Dr. T.K. Lawless Park 2026

Welcome to Dr. T.K. Lawless International Dark Sky Park, proudly designated an International Dark Sky Park by DarkSky International since January 2020.

Located on 820 acres in Cass County, Michigan, Lawless Park offers visitors a remarkable opportunity to experience the night sky away from the glow of major cities. On clear nights, visitors may see the Milky Way stretching across the sky, along with meteor showers, planets and countless stars. The park has also welcomed visitors for extraordinary celestial events, including solar and lunar eclipses and displays of the Northern Lights.

About the Dark Sky Designation

International Dark Sky Parks are recognized for exceptional or distinguished nighttime environments and for their commitment to protecting the night sky through responsible lighting, public education and stewardship.

Lawless Park's journey to international recognition was years in the making.

Cass County Parks Board member Robert Parrish, a longtime advocate for dark-sky preservation, spent approximately two and a half years preparing the park's 67-page application and lighting management plan in honor of his late father. At the same time, the Cass County Parks Commission and staff worked to reduce light pollution throughout the park, upgrading outdoor fixtures to fully shielded LED lighting with a color temperature of 3,000K or lower.

With those improvements complete and the application prepared, local and state officials joined the effort to support Lawless Park's designation.

In January 2020, Dr. T.K. Lawless Park became Michigan's second International Dark Sky Park.

Since earning the designation, Lawless Park has welcomed thousands of visitors to experience the night sky and has hosted dozens of public viewing events. Visitors have traveled from across the region — and hundreds of miles beyond — for opportunities to witness meteor showers, eclipses, the Northern Lights and other celestial events beneath one of Michigan's darkest skies.

Help Us Keep the Sky Dark

Protecting the darkness is part of the experience.

Visitors can help preserve Lawless Park's exceptional nighttime environment by limiting artificial light while visiting:

• Use red-light flashlights whenever possible
• Dim phone and device screens
• Avoid flash photography 
• Be considerate when using vehicle headlights near viewing areas.

Our Parks team continues to engage in local developments throughout Cass County to encourage lighting choices that preserve the night sky, minimize light pollution and protect exceptional stargazing conditions at Lawless and beyond. For questions about Dark Sky-friendly lighting, please contact the Parks Department at (269) 445-4456.

Lawless Park offers a number of amenities available for rent. Perfect for celebrations both large and small, youth groups, family reunions and more, we have several affordable features available to reserve. 

To reserve one of the features below, please contact the Parks Department at (269) 445-4456. These features are not reserved until payment is received and registration forms are filled out and submitted to the parks office.