Coconino National Forest, Anderson Mesa

Coconino National Forest, Anderson Mesa, is one of the best places to see stars near Flagstaff. The Naval Observatory’s Navy Precision Optical Interferometer and Lowell Observatory Perkins Telescope are both located here. It’s a great place for the technical stargazing enthusiast to check out the night sky. The national forest is one of the most diverse in the country, with Ponderosa pine forests, the red rocks of Sedona, desert and alpine tundra. By day, you can hike or wade in the creeks and at night look upwards at dark skies, especially east of Interstate 17.