The core clears 10 degrees during full darkness on most nights from March to September. In January, February, October, November and December it's out of reach, either too close to the Sun or too low in the dark.
Core score by month
| Month | Core score | Best week | Moon-free core hours a night | Average cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | Core not visible | 0 | 77% |
| February | 0 | February 9 to 15 | 0.0 | 76% |
| March | 6 | March 10 to 16 | 1.1 | 78% |
| April | 13 | April 6 to 12 | 2.0 | 74% |
| May | 22 | May 4 to 10 | 3.0 | 71% |
| June | 36 | June 1 to 7 | 4.1 | 64% |
| July | 35 | July 1 to 7 | 3.9 | 64% |
| August | 22 | August 1 to 7 | 2.4 | 64% |
| September | 10 | September 1 to 7 | 1.0 | 60% |
| October | 2 | October 1 to 7 | 0.2 | 63% |
| November | 0 | Core not visible | 0 | 72% |
| December | 0 | Core not visible | 0 | 77% |
Times are for the best seven nights in each month. Moon-free means the moon is below the horizon. The core counts as visible above 10 degrees in full darkness, when the Sun is more than 18 degrees below the horizon.
The best nights in 2027
- May: May 5 is the best night. The core is above 10 degrees and the moon is down from 1:26 am to 4:16 am, with the moon 0% lit that night.
- June: June 4 is the best night. The core is above 10 degrees and the moon is down from 11:26 pm to 3:36 am, with the moon 0% lit that night.
- July: July 1 is the best night. The core is above 10 degrees and the moon is down from 11:06 pm to 3:06 am, with the moon 5% lit that night.
Clock times are Pacific time with daylight saving applied. The best nights fall around the new moon, so the dates shift by about 11 days each year.
About Redwood National and State Parks
Redwood National and State Parks protect some of the tallest trees on earth, along the foggy coast of northern California. Walking among them feels quiet and a bit unreal, with ferns on the ground and light falling in long shafts. Beyond the trees, there are rugged beaches and prairies with elk.
The national park was created in 1968, and the state parks nearby had been protecting redwoods since the 1920s, when the Save the Redwoods League raised funds. The national and state parks are managed together. UNESCO named them a World Heritage Site in 1980.
Redwood National and State Parks are a group of national and state parks in California. The National Park Service places its center at 41.37 degrees north and 124.03 degrees west, and the sky calculations on this page use that point. Visitor information, fees and alerts are on the park's own page. National Park Service (opens in a new tab).
How Redwood National and State Parks compares
Its best monthly core score of 36 ranks 47 of 54 national park units that can see the core. The highest is Lassen Volcanic National Park at 86, and the lowest is Voyageurs National Park at 13. Cloud at Redwood National and State Parks runs from 60% in September to 78% in March.
The score ranks months and parks. It isn't a forecast for any night, and it leaves out local weather, smoke and light from nearby towns. How the core score works.
How dark is the sky?
The Park Service models how much artificial light brightens the sky across the lower 48. At the point used for Redwood National and State Parks, it puts the added glow at about 5% of the natural brightness of a moonless sky (a ratio of 0.051). That makes it 9th darkest of the 47 parks it covers. Lower is darker. This is a model, not a reading taken at the park, and it describes one point, so the edges of a large park can differ.
Questions people ask
When is the best time to see the Milky Way at Redwood National and State Parks?
May, June and July are the best months. The best week of 2027 is June 1 to 7.
Can you see the Milky Way at Redwood National and State Parks all year?
The core clears 10 degrees during full darkness on most nights from March to September. In January, February, October, November and December it's out of reach, either too close to the Sun or too low in the dark.
How dark is the sky at Redwood National and State Parks?
The Park Service models how much artificial light brightens the sky across the lower 48. At the point used for Redwood National and State Parks, it puts the added glow at about 5% of the natural brightness of a moonless sky (a ratio of 0.051). That makes it 9th darkest of the 47 parks it covers. Lower is darker. This is a model, not a reading taken at the park, and it describes one point, so the edges of a large park can differ.
Does the moon matter at Redwood National and State Parks?
Yes. A bright moon hides the Milky Way. The best night in June is June 4, when the moon is 0% lit and the core is above 10 degrees from 11:26 pm to 3:36 am.
