Dark Ranger Telescope Tours

Such a lovely, knowledgeable, professional experience. The array of telescopes they have and the variety of what they present is magnificent. We saw so much, and really got a sense of the expanse of stars in our neighborhood and beyond. Seth was super helpful and entertaining, always willing to explain the astronomy and answer any questions. The pregame video and post game fair me paradox presentation were also excellent. Since it was a full moon, we saw less of the sky, but an amazing up close view of the moon. It got very cold, as they warned us, and since you aren’t moving around a lot, you feel it. Hand warmers, and one more layer than you think you’ll need are recommended. They also have extra blankets and extra coats for you to borrow.

Amazing. Memorable. Worth every penny. What a great way to spend our 30th anniversary night! We chose a private for two. Andy was so knowledgeable and interesting to talk to. The clear sky, at the new moon, was beyond anything we’ve experienced. The ability to just “play” with a 20” telescope at that location under those conditions was mind-blowing. Thank you, Kevin & Andy, for a truly memorable evening under - and among - the stars!

My partner and I had a great night with Dark Ranger Telescope Tours. We were visiting Bryce Canyon National Park for two days in early February and one of the nights we booked a winter telescope tour. While we ended up using our backup night as the first night did not work out, that ended up being a blessing as the night we went was less cold and not cloudy at all. We were the only two people on the tour, which made the experience all the more special. Seth was our Dark Ranger (tour guide) for the evening, is super knowledgeable, and did an amazing job! Seth showed us an impressive variety of celestial objects and phenomena, including planets, moons, stars, galaxies, nebulae, Iridium flares, and more. We even managed to see a plane and satellite through the telescopes while viewing the night sky. Seth captured great images of both Jupiter and the moon through the telescopes with our phones. Seth's presentation on the Fermi paradox was very interesting and well worth viewing--especially with a warm hot chocolate or apple cider, which was provided and helped us stay warm. We really enjoyed our entire experience and will book again if we're back in the area!

Our family had a great night with the Dark Rangers towards the end of May! They were a very professional, yet fun group! The 6 telescopes setup were updated to new targets during the 2+ hours we were there, so we could see a a LOT of the sky! They had extra coats and blankets which was very thoughtful, in addition to timely reminders about the weather to keep us informed. They also had hot chocolate/ cider! Highly recommend this to anyone in the area. The highlight for me was that we got to meet an intern - which spoke volumes of how good this program and this team is! Educating the masses while supporting students also! Go Dark Rangers!! 👏👏 P.S. my pics don’t do enough justice to the actual experience!

The sky here is absolutely amazing - it's bortle 2 according to the guys from dark ranger telescope tours. Just to see the milky way by your bare eye, the trip is worth is. Besides, the Dark Ranger are super friendly and give everything that you will have a great night: a talk, hot beverages and a lot of patience for all kind of questions, as long as you are willing to stay. Pictures attached are just snapshots taken with my smartphone, through the telescope you see way more detailed stuff, of course. Great experience.

This was such a cool and educational experience! If you have ever taken an interest in stars, stargazing, or astronomy, this is 100% for you. Our presenter was very knowledgeable and enjoyable to listen to, and we got to see some insane things!! Even with the moon being so bright, the Rangers were able to show us Mars, different nebulas, stars, and cool views of the moon. Tips: Stay until the end to get to see all sorts of beautiful nebulas and star clusters. Dress warm!! We were glad we wore beanies and several layers. Read the website so you understand the schedule. (Telescopes, then a break, presentation, more telescopes and stargazing!) We stayed later than the rest of our group and the Rangers stayed and we got to spend about an hour looking at different cool things! They also helped us get pictures of so many beautiful things like the ring nebula and the Hercules cluster. We loved this experience and would recommend it! This will absolutely become part of our “must-do” list for when we visit Bryce National Park. Thank you Dark Rangers!!

