Perseid Meteor Shower 2025: Best Times & Locations by U.S. State

Perseid Meteor Shower 2025: Best Times & Locations by U.S. State

Below is a state-by-state guide for viewing the 2025 Perseid meteor shower. Each entry lists the best date(s) (around the shower’s peak in mid-August 2025), the ideal time window in local time (when meteors are most visible), and one or more recommended dark-sky locations known for low light pollution (e.g. national/state parks or remote areas). All times are given in the state’s local time zone (Daylight Time where applicable).

• Alabama – Best Date: Night of August 12–13, 2025 (Perseid peak); Time Window: ~12:00 AM – 4:00 AM CDT (from midnight until pre-dawn hours); Viewing Spot: Cheaha Mountain – Alabama’s highest elevation with very dark skies (also consider Conecuh National Forest for even darker surroundings).

  
  

• Alaska – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025 (peak night); Time: ~12:00 AM – 3:00 AM AKDT (late night to before sunrise) – note that far-north locales have shorter dark periods. Spot: Murphy Dome – a hilltop outside Fairbanks popular for aurora and meteor viewing (other dark-sky spots include Denali National Park and Hatcher Pass).

  
  

• Arizona – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025 (peak night); Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM MST (pre-dawn hours offer the best show); Spot: Chiricahua National Monument (IDA-certified Dark Sky Park in remote southeastern AZ). Alternative: Grand Canyon or Flagstaff area (both known for exceptionally dark skies).

  
  

• Arkansas – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM CDT (after midnight until dawn); Spot: Buffalo National River – an IDA-certified dark sky sanctuary in the Ozarks, offering secluded viewing along river valleys.

  
  

• California – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 5:00 AM PDT (best in the early morning hours before twilight); Spot: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park – IDA-certified dark sky park in southern CA’s desert. (California’s other renowned stargazing spots include Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks, which also offer excellent dark skies).

  
  

• Colorado – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~1:00 – 5:00 AM MDT (peak viewing in the wee hours before dawn); Spot: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park – an IDA-certified Dark Sky Park with steep canyon walls that block stray light (other Colorado dark-sky sites include Jackson Lake State Park).

  
  

• Connecticut – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT (post-midnight through pre-dawn); Spot: Lovers Leap State Park – a secluded park in western Connecticut known for its dark skies.

  
  

• Delaware – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT (midnight to early morning); Spot: Trap Pond State Park – a rural park in southern Delaware with minimal light pollution, ideal for an overnight meteor-gazing campout.

  
  

• Florida – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 5:00 AM EDT (the late night hours until dawn); Spot: Big Cypress National Preserve – one of the darkest areas in South Florida, offering expansive night skies just a short drive from Miami. (Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park is another certified dark-sky site in FL’s interior).

  
  

• Georgia – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 5:00 AM EDT (peak meteor activity in pre-dawn hours); Spot: Stephen C. Foster State Park – an IDA-certified dark sky park in the Okefenokee Swamp region, known for exceptionally starry skies.

  
  

• Hawaii – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~11:00 PM – 4:00 AM HST (meteor counts increase after midnight, local time); Spot: Mauna Kea – the summit area on the Big Island, above the clouds, offers unparalleled darkness and clarity for meteor watching (home to world-famous observatories).

  
  

• Idaho – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~1:00 – 5:00 AM MDT (late night to pre-dawn); Spot: Craters of the Moon National Monument – an IDA-certified dark sky park with otherworldly lava landscape and very low light pollution. (Also notable: Bruneau Dunes State Park, Idaho’s newest Dark Sky Park, offers an observatory and excellent meteor viewing opportunities.)

  
  

• Illinois – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM CDT (prime viewing after midnight); Spot: Middle Fork River Forest Preserve – a designated dark-sky preserve in east-central Illinois, offering open sky views and camping areas for stargazers.

  
  

• Indiana – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 5:00 AM EDT (meteors most visible in the early morning hours); Spot: Beverly Shores / Indiana Dunes National Park – along Lake Michigan’s shore, far from city lights, providing dark skies (this area of NW Indiana is known for regular stargazing events).

  
  

• Iowa – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM CDT (midnight to dawn); Spot: Whiterock Conservancy – a large reserve in rural Iowa boasting the state’s darkest skies. (Other Iowa stargazing sites include Preparation Canyon State Park and the Eastern Iowa Observatory).

  
  

• Kansas – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM CDT (optimal in the wee hours before sunrise); Spot: Arikaree Breaks – a remote canyonland area in extreme NW Kansas known for its clear, dark night skies (Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is another good stargazing spot in KS).

