Best Dark Sky Locations in Ontario for Astrophotography
Planning for Nightscape and Astrophotography (specifically Milkyway photography) can be very difficult at times. The combination of decent weather, minimal cloud cover, low light pollution, and other factors are all considered. Once you’ve planned everything, executing on an often cold, dark night is a whole different challenge. Searching for compositions in the dark requires a bit more effort as well. That’s why starting during the day or at least at Blue Hour is a good idea as you have more light to help you navigate. And, while some areas in Ontario such as Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve are known for low light pollution, it can be quite messy for photography.
The below locations from my experience are not only dark sky locations classified as at least a Bortle 4.5 (lower the better) but also will give you options to include landscapes and other interesting objects in your photos for a better result.
Bruce Peninsula/Tobermory
Bruce Peninsula National Park and Tobermory is a large area with some amazing views of the night sky. I would recommend camping out at Bruce Peninsula National Park or even Flower Pot Island (note that camping spots are very limited). With a bit of hiking and navigating, you can include some beautiful rock formations, caves, etc. in your photos.
Tobermory, Ontario
Lion’s Head
Close to Bruce Peninsula National Park is the small town of Lion’s Head. During the summer Bayside Astronomy hosts stargazing nights with many high-end telescopes. Search around the area by the shores off of Bruin St and you can end up with one of your favourite Nightscape photos.
Lion’s Head, Ontario
Algonquin Provincial Park
One of the most popular parks in Ontario for camping is also known for its great night skies. Although just a few hour’s drive North of Toronto, visit at the right time and you may even be able to spot the Northern Lights, although it will be very faint.
What I love about Algonquin Provincial Park is the multiple lakes, campgrounds, etc. with large wide-open landscapes. This is a preference for Astrophotography for me personally, as it somewhat represents Space.
Star trails at Algonquin Provincial Park
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
Sleeping Provincial Park is located in Northwestern Ontario, south of Thunderbay. It’s known for one of the best hikes in Ontario. Whether you’re taking a shot of the Sleeping Giant, or, from the top of the Sleeping Giant once you’ve completed the hike, you can get some fantastic Astrophotography shots under the dark, roughly Bortle 3 sky.
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
Pukaskwa National Park
While Pukaskwa National Park is not officially a Dark-Sky Preserve, it has some of the darkest skies I’ve experienced. Not to mention it’s not as popular as other locations, mostly due to the distance from the city. That means many spots that’re well-suited for compositions, you can have all to yourself. Whether you’re overlooking some of the smaller lakes or Lake Superior at the end of short hikes, you can get some great shots here as well.
Pukaskwa National Park
Point Pelee National Park
Last but not least is Point Pelee National Park, which happens to be the most southern point in not just Ontario but all of Canada. Walking along the shorelines can reveal some interesting compositions looking into the Milkyway. Note that you may need to camp overnight at Camp Henry, which are pre-built tents and very limited in number. It’s not the darkest location, but it does make the cut-off as a Bortle 4.5.
