11 Best Places to See The Northern Lights in The USA
Until a few years ago, I had no idea that some of the best places to see the Northern Lights was in the USA, but when I started traveling a lot more within the country, that fact began to unfold and in this post, I’d like to share 11+ states and spots there where you can see aurora borealis and specifically when to go. Here is the list:
- North Shore (Minnesota)
- South Shore (Upper Peninsula in Michigan)
- Isle Royale National Park (Lake Superior)
- Acadia National Park (Maine)
- White Mountains (New Hampshire)
- Glacier National Park (North Montana)
- Fairbanks (Alaska)
- Heyburn State Park (Idaho)
- North west Washington State (Olympic National Park)
- North Vermont
- Fargo (North Dakota)
Recommended cameras:
- Body camera: Nikon D810
- Lens: NIKKON Nikkor Z 20MM
- Tripod: NEEWER Carbon Tripod
- Full package (no tripod): Camera body + lens and more
North Shore Minnesota:
Info: Most people have no clue that Minnesota State has a beautiful coast known as the North Shore that stretches for over 150 miles. What’s even less known is that the North Shore (by those who know it) is well known for having the Northern Lights and quite often throughout the year.
Best spots to see it:
- Anything North Shore is great (the more north towards the Canadian border, the better).
- You can even see it as far south as Duluth City.
Best times to see it: September-December
South Shore (Upper Peninsula):
Info: The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is also very famous for having the northern lights show up quite often throughout the year. It is very close to the North Shore and as such is also a great area to witness the northern lights from.
Spots to visit in the Upper Peninsula:
- Anything Upper Peninsula Michigan (away from major cities/towns because of the light pollution)
- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
- Apostle Islands in Wisconsin
- Copper Harbor (Michigan)
- Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
- Presque Isle State Park
Best times to see them: September-December
Isle Royale National Park (Lake Superior US):
Info: Isle Royale National Park is basically at the northern end of Lake Superior and lies between North and South Shores and it is actually much more likely that you can see the Northern Lights there than in either the North or South Shore. Getting to this National Park however isn’t easy as you have to take a long ferry ride (from either Michigan or Minnesota) to reach it. However, if you do, not only will you get amazing nature scenery to explore (hikes, boat rides, camping and more), but yes you will be able to see the Northern Lights there too.
Best times to see the Northern Lights there: September through December
Acadia National Park (Maine):
Info: Acadia National Park is one of the most incredible national parks on the east coast I’ve ever visited in my life and even though it was a brief visit, I am already planning my next trip there whenever possible. And another reason I want to see it is that just recently I learned that it too has northern lights pop up there from to time. There’s even airports close to Acadia National park you can fly to get there quickly.
More areas in Maine to see the northern lights:
- Baxter State Park.
- Most of the northern areas of Maine are good for northern light chasing.
- Most of the northern New England states are awesome for this too.
Best times to see them: October-December
White Mountains (New Hampshire):
Info: The White Mountains are the highest peaks in the eastern United States. They are located in New Hampshire and in recent years have become an awesome spot to witness the Northern Lights. They are also an extremely popular area to witness New England fall foliage, so it’s something that can perhaps be timed in a way where you can see the best of both events.
Specific areas to go to:
- Mount Washington (your best bet since it’s the highest peak)
- Cannon Mountain
- Artist Bluff
- Mount Lafayette
Best times to see it: September through early January
Glacier National Park (North Montana):
Info: Glacier National Park is quite possibly one of the top places in the entire US to see the northern lights. However due to it’s limited visitation opportunities (since it gets very packed with snow during the best seasons to see the northern lights), it can be tough to get there. I would absolutely keep this park on your list to see the northern lights because it has some of the clearest skies imaginable for that.
Best times to see them: September through March
Fairbanks (Alaska):
Info: Alaska might be the only “duh” state on this list where you’d assume it’s the best place to see the northern lights and you’d be right, but not only because of the location of this state. It is also much more likely that you’ll get to see them here, and in places than any other on this list.
Best times to see the northern lights there: According to research, you can actually see them year round, but the best times in the most popular places would be August through March (basically end of summer through end of winter). If you visit Fairbanks, I would also recommend going to Denali National Park because it’s also known for having Northern Lights too.
Heyburn State Park (Idaho):
Info: Since Idaho state is very north west of the country and even close to Montana where Glacier National Park is located, it stands to reason that it too has opportunities to see the northern lights there. In this case, I have to suggest Heyburn State Park which is a bit south west of Glacier National Park, and yet it too has a lot of opportunities for seeing the aurora borealis, but of course it’s not the only place in the state.
