There’s no guarantee you’ll catch the aurora borealis, but if it’s a clear night and you do see these dancing, undulating colorful lights, you are one lucky human. The northern lights are caused when energy and small particles from solar storms interact with gases in our atmosphere. One of the best places to see them is Voyageurs National Park near the Canadian border, especially in winter, when there are more hours of darkness (for once, a plus!). Even if you don’t see them, if it’s clear, you will get a beautiful view of a starry night without light pollution. Mahaffey’s Moosehorn Resort and Northern Lights Resort have select accommodations available for winter fun Up North. International Falls, nps.gov/voya, 218-283-6600; Kabetogama, moosehornresort.com, 218-875-3491; nlro.com, 218-875-2591
This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.
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