Where to Watch May’s Full Moon and the Supermoon Eclipse

The eclipse is set to begin May 26 at 1:46 a.m. PDT. The Moon will enter the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow at 2:45 a.m. Part of it will remain in the umbra until 5:53 a.m.

To watch the Moon’s surface be blanketed by the Earth’s dark shadow (called “totality”), look up between 4:11 and 4:26 a.m. Totality can be seen everywhere in the Pacific and Mountain time zones, along with Texas, Oklahoma, western Kansas, Hawai'i and Alaska.

To learn more, check out NASA’s May 26, 2021 Total Lunar Eclipse: Visibility Map.

Experience the heartbeat of a volcanic landscape at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. This park reveals steam vents, lava flows, summits and rift zones of two of the world’s most active volcanoes. Witness this amazing power while watching the stars shine overhead.

Haleakalā National Park is a special place that vibrates with stories of ancient and modern Hawaiian culture and protects the bond between the land and its people. The park also cares for endangered species, some of which exist nowhere else. Visit this special place — renew your spirit amid stark volcanic landscapes and subtropical rainforest with an unforgettable hike through the backcountry.

Beaver Creek has its headwaters in the White Mountains, approximately 50 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska. The river flows west past the jagged limestone ridges of the White Mountains before flowing to the north and east, where it enters the Yukon Flats and joins the Yukon River.

Beaver Creek has long been a popular destination for river adventurers. The river's clear water, modest rapids and unparalleled scenery make for a relaxing trip.

Nearly two million acres in size and the most visited refuge in Alaska, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is characterized by its diverse habitats and wildlife.

Moose, bears, wolves, Trumpeter Swans and salmon are just a few examples of the variety of wildlife that call this area home. Wildlife viewing is the Refuge’s key attraction and visitors can observe these animals in alpine tundra, wetlands and boreal forest.

Mount Rainier National Park’s majestic peak towers over 14,000 feet tall, but that isn’t the only scenic vista the park protects. It is also the steward of the night sky, ensuring visitors can experience the wonder of the heavens above.

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve contains three young lava fields formed by volcanic eruptions originating from a 52-mile long tear in the earth’s crust known as the Great Rift. The Great Rift, the deepest known land-based open volcanic rift in the world, provided a conduit for lava to reach the surface during eight major eruptive periods beginning 15,000 years ago and continuing until only 2,000 years ago. The resulting volcanic features appear to have happened yesterday and will likely continue tomorrow.

Come for the watchable wildlife and stunning views, stay for the starry skies at Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Idaho.

The deep canyon of the Snake River, with its crags and crevices and thermal updrafts, is home to the greatest concentration of nesting birds of prey in North America – and perhaps, the world. Some 800 pairs of hawks, owls, eagles and falcons come each spring to mate and raise their young.

The Centennial Mountains are a 28,000-acre mountain range that forms the boundary between southwest Montana and Idaho.

Designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern in 2006, it is considered an important corridor for wildlife movement, providing an east-west trending mountain range connecting the Yellowstone Ecosystem with the rest of the northern Rocky Mountains.

Wildlife in the Centennial Mountains include moose, elk, deer, wolverines, badgers, black bears, a wide variety of birds and occasionally wolves and grizzly bears. A variety of waterfowl, including trumpeter swans, can be found on the adjoining Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.

Nothing is more relaxing than floating down a river and sleeping under the stars here in Big Sky Country at night.

The public lands of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, both under federal and state management, make a significant contribution to the local lifestyle and the regional economy. Within the monument you can float the river, fish, hike, hunt, camp, drive for pleasure, find a little solitude, enjoy a sense of exploration, or simply marvel at the variety of resources around you. Vast portions of the monument are serviced only by graveled and unimproved roads. Much of the monument is not accessible by any road; visitors are invited to explore on foot.

Joshua Tree National Park is one of the newest parks to earn the International Dark Sky designation. Within a few hours of over 22 million people, this Southern California park is where many come to discover the starry night and views of the Milky Way for the first time.

Visitors can see a wide diversity of wildlife and plants, including the famous Joshua Tree and incredible night skies. Check out Joshua Tree’s tips for where to stargaze in the park and how to photograph the night sky.

Cronan Ranch Trailhead is located in Pilot Hill, California. The area contains 12 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, fishing, bird watching and other types of recreation. There is a wide variety of terrain to choose from, including gently sloped to challenging hills, oak woodland and gentle riverfront trails.

The tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, forests, alpine lakes and tundra at Great Sand Dunes.