  
  

• Kentucky – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~1:00 – 5:00 AM EDT (best after midnight up to dawn); Spot: Mammoth Cave National Park – an IDA-certified dark sky park (Kentucky’s first), where the rural sky is exceptionally dark above the world’s longest cave system.

  
  

• Louisiana – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM CDT (late night through early morning); Spot: Kisatchie National Forest – Louisiana’s only national forest, prized by astrophotographers for brilliant Milky Way views and meteor sightings.

  
  

• Maine – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT (peak viewing in the pre-dawn darkness); Spot: AMC Maine Woods (Moosehead Lake region) – an IDA-certified International Dark Sky Park comprising a vast wilderness with extremely dark skies.

  
  

• Maryland – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT (midnight to predawn is optimal); Spot: Tuckahoe State Park – an Eastern Shore park with minimal light pollution (nearby Point Lookout State Park on the Bay is another favored stargazing spot).

  
  

• Massachusetts – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT (after midnight until first light); Spot: Cape Cod National Seashore – the outer Cape’s beaches have some of the darkest skies in MA, offering expansive oceanfront views of the meteor shower (Halibut Point State Park in Rockport is another local favorite).

  
  

• Michigan – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 5:00 AM EDT (late night through dawn); Spot: Dr. T.K. Lawless Park – an IDA-certified dark sky park in southwestern Michigan. (Michigan boasts multiple dark-sky parks; also notable are Headlands Dark Sky Park on Lake Michigan and Keweenaw Dark Sky Park in the Upper Peninsula.)

  
  

• Minnesota – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 5:00 AM CDT (best in the dark hours before sunrise); Spot: Voyageurs National Park – an IDA-certified International Dark Sky Park far from city lights, known for hosting annual star parties under its pristine skies. (The Boundary Waters Wilderness is another excellent area for dark skies in MN.)

  
  

• Mississippi – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM CDT (prime hours after midnight); Spot: Natchez Trace Parkway – a scenic historic parkway with several campgrounds where you can camp out and stargaze all night long. (Rural areas like Choctaw County and De Soto National Forest also have notably dark skies in Mississippi.)

  
  

• Missouri – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM CDT (midnight to early morning); Spot: Whetstone Creek Conservation Area – a remote conservation area in central Missouri offering very dark skies (other options include Echo Bluff State Park in the Ozarks).

  
  

• Montana – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM MDT (late night until pre-dawn); Spot: Glacier National Park – an IDA-certified Dark Sky Park spanning the remote Montana Rockies (paired with Waterton Lakes in Canada), providing superb darkness for meteor viewing.

  
  

• Nebraska – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM CDT (after midnight is ideal); Spot: Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area – an IDA-designated dark sky site in the Sandhills that has hosted the annual Nebraska Star Party for decades, attesting to its excellent night-sky quality.

  
  

• Nevada – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM PDT (best in the wee hours of the morning); Spot: Great Basin National Park – a remote eastern Nevada park with virtually no light pollution (one of the top U.S. locations for meteor showers). Great Basin is an official dark sky park known for dazzling views of the Milky Way and meteor displays.

  
  

• New Hampshire – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT (peak viewing in pre-dawn darkness); Spot: White Lake State Park – a quiet lake park in the White Mountains region with excellent dark skies (other NH dark-sky spots include Coleman State Park in the Great North Woods).

  
  

• New Jersey – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT; Spot: Cape May – the coastal area near Cape May Lighthouse at the southern tip of New Jersey offers some of the darkest skies in the state over the Atlantic. (Star parties are also frequently held at Belleplain State Forest in southern NJ for meteor viewing).

  
  

• New Mexico – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM MDT (midnight to dawn is best); Spot: Capulin Volcano National Monument – an IDA-certified dark sky park (extinct volcano) in NE New Mexico that offers unobstructed 360° night skies. (Other top NM meteor spots: Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Clayton Lake State Park, both renowned for dark skies).

  
  

• New York – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT; Spot: Lake Taghkanic State Park – a rural park in New York’s Hudson Valley region noted for its relatively dark skies away from city lights. (For even darker skies in NY, consider the Adirondack Park or Catskills region.)

  
  

• North Carolina – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 5:00 AM EDT (best in the hours before sunrise); Spot: Cape Lookout National Seashore – an IDA-certified coastal dark sky park on the Outer Banks, where the isolated beaches provide ideal darkness for meteor gazing. (Also recommended: Mayland “Earth to Sky” Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains).

  
  

• North Dakota – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM CDT (late night through early morning); Spot: Theodore Roosevelt National Park – a remote badlands park in western North Dakota with exceptionally dark skies. (For a more adventurous setting, star-seekers also hike into Pembina Gorge in ND’s rural northeast for dark skies).

