Good spots outside Seattle to watch aurora borealis
July 9, 2023 3:59 PM   Subscribe

There's the possibility this Thursday night of a sun storm bringing Northern Lights to a number of US states, including Washington. Are there good spots within 30-45 minutes of Seattle (by car) with minimal light pollution, high elevation, clear views, etc. that might be good for catching a glimpse of them? (no aurora ave jokes pls thx)
posted by They sucked his brains out! to Science & Nature (9 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: Immediate criteria that come to mind would include a public (or reasonably-priced private) space that is obviously accessible late at night, after dusk.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 4:01 PM on July 9, 2023


the parking area for the trailhead at Mt Pilchuck.
I used to live on the Mt Loop Highway, and this spot is popular for stargazing comets, meteor showers, etc. Faces north, the mountain itself blocks the seattle metro light, and it's big.
should do the trick for aurora, although elevation is seldom required for this.
posted by OHenryPacey at 4:29 PM on July 9, 2023 [3 favorites]


Mukliteo Lighthouse Park and Edmonds waterfront are two easy-to-reach-from-Seattle places where people go to see the aurorae. Edmonds is a bit less crowded. Better than either of those is Point No Point but that requires a ferry boat ride.
posted by bz at 4:45 PM on July 9, 2023 [1 favorite]


The keyword you seek is "darksky".

https://www.google.com/search?q=darksky+locations+near+seattle
posted by intermod at 6:54 PM on July 9, 2023 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: the parking area for the trailhead at Mt Pilchuck

Looks like the road to this is closed until 2024, in case others are looking at this as well.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 7:10 PM on July 9, 2023 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: Looks like some of the places listed seem to close at dusk.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 7:24 PM on July 9, 2023


The parking lot of Rattlesnake Lake used to be good because of the mountain blocking the light from Seattle, but reading up on it now, it seems the parking lot it closed at dusk. (Many years ago, I went to Rattlesnake Lake for a major meteor shower. It was packed, but the view was good).
posted by ShooBoo at 7:44 PM on July 9, 2023




Response by poster: A lot of the darksky sites seem to be located in public areas which close at dusk. Which makes seeing things at night a little difficult. I wonder how well these lists are curated.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 7:54 PM on July 10, 2023


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