It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally, we’re able to see the Northern Lights (also known as aurora borealis) right here in Washington. We were treated to their colorful magic several times in 2017, and if we’re lucky, we’ll be seeing them in 2018 as well.
Your best bet for Northern Lights viewing depends on a lot of factors. Sometimes they’re more visible in Western Washington than Eastern Washington (or vice versa), and cloudy skies can prevent us from seeing them at all. But on a nice, clear night, we recommend trying to see the Northern Lights from one of the viewing points in Spokane.
The Spokane area has some great stargazing spots, most notably Cliff Park on the South Hill and Mount Spokane.
Ian Sane / Flickr You can also drive to the nearby town of Fishtrap, which has plenty of open skies.
This shot was taken in Spokane in June of 2013 when the Northern Lights took over Eastern Washington.
Jonathan Fox / Flickr
The wide open skies in Eastern Washington provides a prime viewing experience.
Jonathan Fox / Flickr
As amazing as these photos are, nothing compares to seeing the Northern Lights in person.
Jonathan Fox / Flickr You can download apps like My Aurora Forecast that will help you determine when the lights can be seen as well as your best options for viewing spots.
Our advice: Download an aurora borealis app and add “See the Northern Lights” to your bucket list.
Jonathan Fox / Flickr You won’t regret it.
Have you ever seen the Northern Lights in Washington? Even on an “average” evening, our night sky is pretty amazing.
Ian Sane / Flickr
You can also drive to the nearby town of Fishtrap, which has plenty of open skies.
Jonathan Fox / Flickr
You can download apps like My Aurora Forecast that will help you determine when the lights can be seen as well as your best options for viewing spots.
You won’t regret it.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
