Last year was my first real attempt at hunting down the Perseid meteor shower. There’s too much light pollution for good stargazing where I live in San Diego, but in August of 2023, I happened to be in Park City, Utah—just a stone’s throw from remote trails and dark skies. So, my family and I drove 20 minutes to sit in a meadow in Jordanelle State Park, and waited for the sun to set.

We camped out for a couple hours as I reckoned with the size of our universe. The realization that our world extends far beyond the boundaries of our atmosphere could be overwhelming for some, but I was in awe of the natural phenomena we get to experience because of it. I remember seeing so many shooting stars that there was no longer the need to point out each one. (According to NASA, you can see up to 100 meteors per hour during the peak. The Perseids are famous because they reliably have the strongest, brightest, and most meteors shooting through the sky.) It was so amazing that I want to make it a tradition to seek them out every summer. Want to join me? Use this guide to watch the Perseids at some of the best meteor-viewing spots across the U.S.

How To See The Meteor Shower

As you read this, our planet is passing through a trail of space debris left by the massive Swift-Tuttle comet. Particles left behind from the comet enter our atmosphere where they disintegrate as bright streaks in the sky. We’re essentially doing the astral equivalent of driving through a patch of bugs on the highway. We’ll officially exit the comet’s meteor-filled trail September 1, so you can meteor-watch whenever you want for the rest of the summer.

Your best shot at seeing shooting stars? The night of Monday, August 12 through the predawn hours of Tuesday, August 13. That’s when our planet passes through the comet’s densest debris cloud. There’s a downside to this timing, though: The moon will be about 50 percent full on August 13, so dark skies aren’t necessarily a given until moonset, which could be sometime between midnight and 1 a.m. local time.

Where To See The Perseids

The Perseids meteor shower happens each summer—ideal timing for late-night adventures. During its August peak, the air stays warm enough at night to warrant staying out until the wee hours—making viewing a lot more comfortable than watching the Geminids in December. Last year in Park City, I could have stayed out all night to watch shooting stars. Utah has the densest population of International Dark-Sky Association-certified areas, so we were spoiled with clear views, even just a couple miles outside of the city.

Whether or not you’re in Utah, you should look for a couple things in a stargazing spot: Trails with lots of sky visibility—no dense tree cover, smoke, light pollution, or smog clouding the view. If you can, hike in protected dark sky places.

Sure, you could just drive in and drive out when you’re done meteor peeping, but nothing ruins a post-meteor high like having to drive several hours home in the middle of the night. The better bet? Watch the meteor shower from your tent on these backpacking trails:

Maroon Bells, Colorado

John Denver decided to write “Rocky Mountain High” while watching the Perseid meteor shower from Williams Lake. Want to see what he was on about? Pass this lake (and many others) on this backpacking trip around the Maroon Bells. Maybe on this loop trail, you’ll truly relate to his lyrics: “I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky,” “The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye,” and “Serenity of a clear blue mountain lake.” Well-trained backpackers could take this trail as an overnight, but if you don’t want to average 20-mile days, it’s recommended to spend at least a couple nights out there.

Tige Rim Loop, New Mexico

New Mexico’s Cosmic Campground was the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary in North America, but astrally inclined adventurers usually fill up this first-come, first-served campsite days before the Perseid peak. Good news for solitude seekers: You can experience the same dark skies without the crowds just an hour’s drive north. Here, the Tige Rim Loop trail straddles the New Mexico-Arizona border. This trail isn’t mileage-heavy, but you might need to hike at a slower clip to manage the rocky terrain. There are plenty of spaces along the trail where clearings in the Ponderosa pine forest offer wide-open views of the stars.

Lion’s Head via Red Creek, West Virginia

Look at a light pollution map, and you’ll see heavy pollution east of the Mississippi River, with one exception: most of West Virginia. This swath of the Appalachians offers some of the darkest skies in eastern North America. For a great intro to West Virginia stargazing, target an overnight in the Dolly Sods Wilderness. Relax near the precipice of Lion’s Head, one of the most popular viewpoints in the wilderness area, and watch the stars scrape the skies over the silhouette of distant mountains. Be sure to download the map ahead of your trip: Some hikers have reported long stretches between blazes and scant cell service.

North Twin, South Twin, Guyot, Bonds, and Hale Loop, New Hampshire

Another incredible dark-sky region east of the Mississippi? Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Light pollution from Boston and New York City does bleed into these states a bit, but there are large pockets of clear, dark skies perfect for the Perseids. Packing poles and going counter-clockwise (to get the hard uphill out of the way) is the key to success on this steep lollipop loop. Set up camp at the Guyot campsite 7.5 miles from the trailhead and view the Perseid meteor shower from either West Bond, Mt. Bond, or Bondcliff nearby. This campsite, which features a shelter and several tent platforms, is popular, so be sure to get there before dinnertime for the best spot.

Bonus: On the second day, there’s an abandoned fire warden’s trail on the west side of Hale Peak that you can take to North Twin Trail and back to the trailhead. (This is the route on our Gaia GPS map.) The trail is rugged and usually missing from official White Mountain Trail System maps, but volunteers still unofficially maintain it, and enough people hike it regularly that there’s a clear path to follow.