The Dark Skies Initiative is Leadville-Twin Lakes' effort to preserve and promote the region's exceptional stargazing opportunities. Located in North America's highest-elevation city at over 10,000 feet, the initiative highlights locations where visitors can peer deep into the universe and see the Milky Way. The region's dark skies are so remarkable that the initiative hopes to achieve Dark Sky Community certification in the future, a process requiring years of data collection, community outreach, and the passage of lighting ordinances to protect night skies.

The initiative educates visitors about light pollution—which affects 99% of Americans—and its impacts on wildlife navigation, ecosystems, human health, and our connection to night sky heritage that has "inspired science, religion, philosophy, art, and literature." Recommended stargazing locations include Twin Lakes (a small village surrounded by miles of national forest), Leadville's East Side Mining District (offering above-treeline views), and 14er summits. The US Forest Service offers free Dark Sky and Telescope Programs each summer in the area.