Parks Project 2022 Holiday Staff Gift Guide

Whether you’re looking to cross the Northern Lights off your bucket list, add astronomy festivals to your 2023 calendar, or are just seeking a few nights away from outdoor lighting and artificial lighting, the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) has a list of the darkest Parks that’ll make your dreams come true! We’ve compiled a list of our five favorite Dark Sky Parks in the National Park Service and their noteworthy attractions:

Big Bend

Big Bend National Park is an International Dark Sky Park, has some of the darkest skies in the country, and has the least amount of light pollution of any National Park in the lower 48, which makes it the perfect place for stargazing! Venture into the darkness and take in the stars on your own, or join Big Bend’s rangers for guided programs such as “Stars Over Big Bend,” where participants can view the night sky through telescopes while listening to park rangers talk about the importance of darkness. For more information on Big Bend’s programs, check out their calendar. 

Bryce Canyon

Join Bryce Canyon’s rangers for an astronomy program to learn about the science and history of astronomy, as well as the park’s IDA status. Astronomy programs are available from June through September; check out Bryce Canyon’s calendar for more information on their astronomy programs. 

On top of their regular dark sky programs like observing meteor showers, Bryce Canyon hosts an annual astronomy festival where visitors can use the festival’s telescope stargazing site, attend stargazing events, and sit in on lectures led by astronomers. The 2023 astronomy festival is scheduled for June 14-17. 

Death Valley

Death Valley National Park hosts an annual Dark Sky Festival, where visitors can attend auditorium talks, astronomy programs, and attend astrophotography meet-ups. The 2023 Dark Sky Festival is scheduled for February 10-12!

In addition to the Dark Sky Festival, Death Valley is part of Nevada’s astro-tourism route, Park to Park in the Dark; the route connects Nevada’s two Dark Sky Parks—Death Valley and Great Basin National Park—and passes through remarkable places such as Lunar Crater, Bonnie Claire Playa, and Blackrock Lava Flow. Interested in planning a roadtrip? Check out the Park to Park in the Dark website for more information!

Glacier

Glacier National Park partners with numerous astronomy foundations to create their astronomy education program, where participants can view and learn about the night sky. Rangers offer nightly astronomer-led programs in July and August, which offer visitors a tour of the night sky through telescopes, as well as an occasional Logan Pass Star Party.

In addition to Glacier’s astronomy programs, the reflections at Lake Mcdonald and Bowman and Kintla Lakes make for a magical northern-lights viewing experience. If you’re hoping to see the northern lights at Glacier, be sure to reference the aurora forecast while planning your trip.

Voyageurs

Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota is one of the best viewing locations for the northern lights in the lower 48. The reflections at Rainy Lake and Kabetogama Lake make for a spectacular viewing opportunity. Even if you’re unable to catch the northern lights—despite your best planning and preparation—the dark skies above Voyageurs are bound to leave you starstruck—with sights of shooting stars, constellations, planets, and more! 

Voyageurs hosts an annual Star Party, where visitors can attend astronomy lectures, guided constellation tours, and telescope viewings. The 2023 astronomy festival will be held  August 10-12. Aside from its Star Party, Voyageurs rangers host an hour-long program, available weekly from June through August, to view constellations, planets, and galaxies in the starry night sky. Check out their calendar for more information on their astronomy programs!

Stargazing Tips

1. Use a red light.

Red lights are optimal for stargazing because they produce less light pollution than white lights, thus increasing star visibility and decreasing the chances of disturbing nearby wildlife.

2. Give yourself time

It takes at least 20-30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. You’ll want to give your eyes enough time to adjust in order to take in the vastness of the night sky.

3. Visit during the new moon

The night sky is darkest during the new moon, which increases star visibility and creates optimal conditions for stargazing

4. Be prepared

Dress appropriately for the weather; bring extra layers, a blanket, camp chair, and/or bug spray.

Looking for more astronomy-related opportunities for your 2023 bucket list? Another sky event is the Annular Eclipse will occur on October 14, 2023 and will be most visible inOregon, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as some parts of California, Idaho, Colorado, and Arizona. Mark your calendars and plan ahead for your trip to Bryce Canyon, Big Bend, or Death Valley for a chance of seeing the total eclipse in the parklands.