Excellent place to visit if you're near Bryce Canyon. It is located a convenient drive from Bryce Canyon City but the sky was very dark so we got to see thousands of stars plus the milky way vividly. The rangers were VERY informative, hospitable, and funny. The telescopes show some beautiful structures including galaxies, star nurseries, dying stars, planets, and more. We couldn't believe 2.5 hours had passed when we left. Will definitely recommend it to everyone.

Wow this was one of the best things we did traveling in Utah for two weeks. Near Bryce Canyon. After a beautiful day of hiking and exploring the national park, we took a nap so we would be ready for our night time adventure. Please BELIEVE Kevin when he says it WILL clear up! I was worried about clouds but it DID clear and we DID see some amazing sights! Wow, a binary star! I loved the music and some joking during our learning sessions at the beginning and at the mid-point. DRESS warmly. the temps drop at night. I dressed pretty warmly but Kevin nicely had extra blankets and hot drinks!! What a great perk. I appreciate how hard it can be to answer the same questions over and over in the tourism industry and Kevin handles all questions patiently and with humor. Don't miss this opportunity.

Amazing. Memorable. Worth every penny. What a great way to spend our 30th anniversary night! We chose a private for two. Andy was so knowledgeable and interesting to talk to. The clear sky, at the new moon, was beyond anything we've experienced. The ability to just "play" with a 20" telescope at that location under those conditions was mind-blowing. Thank you, Kevin & Andy, for a truly memorable evening under - and among - the stars!

Well thought out experience. I've been twice now. The presentation covered different topics each time and were extremely captivating. But then... the night sky, the Milky Way, stars & nebula & pulsars - oh my. And as it got later: SATURN and PLUTO. Telescopes were top-notch, the Rangers were knowledgeable and friendly. This experience is on my permanent list for guests. Read their tips on the website for the best experience !

This was such a cool experience. I loved that they tailored it to audience interest. It was partly cloudy, but we saw incredible things, and the dark rangers pivoted quickly if clouds overtook a telescope's view. We are all English speakers, but they seemed to be versed in working with audiences who didn't primarily speak English.

We loved the Dark Ranger Telescope view of the stars. When we saw the rings of Saturn for the first time we knew our money was well spent. The talk was very entertaining Dress very warm. The high desert gets very cold at night.

Honestly our favorite thing we did while visiting Bryce. It's pure EDUtainment. Completely worth every penny and I'd do it again and again if we come back. I wish Kevin was my teacher in school... I would have been hooked. One word of warning... take dressing warm seriously. My son made fun of me for my multiple layers and bringing my own blanket ... which he ended up stealing mine.

This was so fun to check out STARS near Bryce Canyon. They had about a dozen telescopes run by an astronomy graduate student. Very cool! Lots of things to look at!

If you do anything while your in Bryce Canyon, it should most definitely be night sky viewing with Dark Ranger Tours! This was by far our favorite activity on our trip. Ray was our guide was very knowledgeable and excited to share all kinds of stars, constellations, planets and the moon with us. We did the private viewing tour and it was so worth it! I was anxious about clouds because the weather didn't cooperate the whole day with us, but we managed to get a few hours during our tour without clouds getting in the way, and got some amazing views. Another great thing is that these guys were so good about communication! They even gave us updates throughout the day on potential cloud cover and what to expect. All in all it was a great night! You are at 8000 feet elevation so even in the summer time, you will need long pants and a jacket. Thank you Dark Ranger tours!

It was a very fun night to see the stars. The one bummer is that when we went there were no planets out but that was not the tour companies fault. The one thing that was a big bummer was that when they put out drinks for everyone, my husband tried to move out of the way for others and he tripped over a cement slab that was 2 inches above the ground. There was no cone or anything to help him see it. He fell right on his back and 4 days later he is still in pain.

Excellent except my boobs and toes should never, never be allowed to get that cold. It was 32 degrees as we left. Three sweatshirts and a jacket, still bloody cold. Do yourself a favor and wear two pairs of socks, and sandwich in a hand warmer over each set of toes. Also have handwarmers in your gloves. All the cold aside, dang that was a great presentation. He's one serious geek. You get to see all kinds of astronomical stuff. It's fascinating. And amazing... and dark. Very dark, so you really see the stars.

