Dark Ranger Telescope Tours

Kevin Poe holds dual degrees in forestry and recreation resource management from Utah State University, and he has been doing astronomy for 26 years. In 2014 he founded Dark Ranger Telescope Tours in Bryce Canyon City — just outside the park boundary, in terrain that qualifies as some of the darkest sky accessible to visitors anywhere in the continental United States. He runs it as a family business: his wife Jan brings her own forestry background, and the team has expanded to 16 staff members, some with NASA connections and astrophysics graduate degrees.

The observatory operates one of the largest collections of publicly accessible large telescopes in the country — instruments ranging from 7 to 25 inches in diameter. Public and private tours include live sky narration, constellation education grounded in cultural astronomy traditions, astrophotography instruction, and telescope test-drives. Staff member Shelby worked to have seven Utah State Parks designated as Dark Sky Parks. Staff member Liam created 3D animations for the Artemis 1 mission while at NASA.

A teacher rebate program ($42 discount for K-12 public school educators), model rocket workshops, and roadshow mobile presentations extend the educational mission beyond the observatory. The facility has held TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards from 2020 through 2023.

**Verification notes** Website live; Kevin Poe confirmed as founder on the talent page and LinkedIn. Founded 2014 confirmed. Observatory location outside Bryce Canyon boundary confirmed. Staff credentials confirmed on talent page. Phone confirmed. BBB business profile confirmed as LLC.