You look up with awe and amazement as streaks of pink, green, and purple dance across the night sky. As you try to soak in the moment, it may feel like a dream. What was once a pipe dream that required traveling thousands of miles and taking on the bone-chilling arctic winters is now right in your back yard. And with it being the middle of summer, there’s no need to bundle up, either. Welcome to New England, one of 2024’s unexpected northern lights hotspots.
It’s no secret that 2024 has brought some of the best northern lights displays to the United States in generations. In New England alone, breathtaking photos of the northern lights have come out of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont all summer and fall. They are only expected to get better in 2025 as the solar cycle reaches its maximum.
For the best northern lights viewing, all you need is a clear view of the northern sky away from light pollution.
1. North Facing Beaches of Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Cape Cod’s world-renowned beaches are not only one of the best spots in New England to view the northern lights. They are also some of the only north-facing beaches in New England. Outside the peak summer season, you’ll find a much quieter and slower pace to life on the Cape. With the majority of the population centered in places like Falmouth, Hyannis, and Chatham, Cape Cod’s north-facing beaches receive much less light pollution than its south-facing counterparts.
For best viewing, Sandy Neck in Barnstable and Corporation Beach in Dennis are your best options. Race Point Beach in Provincetown is another. We recommend avoiding areas close to the Cape Cod Canal due to heavy light pollution.
If you don’t want to make the trek all the way to the Cape, don’t worry. Beaches along the south shore from Sagamore to Plymouth offer excellent northern lights viewing opportunities, too. Just be aware if you’re north of Marshfield and Scituate, light pollution from Boston will likely obstruct your views as you look north.
If you are not a fan of the cold, you’re in luck. Because Cape Cod is surrounded by water, the ocean moderates temperatures year-round. As a result, you won’t have to contend with extreme cold, even in the middle of winter.
2. Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
Nestled at the base of the White Mountains, Lake Winnipesaukee offers the best northern lights viewing in New Hampshire. Its lengthy north-facing shoreline and its rural location offer ideal conditions to view the northern lights. It’s easily accessible from Boston, Portland, and any of New Hampshire’s population centers.
If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, hike to the summit of any of the mountains surrounding the lake. You’ll be rewarded with breathtaking 360-degree views. But don’t forget the White Mountains’ fierce reputation for violent winds and extreme cold. Wind chills at high elevations can easily reach 30 to 40 below in the winter.
3. Acadia National Park, Maine
With all this talk of beaches and coastlines, it’s hard not to be pulled to Acadia National Park‘s iconic cliffsides. But with Acadia’s shoreline facing southeast, you’ll find the best north-facing views in the park at higher elevations.
One of the best spots to view the northern lights in New England is at the summit of Cadillac Mountain, the highest peak on the East Coast. You may recognize it as the place you can see the first sunrise in the United States. Indeed, its height and location inside the national park make it ideal for viewing the northern lights.
Acadia National Park is only available to view the northern lights in the spring, summer, and fall seasons. Roads through the park close in the winter, all but cutting off access to it. Unless of course, you’re willing to hike, ski, or snowshoe in.
4. Lake Willoughby, Vermont
Sitting in the heart of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Lake Willoughby‘s South Beach offers plenty of dark skies and clear views to the north. Mt. Pisgah on one side of the lake and the Willoughby State Forest on the other give you plenty of options to both frame and add depth to your northern lights photography. A popular destination during both the summer and fall foliage seasons, the entire Northeast Kingdom is one of the darkest spots to view the northern lights in New England.
5. Mt. Greylock, Massachusetts
Nestled in the heart of the Berkshires, Mt. Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts. At nearly 3,500 feet elevation, you can see up to 90 miles away in clear weather. The summit offers panoramic 360-degree views of western Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Mt. Greylock’s dark skies offer ideal northern lights viewing. The nearest city is Albany, New York, located 25 miles away.
Mt. Greylock is a hiker’s paradise. In addition to the countless trails that criss-cross the mountain, the Appalachian Trail also runs through the area. While the road up the mountain is only open from mid-May to November 1st, the park remains open year-round. In the winter, you can access the summit via hiking or snowmobile.