We were excited to see the stars. We got to look at Jupiter, Saturn and the moon. The clarity was awesome. We also looked at other things like constellations, stars in the Big Dipper and various other stars. The presentation was generally over my head and difficult to focus since it was so cold outside. I would have rather talked about stars we could see with the naked eye and possibly how stars related to astrology, Overall, this was a great addition to our hiking vacation. If it was warmer, I would have enjoyed taking more time to ask questions and see more. The guys helping were willing to stay as long as we wanted. Dress warm!!

Dark Ranger Tours had the potential to be awesome, but we ended up disappointed. Our "tour" started an hour and a half late, an email going out 20 minutes before it was supposed to start. First annoyance since we were so far out of town. When it did start, we were told we'd look at some stars, get hot drinks, watch a presentation and look at more stars. We only did the first part. There were no cups provided for the hot drinks (if you've gotta bring your own, put it in the email) and the presentation never happened. We ended up leaving after a little over an hour. It had potential to be incredible, and it was to see the moon up close... but over promised, under delivered.

Awesome experience! Even if you aren't into Astronomy it's an amazing experience. Try to go on a night without full moon, but even then they have amazing stuff to show. It begins with a 30-45 min presentation, then they line up the telescopes to see different deep space objects. They supply coffee, Cider, tea. 10/10 experience.

Unfortunately there were clouds so our viewing was limited but the presentation was interesting and kept my 7 year old engaged. All over their site they warn how cold the evenings are and it was COLD! Hot drinks are provided which helps.

Great location not far off the main road. Amazing views of the night sky and I am from Northern Tucson, AZ area where I thought we had great views already. Truly amazing. I never saw so many satellites in one night which is an indication of how dark it really is; you pick up these moving objects easily. Not only do you get an education on stars and constellations, folks are funny, and a great atmosphere to learn about the stars and telescopes. The telescopes are moved frequently to keep you engaged. They educated us on the parade of planets that happened to be occurring and I woke up early the next AM and saw four planets together with the moon. Once in a life-time event and never would of done it without their education and outreach to help folks learn. My two teenagers [15 and 16] were not bored at all. My 16 year old son is an amateur enthusiast with his one telescope and couldn't of been happier. He actually said, "This is so beautiful". We stayed until 11:30PM and only left because we had to get up early for hiking. Staff are very responsive from booking, keeping you posted for the event in case weather does not play nice. It does cool off quickly so bring extra jackets and no shorts [check the temps :)]. They were nice enough to have extra blankets and some jackets for folks who forgot to bring anything. Keep up the great work. Amazing night time event that everyone should do.

It was cold, muddy and a bit cloudy but still an amazing experience. Listen to their suggestions regarding dressing warm. Seth was a great guide and very knowledgeable. My 8 and 10 year olds enjoyed it and I would do it again.

I would highly recommend making this part of your trip to the area. This is much more than just seeing the sky (which is truly amazing in this area of the country). The team is extremely knowledgeable and ensured that we not only saw cool stuff but also spent the time to explain exactly what we're seeing. They also went out of their way to address and reschedule a smokey night that obstructed the sky on the actual night we were scheduled for. We would 100% do this again next time we are in the area.

Dark Ranger Telescope Tours was our last stop on a week-long road trip from California, and Kevin definitely made it a worthwhile one. Kevin is the perfect tour guide. Not only is he very knowledgeable and obviously passionate about the objects in our night sky, but he communicates that knowledge in an accessible way while sprinkling his stories with humorous anecdotes. Although our party of 4 only ranged from 22 to 31, I think this tour would be an amazing experience for all ages and knowledge levels. Another thing I appreciated during these times was the care he put in ensuring a COVID-free, socially distant experience. Masks were required, and he takes special precautions with his telescope-friendly antiseptic cleaning regimen. Kevin puts a ton of warnings about this on his site, but it really does get very, very cold in the evenings. Please heed his advice to dress for potential sub-zero temperatures.

