In early May 2011, Emmet County was awarded International Dark Sky Park designation for the Headlands property -- just the sixth such park in the United States and the ninth in the world at the time (a couple more have been named since).

The newest addition to the cultural interpretation of the dark sky at the Headlands International Dark Sky Park officially opened to the public on Sunday, Nov.  11, 2012.

The Dark Sky Discovery Trail is a 1-mile long paved trail from the Headlands entrance to the designated Dark Sky Viewing Area. It features cultural docents, indigenous artwork and regional photography that interpret humanity’s relationship to the night sky over the centuries and across a variety of cultures.