Weather in your inbox

Forecast Location

Sign Up

By signing up you agree to the Terms & Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe at any time.

Utah's Rainbow Bridge National Monument has been named the fourth international dark sky sanctuary in the world, distinguishing it as one of the darkest, most remote places on Earth with unparalleled, light-pollution-free views of the night sky.

The United States National Parks Service and the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) announced the designation last week in a joint press release, noting the quality of the 160-acre site's "naturally dark night skies" and cultural heritage, according to a press release.

“This designation is an important step to ensure we protect the entirety of the landscape at Rainbow Bridge National Monument, which is sacred to many of the Native American Tribes in the area,” said William Shott, Superintendent of Rainbow Bridge National Monument and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. “We’re thrilled to be the first National Park Service unit to receive this specific designation, as this will only fuel our night sky preservation efforts.”

(MORE: Bizarre Arctic Sea Ice Circles Spotted)

Rainbow Bridge joins Cosmic Campground in western New Mexico's Gila National Forest, Chile's Gabriela Mistral and New Zealand's Aotea/Great Barrier Island in the elite club of sanctuaries.

IDA also classifies hundreds of other sites, parks and communities around the world, including dozens in the U.S., in its Dark-Sky Places Program, but they are not as exclusive and remote as sanctuaries. The organization began the program in 2001 to celebrate and "encourage the protection of natural dark night skies around the globe."

Rainbow Bridge is located in southeastern Utah and can only be accessed by boat via Lake Powell or by backpacking in from Navajo Mountain. It is also noteworthy as the first Traditional Cultural Property accredited through the program, IDA Executive Director J. Scott Feierabend said.

“In the span of this remarkable natural bridge, we see symbolically represented the arch of the Milky Way across the night sky, a reminder of the long-held value of both Rainbow Bridge and the natural night sky to native peoples of the area,” Feierabend added.