Dark Sky Camping

Anyone seen the Northern Lights from the Lower 48? I have seen them a couple of times from the Northern Cascades in WA near the Canadian border. Best in late Aug/Sept at around 6,000 feet or higher in the backcountry where no lights are visible.

Thanks all for your suggestion.
Our first Dark Sky trip will be on Wednesday. 55 minutes from our home to Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, Okeechobee, FL. Designated as a dark blue / light gray for light pollution.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/dark-sky-designation
It is the largest most primitive prairie in Florida, probably in the South East as prairies go.

Then we are going to try Bahia Honda State Park in Big Pine Key, FL. Another on the dark sky list as dark blue. Beautiful water Sunrises and Sunsets.

Hopefully, this will whet our appetites for the dark grey / black Dark Sky Parks in the South, Southwest.

I would recommend eastern Oregon. There's not much between Bend and Boise, plus it's higher altitude and dryer. I have a favorite forest service CG there where there's no electricity for miles.

The next step in star gazing is to gain some elevation. If you like the sky in the desert, try it from 10,000 feet. Much less atmosphere between you and the Universe. Colorado and New Mexico are really good at elevation. So are Nevada and Utah. Nothing wrong with Oregon and Washington. I almost forgot ID, MT, and WY. AZ

Cosmic Park off 180 North of Silver City, NM


https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/gila/recarea/?recid=82479

Most of rural NM is going to be dark sky except around the oil patch in the southeastern part of the state.

Years ago we skied into a resort near Tioga Pass to celebrate New Year's Eve. We stayed in cabins, with meal service at the lodge. I have vivid memories of drinking champagne at midnight with a group of friends outside and looking at the sky at 10,000 feet. It was around -15 degrees F.

The Universe did not seem that far away.

Badlands in South Dakota are a great place as there are no large cities in the area at all. Joshua Tree National Park is very good also.

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:
Where are you?

The darkest part of the US is the Massacre Rim in the Nevada-CA-Oregon border.

Never been there but the write up says, it is so dark that the dense starlight can cast a shadow.

We were there last Spring. We travelled on 8A, a decent gravel road that bisects Sheldon Antelope Range. We were the only ones there. It took us several hours from where we left 140 until we came to a paved road just east of California border. We did encounter a road grader just before pavement. Very isolated but beautiful. We should hav3 spent the night but it had been raining so the skies would have been obscured.

I enjoy taking "dark sky" photos, and have found many places in the west work well. As others have mentioned, getting away from cities & trying for high altitudes helps.

One of my favorite milky way photos includes skies that are not all that dark, but with a meteor and Devils Tower, I like it.

Tin=Bender Which location are you refering to? Thanks