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Dark skies in and around Ohio

Ohio is bright, but not everywhere. Here are the certified dark sky places we confirmed in Ohio, and the nearest of our listed places across the state line.

Certified places in Ohio

Fry Family Park

Urban Night Sky Place

Ohio · Stark Parks (Stark County Park District)
Address the agency lists: 2533 Farber St. SE, Magnolia, OH 44643

“Fry Family Park was awarded an Urban Night Sky Place Certification from the International Dark Sky Association”

Source: starkparks.com (the managing agency's page)

Distance reference point: the address the agency lists. It's for measuring distance, not for navigation; use the agency's own directions to get there. View reference point on map for Fry Family Park

Observatory Park

Dark Sky Park

Ohio · Geauga Park District
Address the agency lists: 10610 Clay Street Montville Township

“Observatory Park has permanent distinction from the International Dark-Sky Association as a Silver Tier Dark Sky Park”

Source: geaugaparkdistrict.org (the managing agency's page)

Distance reference point: the address the agency lists. It's for measuring distance, not for navigation; use the agency's own directions to get there. View reference point on map for Observatory Park

Visitor guide for Observatory Park

The rest of the country is on our dark sky places page.

Closest outside Ohio, among the places we list

Our calculationStraight-line miles from the center of each ZIP code (US Census 2024) to each listed place's distance reference point. Driving is longer. 13 listed places have no reference point and aren't ranked, and distances to a ZIP-code or town center are approximate.

From Cleveland (44101)

  1. Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania about 193 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: center of the agency address's ZIP code (approximate)
  2. Dr. T.K. Lawless Park, Michigan 218 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: agency address
  3. Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park, West Virginia about 236 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: center of the agency address's ZIP code (approximate)
  4. Watoga State Park, West Virginia about 241 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: center of the agency address's ZIP code (approximate)

From Columbus (43215)

  1. Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park, West Virginia about 188 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: center of the agency address's ZIP code (approximate)
  2. Watoga State Park, West Virginia about 199 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: center of the agency address's ZIP code (approximate)
  3. Dr. T.K. Lawless Park, Michigan 200 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: agency address
  4. Calvin Price State Forest, West Virginia about 209 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: center of the agency address's ZIP code (approximate)

From Cincinnati (45202)

  1. Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky 159 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: NPS park location
  2. Pickett CCC Memorial State Park and Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area (Pickett-Pogue International Dark Sky Park), Tennessee 177 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: agency's map point
  3. Middle Fork River Forest Preserve, Illinois 203 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: agency address
  4. Dr. T.K. Lawless Park, Michigan 206 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: agency address

From Toledo (43604)

  1. Dr. T.K. Lawless Park, Michigan 121 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: agency address
  2. Middle Fork River Forest Preserve, Illinois 246 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: agency address
  3. Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania about 288 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: center of the agency address's ZIP code (approximate)
  4. Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park, West Virginia about 292 mi
    Dark Sky Park · measured to: center of the agency address's ZIP code (approximate)

The Geminids from Ohio

The peak night is Dec 13–14, 2026, per the American Meteor Society. The US Naval Observatory shows a waxing crescent Moon, 19% lit on Dec 13 and 27% on Dec 14. AMS: “This is the one major shower that provides good activity before midnight, as the constellation Gemini is well placed from 22:00 onward.” Our calculationThe radiant is highest around 2 a.m., local mean solar time; in Ohio that's roughly half an hour later on the clock. We don't know what the December sky will do, so check a forecast and keep a backup night in mind. All the Geminid details.

Ohio questions

Are there certified dark sky places in Ohio?

Yes. We confirmed 2 certified places in Ohio on the agencies' own websites: Fry Family Park (Urban Night Sky Place) and Observatory Park (Dark Sky Park).

Which certified places outside Ohio are closest?

Among the places we list with a distance reference point, it depends where you start. From Cleveland (ZIP 44101), it's Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania, about 193 straight-line miles to center of the agency address's ZIP code (approximate). From Columbus (ZIP 43215), it's Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park in West Virginia, about 188 straight-line miles to center of the agency address's ZIP code (approximate). From Cincinnati (ZIP 45202), it's Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, about 159 straight-line miles to NPS park location. From Toledo (ZIP 43604), it's Dr. T.K. Lawless Park in Michigan, about 121 straight-line miles to agency address. Distances measured to a ZIP-code or town center are approximate, so places within a few miles of each other could swap order.

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