The US's First Glass-Dome Resort Is Opening Near Bryce Canyon National Park

Photo: Clear Sky Bryce Canyon

While the resort is designed to be a basecamp for visitors to nearby Bryce Canyon National Park, resort developers are also hoping to attract guests wanting to take advantage of the park’s status as an International Dark Sky Park. The designation was awarded in 2019, and current estimates are that it’s possible to see 2.2 million light years away to the Andromeda Galaxy — roughly 527,000,000,000,000,000 miles from earth. Many of the park’s guided programs focus on stargazing, included ranger-led night hikes and guided telescope sessions.

Bryce Canyon National Park is an International Dark Sky Park. Photo: Colin D. Young/Shutterstock

Travelers at Clear Sky Bryce Canyon will be able to choose from standard or deluxe domes, as well as suites like a disco dome or multi-room suite to sleep eight. The resort is currently open for reservations, with rates starting around $525 per night. As of April 2024, rooms are 30 percent off as part of a grand opening special for guests who stay three or more nights.

Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon will be the second Clear Sky Resort in the US, following the opening of Clear Sky Resorts Grand Canyon, open seasonally from the end of April to mid-November. The Grand Canyon resort’s domes aren’t glass, but they do have floor-to-ceiling windows and excellent stargazing, given that the Grand Canyon is also a designated dark sky park.

Other dome resorts in the US

 

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Dome resorts are just starting to become more popular around the US, but there are a few available for guests who don’t have plans to be in Utah anytime soon.

Near Texas’ Big Bend National Park is the Summit at Big Bend, a domed resort in the desert. Options include glamping domes with clear walls or stargazing domes with clear roofs, and rates start at $199 per night. In Alaska, visitors to Fairbanks can take advantage of the city’s nine-month window for watching the northern lights by staying in a clear dome at Borealis Basecamp. El Mystico Ranch offers bubble domes in the high desert of New Mexico, and Airbnb offers a host of domed properties, plus a variety of glass-roofed properties in areas with great stargazing potential.