Our Story

About Us

Dark Sky Guides was co-founded by the four Robinson Brothers, who were lucky to grow up in Waterton Lakes National Park. Over the years the brothers explored all areas of the National Park, both in daylight and after dark. As third-generation tourism service providers, sharing Waterton Park’s rich human- and natural history has always been a part of their lives. It has been a real roller coaster ride since starting the business in early 2018, but the Dark Sky Guides are bursting with excitement to share their home with you!

The Big Bang

Years ago the four brothers were sitting around the dying embers of a campfire, gazing up at the stars on a clear, calm, summer night. Each sat lost in thought, contemplating the solar system, the Milky Way Galaxy, and his tiny place in the universe. And thus, a plan was born… The brothers would begin working towards sharing the night sky of their home with visitors and travelers coming to Waterton Park.

The Planets Align

As the years passed, the idea persisted, and eventually it began to grow and become clearer, as the brothers began to develop a business plan. In 2015, the brothers first broached their idea with Parks Canada, and in early 2016, Parks Canada officially began putting together an application for dark sky status with both DarkSky International, and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC). In April 2017, the DarkSky International announced that Waterton (in conjunction with Glacier National Park, MT) had been recognized as a Provisional International Dark Sky Park. The stage was set and it was now time for the brothers to put their plan into action.

From the Ashes of a Fire, A Business was Born

In September 2017 the Kenow Mountain Wildfire burnt a significant portion of Waterton Lakes National Park. At that point, the brothers knew it would be more important than ever, to show people that there was more to Waterton that just daytime hiking through (the once forested) mountain landscapes. And so, Dark Sky Guides was born.

The four Robinson Brothers founded the Dark Sky Guides in 2017

Together, the Robinson brothers have over 60 years of guiding experience in Waterton Lakes National Park. And over the years, the brothers have traveled to many destinations around the world, picking up best practices from other tour guides and companies across the planet.

After a few rotations around the Sun

Click Here to read more about the history of the Dark Sky Guides and discover some of the exciting stories that we have been a part of over the years!

Our Mission:

Dark Sky Guides offers guided interpretive nighttime tours and stargazing opportunities in Waterton Lakes National Park, by providing tour participants with the chance to stargaze using quality telescopes, binoculars, and other stargazing equipment. The Dark Sky Guides are storytellers that deliver personable, memorable, interpretive tours that focus on showcasing the night sky, the moon and neighboring planets, deep sky objects like distant nebulae and star clusters, the Milky Way Galaxy, constellations, and even Aurora Borealis and nocturnal creatures. Ultimately, Dark Sky Guides encourage people to foster their own personal connection with both the night sky and Waterton Lakes National Park. The company is committed to promoting WLNP as a noteworthy dark sky area, and to create awareness of the area’s official status as the World’s first transnational International Dark Sky Park.

The Robinson Brothers are tourism professionals that are passionate about sharing their home, Waterton Lakes National Park, with travelers, tourists and guests. Learn more about the four brothers here!

Meet Our Active Guides

Scroll down to meet some of the people who are on the active-duty roster for this year. Chances are, you'll have the opportunity to chat with some of these friendly, welcoming personalities when you join us for a tour or planetarium show!

Keith B. Robinson

The oldest of the four Robinson Brothers, Keith is the only brother you are [almost] guaranteed to meet while on a Dark Sky experience (the rest of the Brothers are busy running other tourism businesses around Waterton these days). Keith is one of the few individuals that live in the Waterton townsite year-round. He has a Bachelor of Commerce business degree in Tourism Management; he is a Certified Tourism Professional (Tour Guide) through Tourism HR Canada; and he is a certified 4-Season Guide, a Professional Interpreter, and an Interpretive Specialist, as recognized by the Interpretive Guides Association. He holds an 80-hour Wilderness First Responder first aid certificate, in an effort to ensure the safest tour possible for guests. He is heavily involved in the local community, serving as an elected official for the local municipal council, Improvement District #4, and has served on various Associations’ Board of Directors, including the Waterton Park Chamber of Commerce. In 2018, Keith was named one of Canadian Traveller’s Top 40 Under 40. When he manages to find some free time (which isn't very often these days), Keith can be found kayaking, biking, occasionally scrambling up to the top of a mountain, and generally spending time outdoors with his wife, a German Shepherd dog, and two young children. And of course, there are always a few minutes at the end of every day to sit and stare at the stars.