Specific areas to visit there to see the lights:
- Panhandle State Forest
- Schweitzer Mountain
- Priest Lake
Best times to see them: September through late February and early March
Washington State:
Info: Just about the entire Washington State is great for seeing the Northern Lights, but you’re much more likely to get the best views in it’s north western area which is where you have the least amount of light pollution and the most amount of clear skies. It’s common to see them there during the year.
Specific areas to see them:
- Cape Flattery
- Olympic National Park (north side, Hurricane Ridge)
- Lake Crescent
Best times to see them: September and usually through to early February
North Vermont:
Info: I absolutely love visiting Vermont for it’s incredible hikes, scenic views and towns to explore, but one (no longer) surprising reason I can add this state to my list of places is because the northern lights are also here. Now I do say North Vermont, as this state does stretch pretty far south and the further you go, the less you’ll usually see the northern lights, so stay north of it for better chances.
Specific areas to see them:
- Smugglers Notch
- Green Mountain National Forest
- Mount Mansfield
- Jay State Forest
Best times to see the Northern Lights in Vermont? September through December
Fargo (North Dakota):
Info: Another very popular state/spot to see the Northern Lights in the US is North Dakota and while the best areas are further north, if you visit Fargo, you can see them there. North Dakota is one of the upper states of the US, and its between Minnesota and Montana, which by this point you already know have one or more places to see them at too. It’s only natural this in between state would have spots for it as well.
However, the thing about North Dakota is that it doesn’t have as many high mountains as those other 2 states do, so you would need to rely on a clear sky night to have a chance to see the northern lights. With the other 2 states surrounding it, you can just get to the top of a big mountain and have more odds of seeing them there.
Best times to see the Northern lights there: Late September through February
To finish, I will likely be doing separate articles on these states and which specific locations to see the northern lights within them. This list was just meant to give you overall states (and estimated sections) where you can see it. If you have any specific spots in these states that you’d like to suggest visiting to see the northern lights, I’d love to know!
Update: More states to see the Northern Lights
- New Jersey (Norvin Green State Forest)
- Arizona (Grand Canyon, Sedona)
- California (Yosemite, Lake Tahoe)
- Oregon (Crater Lake National Park)
I really enjoyed the information in this post. I have always loved the Northern Lights. I live in Montana and the first place I ever saw them was Yellowstone Park right by Old Faithful. It was so beautiful! I did see them a few times in Billings MT and have seen them in Butte MT as well. I also lived in North Dakota for a while and was lucky enough to see them there one time.
The Northern Lights have always been a huge topic of discussion for me. I know little to nothing about them other than their beauty. That in itself is enough to talk about for a lifetime!
Hi Dora, really appreciate your sharing that you can actually see the Northern Lights in Yellowstone Park! I’ll add this to my list in one of the states that has them.
Your article was very timely for me. My wife and I just returned from 5 days in northern Ontario, Canada where she had hoped to see the northern lights. Unfortunately, the 4 nights we were north we very overcast and nothing could be seen. We are planning a trip to NH for early November so we will try to get to the White Mountains for a view. We are going to be in southern Vermont, but certainly can go to the Canadian border for a chance to see the northern lights. Thanks for this information.
Jim
No problem! I have similar experiences and believe it’s easier to see the northern lights either in Minnesota and/or more western states and provinces in Canada like Alberta (specifically the Canadian Rockies and you can take the Icefields Parkway through that area to do that).
As a non-American person, I have always been drawn to the natural side of the US more than the big cities. They are definitely the type of place I would go to on my next trip to America. Big cosmopolitan cities are increasingly common around the world, but a country’s natural sights are irreplaceable. Alaska would be a great destination. I was wondering from where I could see the Northern Lights so I am definitely putting Fairbanks on my list now!
And now you have a lot of choices for that! Keep in mind that aside from Northern Lights, the nature areas in the US are themselves worth visiting even if it is an area where you don’t see the lights.
Wow! What beautiful and stunning pictures. Never in my life had I witnessed or seen the Northern Lights ever, now I know why? It looks like, as you covered in your post, there are certain places in some states where you can see the Northern Lights.
Now that I learn from this post where to go and what time of year to visit these states to witness the Northern Lights, I am going to plan my next trip targeting one of these states. Amazing post!
Thanks Val!