The Beautiful New England Region Where You Can See The Northern Lights In Clear Skies While Camping

People travel far just to witness the ethereal phenomenon of aurora borealis, otherwise known as the northern lights. The United States boasts an Alaskan hot spot that's one of the best places to see the northern lights on Earth, but, realistically, Alaska isn't the most viable destination for everyone, especially since the best time of year to see the lights is during colder months. Luckily, New Englanders don't need to head so far to view the celestial colors, since a prime spot to see the aurora borealis is right in the northern region of Maine. If you time your visit right and head to an area with minimal light pollution, northern Maine has some incredible, remote camping areas where the dancing lights sweep over the sky during periods of higher auroral activity.

The reason the aurora borealis is visible from Maine has to do with geomagnetic activity (measured by the Planetary K index, or Kp). The higher the Kp is, the farther the light effect dips below the poles. When the Kp is between 7 and 9, the aurora borealis brightens and moves to lower latitudes, reaching northern areas of the lower 48 states, like the northern portion of Maine. It's estimated that the northern lights are visible near the U.S./Canada border about 25 nights each year, though activity fluctuates quite a bit. You can track the aurora view line with NOAA's aurora forecast. If you want to catch the aurora show in Maine, your best bet is to come in the winter, for a few reasons: The skies are clearer, there's extended darkness, and there's more geomagnetic activity from the Earth's tilted axis.

As you're planning where to set up base in Maine to see the northern lights, there are two factors to bear in mind that increase your chances of success: distance from towns and higher latitudes. Destinations that are more remote (therefore having less light pollution) and further north have better aurora borealis visibility. The go-to northern lights viewing spot in Maine is Aroostook County. It's the northernmost region of Maine and very isolated compared to the more populous areas farther south.

If you want to camp overnight to make sure you can catch the lights as they unfold in the darkness, one option is to head to Aroostook State Park, Maine's oldest state park and a gorgeous lake getaway. It's about 15 minutes by car from the small Presque Isle Northern Maine Airport, which has arrivals from several destinations around New England, or a 2.5-hour drive from the larger Bangor International Airport. There are about 30 small campsites in the park, with showers and a kitchen shelter at the campground.

To go even further north and more remote, the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge ranks as one of the best spots in the country for northern lights viewing. Nearly a 40-minute drive from the Presque Isle Northern Maine Airport, it's truly a hidden escape. Camping isn't allowed at the refuge, and you can only stay until half an hour after sunset, but visitors are welcome to explore its 13 miles of trails or find a spot just outside of the refuge to linger a little longer in the darkness and wait for the shimmering lights to unfurl.

The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is often cited as a top-tier spot for northern lights viewing. The national reserve is a certified Dark Sky Sanctuary and flourishing woodland with impeccable stargazing spots. In fact, the area is so devoid of light pollution that it was the first location to be certified as an International Dark Sky Place in all of New England. That means you'll get a totally vivid, unobstructed view of the aurora borealis when it appears here. You can reach the park in about an hour and 40 minutes by car from the Bangor International Airport, and there are three campgrounds accessible by car, plus two winter camping huts.

Adjacent to the Katahdin Woods, Baxter State Park is also lauded as one of the best spots for seeing northern lights in Maine. The park is a Bortle Class 2, making it close to the darkest level for night skies. It's about a two-hour drive from the Bangor International Airport to Baxter State Park. There are some campgrounds, though the campsites here are very rugged — they have outhouses but no showers. However, the areas of Daicey Pond, Kidney Pond, and Nesowadnehunk have basic furnished cabins available for rent.