a stargazing session or two a season to becoming a full-fledged dark sky preserve, launching a dark sky festival that draws thousands each year, and opening a 35-seat planetarium. As mentioned at the end of the article, here’s some more info, including additional photos, festival and planetarium dates/times, as well as links to book astronomy adventures in Jasper, as promised in the SkyNews print edition…
July/Aug 2015 – First Nations constellations In the July/Aug 2015 issue of SkyNews: The Canadian Magazine of Astronomy & Stargazing, I talked about the aboriginal constellations of what is now Canada. As mentioned at the end of the article, here’s some more info, star charts, photos, and further resources, as promised in the SkyNews print edition…
May/June 2015 – Best of Dark Sky Preserves In the May/June 2015 special 20th anniversary issue of SkyNews: The Canadian Magazine of Astronomy & Stargazing, I rounded-up the top events, experiences, and amenities in Canada’s dark sky preserves. As mentioned at the end of the article, here’s some more info and photos from such preserves as Wood Buffalo, Jasper, Mont Mégantic, and more, as mentioned in the SkyNews print edition…
March/April 2015 – Irving Nature Park In the Mar/Apr 2015 issue of SkyNews magazine, I mark the conclusion of a nearly two-year odyssey through the six dark sky preserves of Eastern Canada.Here are the resources for more on dining, accommodations, maps to observing locations, and more on my final (for now) Eastern Canadian dark sky column on New Brunswick’s Irving Nature Park, as mentioned in the SkyNews print edition…
Jan/Feb 2015 – Grasslands National Park – East Block In the Jan/Feb 2015 issue of SkyNews magazine, I write about Grasslands National Park – East Block in Southern Saskatchewan. Here are the resources for more on dining, accommodations, maps to observing locations, and additional photos in the park, mentioned in the print edition…
Nov/Dec 2014 – Mount Carleton Dark Sky Preserve In the Sept/Oct 2014 issue of SkyNews magazine, I write about Mount Carleton Provincial Park in central New Brunswick. Here are the resources for more on dining, accommodations, maps to observing locations, and additional photos in the park, mentioned in the print edition…
Sky News magazine recent columns and web links:
Sept/Oct 2014 – Wood Buffalo Dark Sky Preserve In the Sept/Oct 2014 issue of SkyNews magazine, I write about Wood Buffalo National Park on the Northern Alberta/NWT border. Here are the resources for more on dining, accommodations, maps to observing locations, and additional photos in the park, mentioned in the print edition…
Sky News magazine recent columns and web links:May/June 2014 – Mont-Mégantic International Dark Sky Reserve In the May/June 2014 issue of SkyNews magazine, I write about Mont Megantic in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. Here are the resources for more on dining, accommodations, maps to observing locations, and additional photos in the park, mentioned in the print edition…
Sky News magazine recent columns and web links:Jan/Feb 2014 – Fundy National Park & The Hopewell Rocks In the January/February 2014 issue of SkyNews magazine, I write about Fundy National Park & The Hopewell Rocks in Southeastern New Brunswick Here are the resources for more on dining, accommodations, maps to observing locations, and additional photos in the park, mentioned in the print edition…
Sky News magazine recent columns and web links:
Nov/Dec 2013 – Kejimkujik National Park In the November/December 2013 issue of SkyNews magazine, I write about Kejimkujik National Park in Eastern Nova Scotia Here are the resources for more on dining, accommodations, maps to observing locations, and additional photos in the park, mentioned in the print edition…
Sky News magazine recent columns and web links:
September/October 2013 – Kouchibouguac National Park In the September/October 2013 issue of SkyNews magazine, I write about Kouchibouguac National Park in Eastern New Brunswick. Here are the resources for more on dining, accommodations, maps to observing locations, and additional photos in the park, mentioned in the print edition…
Sky News magazine recent columns and web links:
July/August 2013 – The Gear Guide In the July/August 2013 issue of Sky News magazine, I write about five “killer-apps” for campsite stargazing. Here are the resources for more info and access to the gear, mentioned in the print edition…
Resources for items mentioned in the “Gear Guide” edition of the column (subscribe OR order this back issue)
Sky News magazine recent columns and web links:
May/June 2013 – Kawartha Highlands In the May/June 2013 issue of Sky News magazine, I write in my Wilderness Astronomer column about a dark sky preserve that never-was. Here are some more resources to help you enjoy (or just learn about) this wonderful, little-known wilderness stargazing site…
Resources for locations mentioned in the Kawartha Highlands column (subscribe OR order this back issue) 
March/April 2013 – Bluewater Skies on the Bruce Peninsula This past November, the Bluewater Outdoor Education Centre joined Gordon’s Park and Bruce Peninsula National Park to became the third dark sky preserve within roughly 100 km of two others. That makes Bluewater part of the densest collection of dark sky preserves in the world. Check the resource section below for a guide to the locations, events, and experiences mentioned in my recent column on this location. Resources for locations mentioned in the Bluewater column (subscribe OR order this back issue) 
Jan/Feb 2013 – Waterton Lakes National Park Could this be North America’s first “cross boarder” dark sky preserve? In this issue, I check out the Albertan neighbour of America’s Glacier National Park.
Nov/Dec 2012 – Elk Island National Park Check out Canada’s “drive through” dark sky preserve experience and see why as many as 5,000 people have flocked to this post-urban star sanctuary outside of Edmonton, AB. And see Elk Island (along with Jasper) featured in my other sometimes-magazine-gig in the April 2011 issue of Canadian Geographic.
Sept/Oct 2012 – Point Pelee: Gateway to the Southern Sky Sitting on an eight-kilometre-long dagger’s tip of lush Carolinian forest jutting out onto Lake Erie, Point Pelee National Park is farther south than Rome and parts of California. in fact, the park — a dark sky preserve since 2006 — is the southernmost part of mainland Canada. Check the resource section below for a guide to the locations, events, and experiences mentioned in my recent column on this location.
July/Aug 2012 – Gordon’s Park: Ontario’s darkest skies? A breezy day-trip from Toronto or most other major Ontario cities, the world’s only privately-owned dark sky preserve (as of 2012) is also the place where you might just see the darkest skies in the province. Check the resource section below for a guide to the locations, events, and experiences mentioned in my recent column on this location.
May/June 2012 – Jasper National Park: The ‘Disney World’ of dark sky preserves From the thundering waters of Athabasca Falls and the majesty of the Columbia Icefield, Jasper is isn’t just the world’s largest astronomy park, it’s perhaps the most incredible stargazing experience in Canada. Check the resource section below for a guide to the locations, events, and experiences mentioned in my recent column on this dark sky titan.
Mar/Apr 2012 – Bruce Peninsula National Park: Stargazing in Canada’s shipwreck capital Journey to a place where the corpses of dead ships gaze up with “polar fleece startgazers” at some of the darkest skies in Upper Canada. Check the resource section for a guide to the stops mentioned in the column.
(subscribe OR order this back issue) Resources for locations mentioned in the Bruce Peninsula column
Jan/Feb 2012 – Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park: Tale of two observing sites One of Canada’s most established dark sky preserves is also one of its most popular: From a new observatory and dark sky campground to directions for how to get to observing locations on both sides of the border…Resources for locations mentioned in the Cypress Hills column
Nov/Dec 2011 – Grasslands National Park: Grand Prairie Skies A look at Canada’s flattest dark sky preserve and what could possibly be the darkest, steadiest seeing at any observing site in the nation that you can drive up to. Resources in the link below include URLs for the many tourist destinations, accommodations, events, and observing locales mentioned in the column.
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