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What we do International Dark Sky Places

Cosmic Campground

The Milky Way sets over the Cosmic Campground, New Mexico, with the lights of Morenci, Arizona, on the horizon in the distance. Photo by David Thornburg.

About

The Cosmic Campground is a 1.42 hectare (3.5 acre) site in the Gila National Forest of western New Mexico, U.S. Situated between the Gila Wilderness and the Blue Range Primitive Area, it is located on land managed by the United States Forest Service. The Campground is located in an exceptionally dark part of the lower 48 U.S. states, with the nearest significant source of artificial light more than 65 kilometers away across the state line in Arizona. The Campground features a very basic infrastructure to support campers and offers a 360-degree, unobstructed, view of the night sky.

Designated

2016

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Category

Dark Sky Sanctuary

Cosmic Campground IDSS thumbnail map

Address

Catron County
New Mexico, U.S.
Google Maps

Contact

Jason Neel
Website

Land Area

0.01 km2

Documents

Application
Lightscape Management Plan
Press Release 
Annual Reports

Media

New signage at the Cosmic Campground IDSS in western New Mexico, U.S., March 2017. Photo by Patricia A. Grauer.