6. Rangeley Lakes State Park, Maine
What makes Rangeley Lakes State Park one of our favorite destinations overall makes it absolutely ideal for viewing the northern lights. It’s tucked deep in the backwoods of Maine, about 15 miles from the New Hampshire state line and 20 miles from the Canadian Border. As a result, very few people venture all the way up there.
Rangeley Lakes is a photographer’s paradise. Whether you’re looking for breathtaking aerial views, lakeside beach scenes, or anything else, you can find it at Rangeley Lakes. The park is closer to a dark sky reserve than it is to any population center. Some of the darkest skies in New England make it ideal for viewing the northern lights.
7. Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
The New Hampshire coast may be small, but it’s a fantastic place to see the northern lights in New England. With nearly all 12 miles of coast publicly accessible, its east-facing beaches offer ample views of the northern sky. Stop at any of the state parks or state beaches in the area, or park on the street in town and walk out to the beach.
With the New Hampshire coast becoming more south-facing the further north you go, Hampton Beach offers the best views of the northern sky. Large salt marshes behind the small town keep light pollution to a minimum. If you miss out on the northern lights, it’s also one of the best spots in New England to catch the sunrise.
8. Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts
If you want to get away from light pollution on the Cape, there is no better place to be than the Cape Cod National Seashore. Any of the beaches from Marconi northward will give you an unobstructed view of the northern sky with little to no light pollution. What better place to view the northern lights than the best beaches in New England?
As we’ve said earlier, you don’t need a north-facing beach to see the aurora. We took the following photo at Woodneck Beach in Falmouth, which not only faces west, but also has plenty of light pollution. You’ll get far better looks at the northern lights from the National Seashore.
9. Mont Mégantic National Park, Québec
Sitting just 10 miles from the New Hampshire border, Mont Mégantic National Park is the first international dark sky reserve in the world. Its world-renowned dark skies make not just for some of the best stargazing in Canada, but in all of North America. As you can imagine, that also translates to some of the best northern lights viewing in North America.
To ascend Mont Mégantic at night, you will need to book a tour through the park. Cars are only allowed up the mountain during the day because headlights interfere with the observatory at the summit after dark. And be aware that while the park’s websites are available in English, the tours themselves are only given in French.
If you’d prefer not to book a tour, there is an observation area near the visitor’s center that is open to the public for both stargazing and viewing the northern lights.
10. Mt. Katahdin, Maine
Best known for being the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, Mt. Katahdin is the other dark sky reserve on this list. At 5,269 feet above sea level, it is the highest point in Maine, offering sweeping 360-degree views. Not surprisingly, it’s one of the top destinations in New England for viewing the northern lights.
At 10 miles long with an elevation gain of over 3,000 feet, the hike up Mt. Katahdin is not easy. So we actually recommend sticking to Baxter State Park, which Mt. Katahdin sits in. You’ll still need to hike to access most of the park, but it’s a much easier hike and stays at low elevations. And being a dark sky reserve, you won’t have to go far to find a great spot to view the northern lights!
11. Province Lake, New Hampshire
We discovered this lake by accident on a fall colors adventure in 2015, but it offers everything you need for viewing the northern lights: unobstructed views of the northern sky and little to no light pollution. Province Lake sits right on the New Hampshire-Maine state line about half way between Rochester and Conway, near the town of Effingham, NH. You won’t find any crowds here other than the locals.
The best northern lights viewing is at Province Lake Beach, located on the south shore of the lake just on the New Hampshire side of the state line. The easiest parking is on the side of Highway 153 right at the state line.
Final Thoughts
New England has unexpectedly emerged as one of the top northern lights hotspots in the United States as we head into the solar maximum. With spectacular aurora photos coming out of the region throughout 2024, we expect that trend to continue, if not increase in 2025.
If you can’t make it up to the auroral belt, consider a trip to New England. Unlike the Arctic, our skies get dark in the summer, so you can view the aurora year-round. And if you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, why not combine a northern lights adventure with New England’s iconic fall colors?
