8 Great Places To Watch the Northern Lights Near Bozeman

Experts are predicting a strong geomagnetic storm, and the aurora borealis could put on quite the show for Montanans Wednesday night through Thursday morning.

A strong G3 geomagnetic storm watch has been issued by the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center. The watch will be in effect beginning at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, and will remain in effect through Thursday, March 31, 2022.

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Weather permitting, Montanans could get quite the show on Wednesday night. The best opportunity for viewing will be between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Wednesday evening. Partly cloudy skies are in the forecast for the Bozeman area Wednesday evening, which could make it difficult to witness the northern lights.

The best way to see aurora borealis is to head as far north as possible. Clear skies make for the best viewing. Find a place that is as dark as possible and free from artificial light pollution.

If you've never seen the northern lights, it is something that's hard to explain. I've seen them once in my life just east of Bozeman near Bear Canyon. At first, I thought I was getting abducted by aliens.

The further north you travel in Montana, the more likely you are to get a good view of the aurora borealis. For those of us living in the Bozeman area, our best is to get as far out of town as possible. The city lights in Bozeman make it difficult to see the night sky.

To help you out, we put together a list of a few places not far from Bozeman that will give you the best shot at watching the northern lights.