Dark skies, domes and warm feelings in southwestern Utah

As we crested a hill 20 minutes from Bryce Canyon National Park, the scene looked like a “Star Wars” setting.

Dozens of geodesic domes dotted the wide rugged canyon like giant astronaut helmets, late-afternoon sun glinting off the visors.

“You can see the Milky Way across the whole canyon,” said the Clear Sky Resort receptionist as my husband and I checked in. While Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks were our biggest draws to southwestern Utah, its famed dark skies and the allure of a dome stay sealed the deal.

We nabbed two nights midweek last October, a rare opening at the new and quickly popular resort. Clear Sky Resort capitalizes on two things this part of the country excels at: astrotourism and new ways to glamp.

Area towns offer all kinds of glamping: Airstream trailers, safari tents, yurts, covered wagons, tiny homes and mirror homes. They appeal to travelers wanting more than sleeping bags and traditional tents and craving ways to stay connected to nature after exploring the national parks. Some add pools, spa areas, dining and guided activities.

Clear Sky Resorts’ new Bryce Canyon location replicates the company’s first venture, an all-dome resort near Grand Canyon National Park. This time, though, it built the domes with glass panels instead of clear PVC canvas, for better stargazing.

An October visit, with lingering summer warmth and fall colors, also avoids Utah’s monsoon season, which wraps up in late September. The other bonus: crisp, clearing skies.

With a laser pointer, Kaniewski highlighted some of the easiest-to-find constellations, including the Great Square of Pegasus, and the star Vega, which is 25 light years away.

“Anytime you’re looking at the stars, you’re looking at the past,” he said while adjusting a telescope to show the rings of Saturn. As we gazed upward, a Draconid meteor streaked across the sky.

“That’s a good sign for the newlyweds,” he said.

On our stroll back down the ridge, the illuminated domes glowed like warm bubbles settled onto the cool canyon.

We bookended our Clear Sky dome experience with stays at East Zion Resort in Orderville. In one of their treehouse cabins, a skylight above the loft bed offered a surprise peek at the stars, with more windows and a patio overlooking the valley.

Having the full view of the sky incentivized going to bed early. Closing your eyes and going to sleep was harder, knowing we’d miss new constellations as the earth slowly turned through the night.

During the day, it didn’t seem to matter where we drove. The vast Grand Staircase, basically a colorful geologic five-layer cake, delivered postcard scenery at every elevation, in every direction.

The vibrant layers began with the pink hoodoos of Bryce Canyon, followed by the rugged grey mountains of Zion, the white cliffs of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and the vermilion and chocolate hues of the Grand Canyon across the border in Arizona.

Colors, textures and ever-changing formations could even be seen right in Orderville, where locals suggested a small slot canyon rippled and waved in warm shades of red, pink and brown. We had the place to ourselves, except for a traveler who was walking her newly adopted three-legged dog.

It became one of many heartwarming encounters with people and their pets, each originating from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary 18 miles away. It’s the nation’s largest no-kill shelter for cats and dogs, along with horses, pigs, goats, bunnies, exotic birds and wild animals. The sanctuary sprawls across 4,200 acres in the scenic Angel Canyon.

Our guide pointed out hiking trails, Western movie locations, and a serene memorial garden for pets where more than 2,500 wind chimes are tuned to the key of D.

“It’s not meant to be a sad place,” he said of the memorial garden. That fits the entire sanctuary, which hums with upbeat energy.

We were drawn back a second day for the stellar scenery and hikes, plus the contagious joy. We greeted exuberant dogs and sat on a floor as kittens scampered across our legs and pounced on backpack straps. Travelers can borrow companion dogs for hikes or sleepovers in pet-friendly lodging, or bring their own furry companions with them.

Volunteer Dana Wood and her friend from Glenwood Springs, Colo., have volunteered eight times and make it an annual girls’ getaway.

“It’s just a nice little vacation,” she said, “and you get to do something good.”

East Zion Resort in Orderville has yurts, Airstreams, mirror houses, treetop cabins and stargazing cabins, along with a new pool area with a lazy river and pickleball courts (eastzionresort.com). The Shop Coffee Co. in downtown Orderville serves drinks, pastries, salads and sandwiches in a cheerful cafe.