Stargaze Atlas

Idaho dark-sky map — light pollution by town

24 towns rated · darkest: Conda · measured from VIIRS 2024 satellite night-lights

Idaho has 24 towns rated for light pollution here, from its darkest — Conda (Bortle 4) — to its brightest city cores, with 1 rating as genuinely dark or rural sky (Bortle 4 or better). Every town is listed with the nearest measurably darker town to drive to. It also holds 3 certified International Dark Sky Places, listed below with the nearest rated town to each. Ratings are a VIIRS satellite proxy, not survey-grade sky-brightness readings.

Statewide Idaho · VIIRS 2024
Towns rated
24

1 rate as genuinely dark or rural sky (about Bortle 4 or better).

Darkest town
Conda
Genuinely dark towns
1
Certified dark-sky places
3

Certified dark-sky places in Idaho

3 sites in Idaho hold an International Dark Sky Place certification — awarded for actively protecting the night sky, not measured from orbit like the town ratings below. What each designation means →

Certified International Dark Sky Places in Idaho.
Place Designation Coordinates Nearest rated town Distance That town's sky
Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve Dark Sky Reserve 44.000°N, 114.833°W Boise 73 mi B8
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve Dark Sky Park 43.462°N, 113.563°W Blackfoot 64 mi B7
Ketchum Dark Sky Community 43.667°N, 114.367°W Jerome 66 mi B7

All Idaho towns by darkness

Darkest sky first, each with the nearest measurably darker town to drive to. Sort or filter below.

Idaho towns, darkest sky first.
Sky Nearest darker sky
Conda 4 Rural / suburban transition 1.7 already the darkest nearby
Nampa 6 Bright suburban sky 10 Spring Creek, NV — B4, 200 mi
Ammon 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Conda — B4, 56 mi
Idaho Falls 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Conda — B4, 57 mi
Kuna 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Spring Creek, NV — B4, 195 mi
Lewiston 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Cheney, WA — B6, 79 mi
Jerome 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Kuna — B6, 110 mi
Post Falls 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Cheney, WA — B6, 33 mi
Blackfoot 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Idaho Falls — B6, 25 mi
Lewiston Orchards 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Cheney, WA — B6, 82 mi
Hayden 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Cheney, WA — B6, 42 mi
Caldwell 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Nampa — B6, 11 mi
Burley 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Idaho Falls — B6, 110 mi
Rexburg 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 Ammon — B6, 26 mi
Mountain Home 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Kuna — B6, 44 mi
Twin Falls 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Kuna — B6, 120 mi
Moscow 7 Suburban / urban transition 37 Cheney, WA — B6, 59 mi
Eagle 7 Suburban / urban transition 38 Kuna — B6, 15 mi
Coeur d'Alene 7 Suburban / urban transition 38 Cheney, WA — B6, 39 mi
Garden City 8 City sky 41 Eagle — B7, 8 mi
Meridian 8 City sky 43 Eagle — B7, 6 mi
Chubbuck 8 City sky 53 Blackfoot — B7, 20 mi
Pocatello 8 City sky 66 Blackfoot — B7, 23 mi
Boise 8 City sky 82 Eagle — B7, 9 mi

Frequently asked questions

Where are the darkest skies in Idaho?
The darkest town tracked here is Conda, but the genuinely dark skies in Idaho are its 3 certified International Dark Sky Places — Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Ketchum — listed further down with the nearest rated town to each.
How many dark-sky towns does Idaho have?
Of 24 towns rated here, 1 rate as genuinely dark or rural sky (about Bortle 4 or better) — good for seeing the Milky Way on a clear, moonless night.
How are these light-pollution ratings measured?
From VIIRS 2024 annual-average satellite night-lights, sampled at each town's center and mapped to a darkness class and an estimated Bortle band. It is a satellite upward-radiance proxy for planning, not a survey-grade sky-brightness reading. See the methodology page for details.

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