Ask us what the best month for stars is up here and we'll say October almost every time. The summer monsoon clouds are gone, the air is dry and cold and steady, and the sky is fully dark by about 8. This year the calendar lines up well, too: Florissant Fossil Beds hosts its last scheduled star party of 2026 on Saturday, October 3, the new moon lands on October 10, and the Orionid meteor shower peaks before dawn on Friday, October 23.
Florissant Fossil Beds has been a certified International Dark Sky Park since 2021, and our Florissant cabins sit in the same valley. Here's the October night-sky calendar we're handing guests this year, with the fine print that decides whether a night out works or doesn't.
October 3: the star party at Florissant Fossil Beds
The National Park Service and the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society run a handful of night sky programs at the monument each year. The 2026 schedule on the park's night sky events page lists the final one for Saturday, October 3, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., starting at the visitor center. Club members set up a row of telescopes, and you walk down the line looking at whatever each one is pointed at: planets, star clusters, sometimes a galaxy. The volunteers are patient with first-timers and kids, and they'll happily explain what you're seeing.
- Cost: no charge for the program itself, but the park's regular entrance fee applies: $10 per adult 16 and up, kids 15 and under free, and an America the Beautiful pass covers it. Card or mobile pay only; no cash.
- Bring: binoculars if you own them, a blanket, and camp chairs. The park asks you to bring your own.
- Arrive early: the visitor center lot has limited space, and the park recommends showing up early for parking and seating.
The moon cooperates that night. It's at last quarter on the 3rd, so it doesn't rise until late in the evening, well after the program winds down, and the first two hours of darkness are moon-free.
October 8–10: the Draconids and the darkest week
The new moon falls on October 10, which makes the week around it the darkest stretch of the month. It also overlaps a small meteor shower, the Draconids. According to EarthSky's 2026 meteor guide, the shower peaks around the evening of October 8 into the early morning of the 9th. It's a modest one, about ten meteors an hour at best under a dark sky. What makes it unusual is that the Draconids are best in the early evening instead of before dawn, so you can watch them with a mug of cocoa and still go to bed at a normal time.
This is also the week for seeing the Milky Way from a cabin deck. With no moon in the sky, the band arcs overhead and down toward the southwest after dark, and at our elevation it's bright enough to catch people who aren't expecting it. On clear new-moon nights our Florissant guests tend to text us photos they didn't know a phone could take.
October 22–23: the Orionids
The Orionids come from debris left by Halley's Comet, and they're the main event of the month. EarthSky puts the 2026 peak in the early hours of Friday, October 23, with the radiant highest around 2 a.m. Under perfect conditions you can expect ten to twenty meteors an hour, and the Orionids are fast, often leaving a glowing trail that hangs for a second or two after the meteor is gone.
The catch this year is the moon. A bright waxing gibbous moon, heading for full on October 26, will wash out the fainter meteors for most of the night. It sets several hours before sunrise, though, and that window between moonset and first light is your time. Set an alarm, look up a local moonset time the day before, and plan to be outside for the last dark hours before dawn. The nights just before and after the peak are nearly as good, so if clouds roll in on the 22nd, try again on the 23rd.
Local tip: Nobody warns people how cold a 3 a.m. October morning at 8,000-plus feet can get. Temperatures in the 20s are normal and the teens are possible. Lying still in that cold feels far worse than hiking in it. Bring sleeping bags or the heaviest blankets you have, put a foam pad or camp mattress under you (the ground pulls heat out fast), and keep your phone in an inside pocket so the battery survives. Better still, watch from a hot tub. Every one of our cabins has one, and it's the most comfortable way to catch meteors we've found.
How to get the most from a dark sky
- Give your eyes twenty minutes. Full dark adaptation takes about that long, and one look at a bright phone screen resets it. Use a red flashlight, or turn your screen to its red night mode.
- Look away from the radiant. Meteors can show up anywhere in the sky. Lie back and take in as much sky as you can instead of staring at Orion.
- Check the forecast. A clear forecast for Colorado Springs doesn't guarantee a clear sky in Florissant. Clouds build over the mountains differently, so check the forecast for your cabin's own location.
- Be ready for weather. October up here can bring a 70-degree afternoon or the first snow of the season. If snow is forecast, give yourself extra time on US-24 and the county roads.
Where we'd put you
For a stargazing trip, stay on the Florissant side, where outdoor lighting is sparse and the Fossil Beds are just down the road. The Kingston Stargazing Cabin was named for this: 2.5 forested acres, a hot tub, a fire pit to warm up at, and room for ten, dogs included. For a bigger group, Surrey sleeps twelve and has 360-degree mountain views, so you can see the whole horizon from one spot. For couples or a small group, Lion House adds a sauna, which you'll be glad of at 4 a.m. after the Orionids.
One scheduling note: the October 3 star party falls the same weekend as Cripple Creek's Fall Fest, which we covered in our Fall Fest guide. You can do the festival on Saturday afternoon, head back down the hill for telescopes at 7:30, and it's a very good weekend. It also means the valley books up early, so reserve soon if you want that weekend.
Book a dark-sky weekend this October
Four Florissant cabins minutes from a certified International Dark Sky Park, each with its own hot tub for watching the sky. Book direct and save up to 15% vs Airbnb — same cabins, same hosts, no platform fees.
Browse Our Cabins →