Headlands International Dark Sky Park

The Headlands is an Emmet County park on the Straits of Mackinac, just west of Mackinaw City at the northern tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The county describes about 550 acres of woods and more than two miles of undeveloped Lake Michigan shoreline. In 2011 the International Dark-Sky Association named it an International Dark Sky Park, one of the first ten in the world. Our light pollution map estimates Bortle 4 at the coordinates we use, and the county doesn't publish a sky quality meter reading on its visitor pages.

The grounds are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can stay overnight to stargaze, but camping is not allowed. The viewing area sits about a mile from parking, and the county suggests arriving before sunset. On clear nights with an aurora forecast the small lot can fill early. White lights are banned in the viewing zones, and red-filtered flashlights are sold on site. An observatory tower with restrooms at its base, a waterfront event center and a gift shop round out the facilities. The county warns it often runs about 10 degrees colder than you expect, because of the lake.

The Milky Way core stays low this far north. It peaks only around 15 degrees above the southern horizon, and our data puts May, July and June at the top for core hours. The park lists the summer Milky Way over Lake Michigan among its seasonal highlights. For the northern lights, it says the viewing area has no north-facing vantage point, so trees may block low aurora.