Benoit Vouillon
Benoit has always had an undefined love for astronomy. With his current profession being one of fitness training and coaching, he finds the most joy not in teaching but sharing his passions. He thrives under pressure and in creating interpersonal connections with individuals and in group settings, and can help some people to slow down, and enjoy the smaller details.

If Benoit is not busy at work, you can expect to find him rock climbing or training outside by the lake, admiring the best view in the world!

Karla Ceballos
Hola! Karla enjoys learning new things, and she is constantly challenging herself to grow beyond her comfort zone. She is passionate about connecting with nature, serving guests, and learning about different cultures through travel and shared experiences.

After spending a full year living in Waterton (she's earned the right to call herself something of a local now, having spent a full winter in Waterton), she has developed a deep appreciation for the park and the night sky, and she loves sharing that sense of wonder with visitors!

Karla

The Dark Sky Guides continue to grow and expand their operations, and continue to recruite additional amazing guides to the team!

Want to become a Dark Sky Guide? Click here to learn more about joining our team!

What others are saying about Us:

Take a look at TripAdvisor!

Awards & Recognition:

2025 - Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Award

2024 - Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Award

2023 - Named as a finalist in Avenue Magazine Calgary's "Best of the Mountains" ballot, in the category of Best Tour Companies in the Mountains

2023 - Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Award

2023 - 2nd Place in the category of Business & Marketing, as a Nominated Story for the Green Destinations Story Awards at ITB Berlin, part of the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories Competition

2022 - Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Award

2021 - Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Award

2019 - WINNER of the 2019 New Tourism Experience ALTO Alberta Tourism Award

2018 - Named 1 of 3 finalists at the annual Travel Alberta Industry Conference in the category of "New Tourism Experience"

Media Mentions:

Check out some of these links to see what has been written about us by the media:

Waterton Celebrates Inaugural Dark Sky Discovery Days

Waterton Welcomes First-Ever Dark Sky Discovery Days Festival

Fall is an ideal time to visit Waterton Lakes National Park

National Geographic: These Canadian mountain towns offer the beauty of Banff—without the crowds

Winter in Waterton showcases its wild beauty

Canada's 'best place for stargazing' even more magical in winter

CBC News: How Waterton Lakes National Park is hoping to become a winter destination

https://www.mustdocanada.com/exploring-the-best-things-to-do-in-waterton-lakes-national-park/

https://www.pentictonherald.ca/spare_news/article_2d0a0142-42ac-5a25-8ad5-38cc17d863ea.html

https://www.rmoutlook.com/cool-winter-guide/heres-your-go-to-guide-to-spotting-the-northern-lights-this-winter-9742943

Mentioned on US FOX News: Weather & Business segment on travel, hosted by Dayvee Sutton, TV Correspondent (link unavailable due to geographical restrictions).

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/science/space/looking-for-a-more-vivid-view-of-the-aurora-borealis-northern-lights-go-here

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/waterton-lakes-national-park-tourism-alberta-1.7205612

https://industry.travelalberta.com/posts/articles/dark-sky-discovery-exploring-the-infinite-potential-of-winter-tourism-experiences-in-alberta

Featured in the documentary Canada's National Parks III - Waterton produced by Florianfilm GMBH, 2023.

https://globalnews.ca/video/10212449/winter-tourism-thrives-in-waterton-lakes-national-park/

https://enroute.aircanada.com/en/sports-and-entertainment/what-to-do-in-waterton-lakes-national-park-alberta/

https://lethbridgeherald.com/news/lethbridge-news/2023/03/30/light-pollution-has-wide-ranging-impacts-on-humans-and-nature/

https://www.greendestinations.org/2023-story-awards-itb/

https://www.greendestinations.org/alberta-southwest-dark-skies-bright-future/

https://www.todocanada.ca/10-romantic-winter-getaway-ideas-in-alberta/

https://www.travelalberta.com/ca/articles/2021/11/magical-winter-weekend-in-waterton/

https://industry.travelalberta.com/news-media/industry-news/2021/08/08-24-dark-sky-guides