We had a very enjoyable evening at Dark Ranger Telescope Tours. The guys were very knowledgeable friendly, and entertaining. Unfortunately it was almost a full moon when we visited, which greatly Diminished what we could see, but we knew that in advance and this was not their fault. Even so, they pointed their telescopes to other distant constellations, galaxies, and such. Overall a very fun evening! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to others that share an interest in star gazing!

Rating one star because I can't rate any lower. Cancelled my tour without full refund. And this guy has BAD attitude problems. Take your time and money elsewhere.

What a fantastic experience! At first, my husband was a little skeptical about spending $50 for us to "look up at spots in the sky," but within the first five minutes of our telescope tour, he was hooked and we both decided it was worth every penny. Hot tea and coffee sealed the deal. We do recommend wearing every article of clothing you own- when the wind picks up, it's nippy! A+ job by the staff. We will definitely plan a repeat visit!

I took my 17-year-old son, who already loves Astronomy to stargaze with these professionals! There were several high-powered Telescopes set up, and we saw Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Beetle Juice, Andromeda, and too many more to mention. When in the area, I highly recommend making this part of your trip. Only use Google Maps though, to get you there. Also, you might want to go see where it is in the day, before venturing out at night, since it is incredibly dark and basically a dirt path. That is part of the excitement though, and when you get there, you know you are there since there is a big red-lit sign with the words Dark Rangers. My son was incredibly inspired and excited, it made a good trip even better!! Congrats to the Dark Rangers!

Totally worthwhile; extremely knowledgeable; very dedicated to everyone's enjoyment. They are masters of their equipment, subject, and even the weather.

Came here not exactly knowing what to expect but was blown away! Learned so much cool stuff about space and the planets! Saw Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, and so many other amazing things through high school quality telescopes. People running the place were very knowledgeable and a great overall experience!

TLDR; Wow, A MUST DO! One of the highlights of our trip to Utah! If you've ever aspired to stargaze in a dark place - or even if you have the slightest interest in astronomy - this tour will delight and inspire you. To say that Kevin is knowledgeable, and enthusiastic is an understatement. Telescope viewing of stars, galaxies, planets, etc., is broken up by two informative and entertaining presentations that made for a comprehensive experience. As is fully communicated when you book your reservation, bundle up! Extra blankets, jackets and warm drinks are provided, but preparation is key. We went mid-October and were thankful for our down jackets, hats and wool socks.

We had an amazing time looking at the moon and the stars! Kevin was humorous and knowledgeable. He explained things well to all of us that didn't know what we were looking at, and even let us touch the telescopes to help us focus on the stars. This was a great adventure for the family.

I went to dark Ranger telescope Tours three years ago and enjoyed The experience entirely. I've been back every year 2018 2019 and just went in July 2020. This time I brought my family and it was as much fun as it was the first time. We saw so many great constellations planets stars and galaxies. The owner Kevin is extremely knowledgeable and has a great humor. I highly recommend this experience id you're in Bryce Canyon. The one thing to remember is to wear warm clothes and expect to be there for a few hours you'll want to see as much as possible.

I've never been happier with a decision. In three hours I learned more about space than I had in my entire life. Kevin is phenomenal at his job. He is so knowledgeable and entertaining. Seth did a fantastic job as well! I still can't believe I saw Saturns rings and color on Jupiter. The technology is incredible! They also showed us Nebulas, star clusters, a comet, constellations and different visuals on the moon. I'm a complete "know nothing" when it comes to astronomy and I left enchanted. I can't wait to come back. Not kidding, I called all of my friends the next day to share what an exciting time it was. Thank you Kevin!

We were supposed to star gaze last night with Dark Ranger. Unfortunately the cloud cover didn't cooperate and Kevin cancelled the tour. Yet he decided to keep 21% of our money. We got 0% of the tour but 79% refund. When we complained Kevin referred us to his fine print. Be aware. Its bad enough that Kevin cancelled without enough notice to find something else to do for our one night in Bryce, but his theft of our money (for 4 people) adds intended insult to unintended injury. At the end, we did go out and saw some stars in the sky despite the clouds. Maybe Kevin just didn't feel like working. Find something else to do.