Night at Great Sand Dunes can include viewing thousands of stars on a clear moonless night, listening for owls along the foothills, or exploring under a bright full moon. With a combination of dry air, little light pollution and high elevation, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is an excellent and accessible dark sky viewing.

Thirty miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the snow-fed waters of the Rio del Medio and the Rio Frijoles begin a 2,000-mile journey and a 7,000-foot descent to the Gulf of Mexico. For a time, they gather at Santa Cruz Lake at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Chimayo, behind the 125-foot Santa Cruz Dam.

Built in 1929 by the Santa Cruz Irrigation District, the dam is 535 feet across and 90 feet deep at the overflowing spillway. The lake covers 121 surface acres with water in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, providing recreational opportunities for anglers, boaters and hikers—plus campers who love stunning night views at Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area!

The Mora River flows through the center of the 4,224-acre Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge, which is located in the transition zone between the Great Plains and Southern Rocky Mountains in northeastern New Mexico.

Formerly the Wind River Ranch, the refuge and conservation area are a continuation of the vision of philanthropist Eugene V. Thaw and his wife Clare E. Thaw who bought the Ranch in 1980 with the intent of protecting and restoring the land as a representative piece of southwestern ecological heritage.

Spanning miles of Oregon coastline, the wilderness islands and windswept headlands of Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge are celebrated for their abundant wildlife, rugged grandeur and amazing night skies. A word of warning: don’t forget to look down from time to time. Coastal areas, with their steep cliffs, strong currents and heavy surf, can be extremely dangerous. Exercise caution during your visit and be sure to check area rules before venturing out as some sites are only open for day use.

Steens Mountain rises as a sentinel in southeast Oregon’s high desert. Its broad summit plateau is topped by the state’s 8th-highest peak at 9,734 feet. “The Steens,” as locals know it, includes some of the wildest and most remote land left in Oregon.

The Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area is approximately 500,000 acres of private and public land offering diverse scenic and recreation experiences. The CMPA encompasses deep glacier-carved gorges, stunning scenery, wilderness, wild and scenic rivers and a way of life for all who live there.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument spans across nearly one million acres of America's public lands and contains three distinct units: Grand Staircase, Kaiparowits and Escalante Canyon.

From its spectacular Grand Staircase of cliffs and terraces, across the rugged Kaiparowits Plateau to the wonders of the Escalante River Canyons, the Monument is a diverse geologic treasure speckled with monoliths, slot canyons, natural bridges and arches.

Due to its remote location and rugged landscape, the monument was one of the last places in the continental United States to be mapped.

Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah contains three beautiful natural bridges named for the Native Americans who made this area home. At night, the bridges form a window into the sky, giving visitors a view of thousands of stars that are bright enough to cast a shadow. Natural Bridges was named the first International Dark Sky Park in 2007 for its work preserving the night sky and educating the public about light pollution. For those first-time stargazers, the Milky Way appears with the naked eye as a band of dense stars and faint white cloud-like gases arcing across the sky.

From the 13,063-foot summit of Wheeler Peak to the sage-covered foothills, Great Basin National Park is a place to sample the stunning diversity of the larger Great Basin region. Come and partake of the solitude of the wilderness, walk among ancient bristlecone pines, bask in the darkest of night skies and explore mysterious subterranean passages. There's a whole lot more than just desert here!

Low humidity and minimal light pollution combined with the park’s high elevation provide park goers a unique window into our galaxy. On a clear, moonless night, you can see thousands of stars, five of our solar system's eight planets, star clusters, meteors, man-made satellites, the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way with the naked eye. Bristlecone pines — some that were saplings when light left distant stars thousands of years ago — are a unique place for stargazing. No matter where you choose to stargaze, be sure to bring extra layers as nights in the mountains can be cool at this Nevada park.

This 63,200-acre wilderness lies in southwestern Maricopa County, 12 miles east of Gila Bend and 20 miles southwest of Phoenix, Arizona. It contains a 10-mile section of the Maricopa Mountains, a low-elevation (1,000 to 2,813 feet) Sonoran Desert range and extensive surrounding desert plains. The North Maricopa Mountains are a jumble of long ridges and isolated peaks, separated by bajadas and washes. Vegetation includes saguaro, cholla, ocotillo and other Sonoran Desert plant species. Desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, coyotes, bobcat, fox, deer, Gambel's quail and raptors inhabit the wilderness.

The North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness Area provides outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation, including hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, camping, wildlife observation and photography. The Margie's Cove and Brittlebush Trails take you through the heart of the North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness.