Denali National Park, Alaska
A stargazing guide wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the northern lights, aka the aurora borealis. This jaw-dropping marvel of greens, reds, blues, and purples dancing across the night sky occurs due to a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields interacting with elements in the earth’s atmosphere. The northern lights center on magnetic poles, making Alaska the best place in the US to catch them.
What better place than Denali National Park to see this? It’s six million acres of raw, wild landscape with just one road. But be aware, there is too much natural sunlight in the summer to see the stars in Alaska. Plan your visit around fall, winter, or early spring, when long hours of darkness make for ideal night sky viewing. Also, the northern lights are hard to predict, so consult the forecast from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