This place took my money and didn't even provide a tour. It was a slight cloudy evening when I got an email saying that my tour was cancelled. I did not get a refund in full. Ended up finding my own place to look at the stars and it was good enough. This guy must be a lazy bum. Do not use this service. Kevin is a scammer. I wonder if anyone gets a tour or just collects the "partial refund" as profit. This company should be sued for its lying terms of service. Just go to inspiration point at night.

Definitely recommend for anyone that is into astronomy, the galaxy, stars, etc.. these guys were very knowledgeable and pretty cool. Don't mind a few of the quirky/silly jokes, no harm intended! You get some quick history and knowledge of the sky to start, then it's time to see some cool stuff! After that go enjoy yourself some coffee, hot chocolate, or tea on the house. If after you enjoy your drinks, you need the restroom, they have a very clean and well lit with red light port a potty. Go sit back, relax, and learn a lot more about the sky, our Galaxy, and distant space stuff! After it gets really dark and your eyes adjust to complete darkness, you will get to see some really awesome deep sky things! I cannot recommend this enough and I highly advise that if it's a bit cool out be prepared for it to get cold! Dress warm and be prepared for it!

What a great experience. Even my 5 year old had a blast! Kevin is super knowledgeable and you can't find a better host then him! If we come back to Bryce we will be back without a doubt.

Wonderful viewing of the night skies, stars and moon!!! We especially liked the commentary with explanations of what we might see and other information! It was a fabulous evening!

Awesome experience! The website alone is hilarious. The Rangers are super nice and excited to share what they know about astronomy. The best part was the half dozen telescopes set up to view different planets, stars, constellations, etc. - like having astronomy concierges. The Rangers explain to you what you're looking at, and what to look for, and once everyone has gotten a chance to view, they move the telescopes onto the next cool thing to see. Went with my 84 year-old dad who LOVED it, definitely worth getting the zero-gravity chairs to sit in and view the milky way and shooting stars.

We visited Dark Ranger last night and I'm still in awe from what we saw. Kevin and Logan were so knowledgeable, entertaining and absolutely amazing! There was a great session on how to use a telescope followed by a presentation on the planets, which was great. We were able to see every single planet in the night sky, except for Mercury which was already passed the horizon. They showed us galaxies, star clusters, the Milky Way, you name it. It was absolutely incredible. Please if you're in the Bryce Canyon area, this is a MUST DO. Also, heed their warning and dress warmly! It does get very chilly out. They do provide blankets and hot drinks, but a jacket is recommended. Thank you Kevin and Logan -- we're so grateful to have been able to see so much of our night sky!

We were there on the 12th, it was a smaller group that night so we all got plenty of telescope time until about 11:45 when the clouds came in. Prior to that we saw shooting stars, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, globular cluster galaxies, our own moon and much more. Like the comment below said, they have zero gravity chairs that we laid in to watch the shooting stars and just relax and watch the night sky. The presentation was a little dry but it's okay, when we are back in the area we will go again, if was fun and the guys were educated, helpful and nice! A+ for all the rangers!

Very informative and fun! Kevin showed us a fun slideshow with quizzes and cool graphics! Spend the rest of the night looking at star clusters, far away nebulas and even a dying star! Highly recommend this amazing activity if you're in the area and make sure to bring warm clothes!

I like this place a lot! Make sure you follow the directions they give you. It's on a gravel road not much light at night which is a good thing. The stories they tell and what you see through the telescope are amazing. All the telescope operators are full of knowledge. Definitely coming back here.

Had a great time!! Kevin is very informative, a great teacher, and very entertaining. He has a great sense of humor. I've always been interested in astronomy, but never had the chance to take a class. I learned so much, and had a fun time. Don't forget to bring warm clothes, because it does get cold!

We arranged for Dark Ranger to come and do a private presentation to 4 adults and my two kids, ages 7 and 9. They sent Logan, who is a young, super fun, upbeat and incredibly knowledgeable Dark Ranger. I cannot recommend this company and Logan enough. He kept our kids captivated, as well as all of us, while doing his multi-media presentation. He had the whole area set up with chairs for us too, so we didn't have to sit on the ground. Looking at the stars and planets was equally captivating and mind-blowing. This is an amazing company!

