Northern lights in Washington State tonight

The Okanogan Highlands in north-central Washington near Tonasket and Republic sit at 900-1200 m elevation with minimal light pollution. The area faces north across the Canadian border with Bortle 2-3 conditions. Ferry County Road gives open ridge positions. The Methow Valley east of the Cascades near Winthrop offers comparable darkness with a more accessible valley floor. The rain shadow of the Cascades keeps this region significantly clearer than the western slopes. A 4-hour drive from Seattle via Highway 20.

The remote northern Cascades near the Canadian border, accessible via the North Cascades Highway (SR-20, closed in winter). The park sits at 48.7°N geographic and faces north across the Skagit range. Bortle 2 in the backcountry. The Ross Lake area in the park interior gives north-facing positions at lake level with mountain silhouette foreground. The Diablo Lake overlook gives a quick accessible position from SR-20. For aurora, the park's position close to the 49th parallel and deep darkness make it Washington's most compelling designated dark sky position.

The Strait of Juan de Fuca coastline between Port Angeles and Neah Bay faces north across open water toward Vancouver Island and the Canadian coastline. The Dungeness Spit and the cliffs near Neah Bay give north-facing positions with limited light pollution to the north. Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park at 1600 m gives elevated sky access. For aurora, the north-facing strait positions give an ocean horizon to the north with the aurora appearing above the distant Canadian coast.