  
  

• Ohio – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT; Spot: Observatory Park (Montville Township) – an IDA-certified dark sky park in rural Ohio featuring an astronomical observatory and public viewing events. It offers one of Ohio’s darkest and clearest night skies.

  
  

• Oklahoma – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~11:00 PM – 4:00 AM CDT (from late evening, peaking after midnight); Spot: Black Mesa State Park – located in the far western Oklahoma panhandle, this park’s remote high plains setting yields excellent dark-sky conditions, ideal for meteor showers.

  
  

• Oregon – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM PDT; Spot: Prineville Reservoir State Park – an IDA-certified Dark Sky Park in central Oregon’s high desert, offering broad horizons and very little light pollution (perfect for catching long meteor trails).

  
  

• Pennsylvania – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT; Spot: Cherry Springs State Park – a famously dark park in Potter County, PA, known as a meteor viewing hotspot and one of the first Dark Sky Parks designated by IDA. Cherry Springs regularly offers unobstructed views of the Milky Way and meteor showers.

  
  

• Rhode Island – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT; Spot: Frosty Drew Observatory & Science Center – a public observatory in Charlestown, RI that holds weekly summer stargazing nights. It provides telescope access and a dark coastal location (for truly dark skies in RI, a trip to Block Island offshore is recommended).

  
  

• South Carolina – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 5:00 AM EDT; Spot: Capers Island – a remote, boat-accessible barrier island near Charleston with no development (zero light pollution), offering an excellent secluded spot to camp and watch the meteors. (For easier access, Oconee State Park in the upstate mountains also offers dark skies.)

  
  

• South Dakota – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~11:00 PM – 4:00 AM CDT (meteors increase after 11 PM, best before dawn); Spot: Custer State Park – in the Black Hills, far from city lights, with regular astronomy events and clear views of the Milky Way. (Nearby Badlands National Park also hosts night-sky viewing events throughout summer.)

  
  

• Tennessee – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 5:00 AM CDT/EDT (state spans two zones; generally post-midnight is best); Spot: Obed Wild & Scenic River – an IDA-certified dark sky area on the Cumberland Plateau (eastern TN), known for regular stargazing events hosted by park rangers and astronomy clubs.

  
  

• Texas – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 5:00 AM CDT (best during the dark early morning hours); Spot: Big Bend National Park – a remote West Texas park with some of the darkest skies in the continental U.S. (the Perseids peak in August here, often yielding spectacular fireballs). Big Bend (and the adjacent Big Bend Ranch State Park) are IDA-certified and offer unobstructed 360° night sky views.

  
  

• Utah – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~1:00 – 5:00 AM MDT (pre-dawn peak viewing); Spot: Zion National Park – an IDA-certified dark sky park in southern Utah. Utah boasts over a dozen dark sky parks (e.g. Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon), making it a stargazer’s paradise.

  
  

• Vermont – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT; Spot: Kettle Pond State Park – nestled in Groton State Forest, this park offers extremely dark skies over a tranquil pond. (Multiple state parks in the area have minimal light pollution and are popular for meteor watching.)

  
  

• Virginia – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT; Spot: Natural Bridge State Park – an IDA-certified Dark Sky Park in western VA. It is one of five dark sky parks in Virginia (others include Staunton River and Sky Meadows State Parks), offering reliably dark conditions for meteor viewing east of the Appalachians.

  
  

• Washington – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM PDT; Spot: Mount Rainier National Park – a high-altitude park far from city centers, providing some of the darkest skies in Washington. (Also recommended are the Olympic and North Cascades National Parks, which have designated stargazing spots despite not being IDA-certified.)

  
  

• West Virginia – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM EDT; Spot: Watoga State Park – West Virginia’s largest state park, surrounded by the Monongahela National Forest, and IDA-certified for its exceptionally dark skies (an ideal location to catch dozens of Perseids per hour under clear conditions).

  
  

• Wisconsin – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM CDT; Spot: Newport State Park – an IDA-certified dark sky park on Door Peninsula (between Lake Michigan and Green Bay), renowned for its dark skies. (The nearby Apostle Islands National Lakeshore also offers excellent meteor viewing over Lake Superior).

  
  

• Wyoming – Best Date: August 12–13, 2025; Time: ~12:00 – 4:00 AM MDT; Spot: Yellowstone National Park – this vast wilderness has virtually no light pollution, making it an outstanding meteor shower viewing area. (Likewise, Grand Teton National Park and Devils Tower Monument in WY offer equally dark, clear night skies.)