To celebrate Giving Tuesday this year we’re diving into our partnership with HER Trails for a morning clean up run. The clean up run is in support of future generations to give guidance on leaving it better than we found it whether that’s right outside your door or in the heart of our national treasures, the national parks. 

We started the hike at the Los Leones Canyon trailhead right outside of LA. The run lasted about an hour and a half, hiking 1.5 miles up and running 1.5 miles down. During that time, we would stop to pick up any trash we found on the trail to help clean up these habitats. This included discarded clothes, soda cups, and many plastic water bottles. Once arriving at the lookout area of the trail, we came upon the most amount of trash, ending our hike with 5 clean up bags full of trash and 1 of recycling.

It’s all about these ‘feel good’ moments when we and the local ecosystem, can benefit from our clean up on these trails and keep our mission possible by leaving the parks better than we found them. There’s so many ways to get out in your community and take care of the land we’re on whether it’s a local park or one a part of the American national park system. When we reached the top of the trailhead where the lookout point was located, we had some comments made to us similar to, “we didn’t even notice there was trash on the trail”, it wasn’t until after they saw us picking up the trash that they began to notice how much there really was. One person even started to pick up trash themselves.

A few small ways to minimize the trash we find on the trails to heighten not only your visits to the parks, but the visitor experience as a whole:
 

1. Use a reusable water bottle.

2. Bring along a clean up kit in your pack next time you take a walk and curate your own parks project by helping to leave it better. The clean up kits are designed for more than just a one-time use so make sure to reuse next time you’re out there! 

3. Be a part of the stewardship toward our public lands and America’s national parks, the more others see us actively caring, the more the rest of the world may want to take action.

Thanks so much to the team at HER Trails for helping us continue to make these changes and momentums possible. If you’re interested in volunteering in the national parks and don’t know where to start, here’s a few websites to check out: The National Park Foundation and NPCA (also known as The National Parks Conservation Association, and the National Park Service official website. The National Park Service and Parks Project thank you. 

The holidays are right around the corner, and you’re probably thinking about what to get that outdoorsy person in your life. We’ve got you covered with our 2022 gift guide! Instead of water bottles and headlamps this year, give your loved ones the perfect gift, the gift of Parks! To kick off this list, we asked some people from the Parks Project team what unique camping gifts they’ll be giving their friends and family this year:  

Martha Garcia: Senior Director of Brand Marketing

I’ll be gifting the National Parks Wonderland Puzzle to my daughter Luz this year! She is very creative and loves to build things together as a family, so I’m sure this puzzle will keep our family entertained during the holiday break. 

Christina Holzmann: Director of Sales

I’m giving the Power to the Parks Shrooms Polaroid to my sister. Every year we pick a national parks and do a sisters trip just the 2 of us to unplug and have time away. The Polaroid camera will help capture the amazing trip we take next year and all future years, plus it’s the perfect stocking stuffer! 

Jenna McLoughlin: Social Media Specialist

I’ll be gifting my partner Parks Project’s newest book, The Parklands. It’s a complete work of all 63 parks with tips, tricks, facts, and figures on national parks in the USA. We’re both big time hikers and campers, and we plan each vacation around a new national park, so it’s almost like giving a gift to myself too! I’ll be looking forward to being fireside with smores and stargazing in our next park, brought to you by this book! 

Olivia Lemley: Product Development and Production Manager for Accessories

I’m giving the National Parks Woodcuts Recycled Camp Blanket to my mom. This blanket is super warm, such a unique print with vibrant colors, and makes great tailgating or camping gear. My parents have a fire pit in their backyard, and I've been envisioning this as the perfect cozy addition to their backyard shenanigans! Not to mention, the 100% recycled materials aspect makes it an extra awesome gift.

Gretchen Braulick: Digital Content Producer

When I was growing up there were 3 things my dad talked about consistently: boy scouts, spending time outside, and the national parks. I always thought it was so hard to shop for dads but have recently realized that I don’t always need to buy him new socks or a new multitool. As soon as I thought about our conversations over the years and his interests, I thought of a great gift for him with his love for camping and being outside. He works from home and is always lighting incense sticks so I know he’ll appreciate one of Parks Projects’ outdoorsy scented candles (they smell amazing).

