The Most Overlooked Places in the U.S. to See the Northern Lights, According to a New Study

You don’t have to get a passport to see the awe-inspiring Northern Lights.

While destinations like Iceland, Norway, and Greenland attract travelers with unparalleled views of the aurora borealis, there are plenty of places Americans can spot the natural wonder closer to home—including some that definitely haven’t been on your For You Page.

IcelandAir analyzed TikTok data and travel guides to determine which Northern Lights hotspots in the U.S. have stayed the most under the radar. After compiling a list of the best places to see Northern Lights in the country, the airline’s researchers examined how often hashtags related to each location were used on TikTok. The comparisons revealed which destinations are the most overlooked by astronomy lovers. 

Midwestern states make the most appearances of any U.S. region on the least-mentioned list, with Idaho, Minnesota, and Wisconsin collectively making up half of the top—or bottom, on another hand—10. Spotting Northern Lights in Pennsylvania, Maine, and New York proved to be well-kept secrets on the East Coast, while Oregon was the only Pacific Northwestern state to make the list. 

With only 32 mentions on TikTok as of August 2025, the Idaho Panhandle National Forest is the most hidden gem of them all. Although central Idaho became the country’s first Dark Sky Reserve recognized by the International Dark Sky Association in 2017, the state’s northern region also offers some spectacular displays. Even Idaho’s Craters of the Moon National Monument Dark Sky Park, which has some of the darkest skies in the national park system, made the list of obscure destinations for observing the colorful phenomenon. 

Your next best bet for getting a private Northern Lights show is heading to Maine. While Acadia National Park hogs the spotlight—it’s the third most-mentioned location, according to the researchers—the state’s northernmost and easternmost park, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, also has stunning views of the Northern Lights. The remote Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge is another under-the-radar aurora zone free of light pollution. 

New Yorkers looking to escape the city’s crowds should make the five-hour road trip north to visit the rarely discussed Adirondack Sky Center & Observatory. 

One advantage these lower-48 locations have over Arctic destinations is the Northern Light’s year-round visibility. While the midnight sun washes out celestial colors during summer in places like Alaska and Finland, the Midwest’s summer nights stay dark enough to enjoy the dancing ribbons in a T-shirt and shorts.

As for the most well-known places to see the Northern Lights in the U.S., Montana’s Glacier National Park was clearly the most popular. It was mentioned over twice as many times as the list’s runner-up, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, in IcelandAir’s study. 

With so many convenient destinations to choose from, there really is no reason to hesitate to put a Northern Lights trip on your calendar. Right now will be the best time to see the colors for quite some time: we’re currently in the solar maximum phase of the sun’s 11-year cycle, meaning the aurora borealis won’t be as active again for over a decade.