Devils River State Natural Area

Park Alerts...

Stargazing

Solitude Among the Stars

Stars over Devils River SNA
Photo copyright Dale Blasingame

For solitude and some of the best night skies in Texas, head west. Devils River State Natural Area – Del Norte, over 30 miles as the crow flies from Del Rio, sits on an amazing escape into nothingness. We are not in the middle of nowhere, but right next door to it!

Set up camp at one of our drive-up or hike-in primitive sites and marvel at the amazing night sky views.

Check out these free stargazing tools:

How Dark Is It?

The Bortle Dark-Sky Scale measures how well you can see objects in the sky at night. Light pollution and sky glow can interfere with your ability to see “celestial objects.”

The scale ranges from Class 1, the darkest skies available on Earth, through Class 9, inner-city skies. Devils River State Natural Area’s Bortle Scale rating is a 2. (Visit Bortle Scale Ratings page to see ratings for all state parks.)

Check out Devils River State Natural Area Light Pollution Map. The park is at the crosshairs. The map will show the sky glow around the park with colors that match the Bortle scale.

Clear Sky Chart

Check out our clear sky chart prior to a trip to Devils River State Natural Area to ensure conditions are right for stargazing.

What is a Clear Sky Chart? It’s an astronomer’s forecast of sky conditions, including darkness, cloudiness, transparency and the “seeing quality.” More information about the Clear Sky Chart can be found here.

Devils River's clear sky chart

When planning a stargazing trip, keep in mind that the rising and setting of the moon, the Milky Way passing directly overhead, and man-made light cause fluctuations in sky darkness. Keep your campsites as dark as safety allows and we’ll keep park lights down low, too!

To learn more, look up current moon phase information for Devils River State Natural Area.

Share the Night

Night sky over Devils River SNA
Photo copyright Doris Quiroz

We love seeing your photos and hearing about your night skies experiences here at Devils River State Natural Area. Please share your pics and stories on our Insta­gram or Facebook page.