Sevag Kazanci: Co-Founder/Chief Impact Officer

My wife loves lounging in cozy fleece, so this Joshua Tree Hoodie is a no brainer! Joshua Tree National Park  was the first trip we ever took as a couple and the first park that we introduced both of our kids to. Lots of memories wrapped into a single hoodie, and one of the best camping gifts. 

Katherine Everett: Senior Director of Product

I'm buying the Iconic Parks Wrapping Paper 2 Pack—the artwork is so unique it's not like any wrapping paper I've seen before, and the paper is thick, perfect for wrapping those outdoorsy gifts like hammocks, camp chairs, sleeping bags, or your classic camp stove. On Christmas morning our tree will have a little bit of all the national parks we love so dearly.

Avi Villa: eCommerce Operations Specialist

My ideal camping gift idea for the holidays is the Yosemite Rocks Trail Fleece to my buddy Cormac because it's super duper comfy, I have a matching one, but mainly because we use to go to Yosemite almost once a month to go climbing in college, and it's definitely a special place for both of us. Also, it's supposed to look like granite!

Need more inspiration? Check out our website for an array of items, like packable camp chairs, playing cards, totes, and all sorts of other things to gift that special someone in your life. 

In preparation for the upcoming holiday season, we asked some people from the Parks Project team what they'll be gifting their loved-ones this year. For more gift inspiration, check out our gift finder! 

Martha Garcia: Senior Director of Brand Marketing

I’ll be gifting the National Parks Wonderland Puzzle to my daughter Luz this year! She is very creative and loves to build things together as a family, so I’m sure this puzzle will keep our family entertained during the holiday break

Christina Holzmann: Director of Sales

I’m giving the Power to the Parks Shrooms Polaroid to my sister. Every year we pick a National park and do a sisters trip just the 2 of us to unplug and have time away. The Polaroid camera will help capture the amazing trip we take next year and all future years!

Jenna McLoughlin: Social Media Coordinator

I’ll be gifting my partner Parks Project’s newest book, The Parklands. It’s a complete work of all 63 parks with tips, tricks, facts, and figures on national parks in the United States. We’re both big time park lovers and plan each vacation around a new national park, so it’s almost like giving a gift to myself too! 

Olivia Lemley: Product Development and Production Manager for Accessories

I’m giving the National Parks Woodcuts Recycled Camp Blanket to my mom. This blanket is super warm and such a unique print with vibrant colors. My parents have a fire pit in their backyard, and I've been envisioning this as the perfect cozy addition to their backyard shenanigans! Not to mention, the 100% recycled materials aspect makes it an extra awesome gift.

Gretchen Braulick: Digital Content Producer

When I was growing up there were 3 things my dad talked about consistently: boy scouts, spending time outside, and the national parks. I always thought it was so hard to shop for dads but have recently realized that I don’t always need to buy him new socks. As soon as I thought about our conversations over the years and his interests, I couldn’t think of a better gift for him with his love for camping and being outside. He works from home and is always lighting incense sticks so I know he’ll appreciate one of Parks Projects candles (they smell amazing).

Sevag Kazanci: Co-Founder/Chief Impact Officer

My wife loves lounging in cozy fleece, so this Joshua Tree Hoodie is a no brainer! Joshua Tree National Park  was the first trip we ever took as a couple and the first park that we introduced both of our kids to. Lots of memories wrapped into a single hoodie. 

Katherine Everett: Senior Director of Product

I'm buying the Iconic Parks Wrapping Paper 2 Pack. The artwork is so unique it's not like any wrapping paper I've seen before. On Christmas morning our tree will have  a little bit of all the parks we love so dearly.

Avi Villa: eCommerce Operations Specialist

I’m gifting the Yosemite Rocks Trail Fleece to my buddy Cormac because it's super duper comfy, I have a matching one, but mainly because we use to go to Yosemite almost once a month to go climbing in college, and it's definitely a special place for both of us. Also, it's supposed to look like granite!