This is the best part of our stay in Bryce Canyon. It was fun, educational and worth every minute of our tour. And yes! I can't get enough of looking at Saturn and Jupiter!!! For the first time, it was up close and personal. The staff was very knowledgable and passionate about astronomy. I would recommend this tour to everyone!

I do astronomy, and I love coming here. I always learn new things with these guys, and fun to try new targets with their big scopes!!

unfortunately it was a full moon but we were told that there was lots to see. unfortunately what we saw with the naked eye was the same in the telescope. nothing that really blew us away. I wish we could have been told about the full moon, they were concerned about the clouds however. the guides were very knowledgeable so that helped but I would have skipped it during the full moon had I known.

We loved this activity, even with the freezing temperatures in December we loved all of the amazing things we could see in the telescopes.

Great experience! The night sky in Bryce is phenomenal, and Dark Ranger aka "Kevin" made the night sky come alive as he regaled us with ancient stories, adding in funny tidbits and interesting bitesite chunks of historical and contemporary science. Perfect balance of entertainment and education. Recommend renting the zero gravity chairs and dressing like you're gonna be skiing for a couple of hours. Also, we drove to the sight during the day to confirm Google could navigate correctly. It is pretty challenging to navigate the dirt road driveway at night unless you have seen it previously. We wore down parkas, ski bib-overalls, snow boots, winter gloves and hats. We did not bring blankets, but probably should have, as that would have made lying on the zero gravity chairs that much more comfortable. Hot water to mix with packaged cider, hot chocolate, etc. were provided. It gets pitch dark, so using an infrared light on the way back to the parking lot would be helpful. We used our phone flashlight, but out of respect for those who stayed longer, we wish we could used a less invasive light source as we walked back to our vehicle. Will definitely do this again! In fact, we're planning another trip to Bryce this September. Can't wait!

Kevin was informative, personable and humorous. We loved the experience for our whole family. The value was great because there was plenty of viewing time, hot drinks and a short movie. We recommend it!

Such down to earth people. Jaxton gave a fantastic presentation to give a little perspective as to what you're actually witnessing. We got to see so many amazing things! They were more than accommodating- from booking on their user friendly website, to offering hot drinks and blankets as we waited for the moon to come up. What gorgeous views of the Milky Way, other galaxies, planets, etc. It was a highlight!

Was really looking forward to seeing the dark sky near Bryce and this did not disappoint. Went with my family for my birthday and Kevin was both informative, but funny and entertaining (my teenager really dug his science jokes/puns). We lasted the longest as they will keep pointing the cameras at cool stuff until you get tired or cold. We saw 6 planets, star clusters, galaxies, nebulas, etc. Even the dark sky to see the spur of the Milky Way we can see from Earth was just incredible. We live in such a vast galaxy, universe, you really get to experience our little slice of it with the Dark Ranger Telescope Tour

Last-minute decision to go off the beaten path was a fabulous one, indeed. A client told me about Dark Rangers just a few days prior and I took my 12-year-old son with me. It was easy to find using WAZE. The price was right, especially for students! They seriously have the nicest and cleanest portable bathroom I have ever seen and used. They had 6 telescopes that evening and nature did not disappoint. The owners are funny, engaging, incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the great sky above us! I will come again and encourage everyone to take some time out to see just how amazingly beautiful our surroundings are! And yes, dress warm! It was a humbling, beautiful and overwhelming experience!

We can't stop talking about our awesome experience with Dark Ranger Telescope Tours. Highly recommend to anyone visiting Bryce Canyon to put this on your list! We were able to observe Saturn and it's rings, Jupiter and it's moons, our moon, multiple star clusters, other galaxies, exploding stars, the Milky Way, and so much more! The presentations are super informative as well. Follow the instructions given on the website and reminder emails. DRESS warm no matter what the temp during the day is. You don't want to leave early and miss out because you're cold!