Cosmic Campground – Mogollon, New Mexico - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

Cosmic Campground

Mogollon, New Mexico

This remote camping site offers incredible stargazing opportunities. 

View all photos
10
141
Top Places in New Mexico
Carlsbad Caverns
Carlsbad, New Mexico
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site
New Mexico
Auto Hawk
Albuquerque, New Mexico
 See All
This entry is a stub
Help improve Atlas Obscura by expanding Cosmic Campground with additional information or photos.

Cosmic Campground International Dark Sky Sanctuary is the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary located on National Forest System lands and also in North America. It is also one of only 14 certified IDA Sanctuaries in the world. This remote site is unmatched for stargazing and setting up your telescope. The campground is free with 8 designated campsites. There is a telescope area with four concrete pads.

Know Before You Go

This is a primitive campsite. Bring your own shade, drinking, and rinsing water. 


The only amenities are vault toilets and picnic tables. No trash service so haul out what you hauled in! It’s best to arrive during the day so you don’t disturb anyone already there with your vehicle’s headlights.

camping dark skies stars astronomy
Community Contributors
Compass Rose
D
Added by
Compass Rose, Discordant Cello
Published
March 6, 2023
Edit this listing
Make an Edit Add Photos
Nearby
Catwalk Recreation Area
8.71 miles
Clifton Cliff Jail
36.50 miles
Morenci Mine
37.35 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
Mogollon, New Mexico

Catwalk Recreation Area

Explore a misty river canyon from a metal bridge system.
The historic plaque and one of the windows.
Clifton, Arizona

Clifton Cliff Jail

This Old West prison built into the side of a cliff was said to be inescapable.
Morenci, Arizona

Morenci Mine

The largest copper mine in Arizona, this enormous open pit emerges from the hills like an alien landscape.
Nestled in the caves
Silver City, New Mexico

Gila Cliff Dwellings

These ruins of a pre-Columbian cliff village are among the most beautiful and well preserved in New Mexico.
Related Places
Bald Mountain Canyon in Massacre Rim Wilderness Study Area
Washoe County, Nevada

Massacre Rim Wilderness Study Area

An internationally-recognized dark sky sanctuary lies in northern Nevada, near the Oregon line.
Silver Cliff Stars
Westcliffe, Colorado

Smokey Jack Observatory

Located in the world's highest-altitude Dark Sky Community, this observatory welcomes amateur and professional astronomers alike.
The Milky Way visible from the Tatacoa Desert.
Villavieja, Colombia

Tatacoa Astronomia

A self-taught astronomer fell in love with the stars and built his own observatory in Colombia.
De Kangxi-Verbiest Hemelglobe
Leuven, Belgium

De Kangxi-Verbiest Hemelglobe (Kangxi-Verbiest Star Globe)

A replica of a 17th-century map of the stars stands in the courtyard of a Belgian university.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web