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In Paonia, a town of 1,500 residents in Colorado’s West Elk Mountains, pitching a tent in the high country and gazing up at the stars is a right of passage. The town in 2024 became Colorado’s sixth International Dark Sky Community and DarkSky International’s 17th International Dark Sky Place. Here, you’re isolated from any semblance of big city life — artificial lighting is scarce, and traffic is nonexistent.
