89 Road Trip

Join me on my 3,000-mile research trip from Arizona to the border of Canada on Highway 89

In 2022, I began a journey to write a book about the best night sky experiences in the West on Highway 89, which runs from the border of Mexico in Arizona to the border of Canada in Montana. One of America’s most scenic drives, this 3,000-mile route passes seven national parks, dozens of national monuments and state parks, planetariums and observatories, and cultural and nature centers. 

In August 2022, I drove solo from Phoenix to the Canadian border to gather information for the book. Over the following eighteen months, I traveled up and down the Highway 89 corridor in Arizona. Then, in June and July 2024, I embarked on a final research road trip to the border to gather the last bits of information to finish the book.

The manuscript is getting close to completion, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

89 Route Map

Map used by permission by usroute89.com 

17-Day Trip Itinerary

Day 1

Bryce Canyon National Park (UT)

Day 2

Kodachrome Basin State Park & Cedar Breaks National Monument (UT)

Day 3

Stokes Nature Center, Logan (UT)

Day 4

The southeastern corner of Idaho

Day 5

Snow King Mountain Observatory and Planetarium & Wyoming Stargazing (Jackson, WY)

Day 6

Grand Teton National Park (WY)

Day 7

Yellowstone National Park (WY)

Day 8

Paradise Valley (MT)

Day 9

First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park & Canadian border (MT)

Day 10

Glacier National Park (MT)

Day 11

Museum of the Rockies (Bozeman, MT)

Day 12

Star Valley (WY)

Day 13

Antelope Island State Park (UT)

Day 14

Clark Planetarium & State Capitol (Salt Lake City, UT)

Day 15

Timpanogos Cave National Monument & Zion National Park (UT)

Day 16

Pipe Spring National Monument & Grand Canyon North Rim (AZ)

Day 17

Fountain Hills, AZ (International Dark Sky Community)

Sponsors

This trip is made possible in part by these generous sponsors.

Dirks Electric
Clear Sky Resorts
Wyoming Stargazing

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