Published October 6, 2026 03:15AM
How We Reported This Story
As an astrotourism writer and dark-sky photographer, the author has stayed at some of the most incredible nightscapes around the world. For this piece, she drew on firsthand visits to these seven U.S. accommodations—overnighting in specialized lodgings like fiberglass igloos, geodesic domes, and DarkSky-certified glamping tents—to evaluate their dark-sky conditions and stargazing amenities.
The fatigue should have put me to sleep as I tucked into bed at 3 A.M. on night six of my Alaska aurora hunt. With a string of clear skies and strong northern lights, I’d barely slept a wink. Yet I had no intention of snoozing. It was time to cozy up for phase two of the night’s lights chase: admiring the lime and purple streamers from bed.
This fall 2025 trip was different than many of my previous aurora pursuits, which involved guided tours or long nights out in the wilderness. On this excursion, I overnighted exclusively in accommodations built for sky-watching—and as someone who pursues nocturnal wonder for a living, I can’t recommend this hack enough.
I’ve experienced the world’s nightscapes in myriad ways for my astrotourism reporting and photography, including guided tours, DIY stargazing, and observatories. Perhaps my favorite way to sky-watch, though, is from an accommodation built around the stars, whether that’s a hotel within a dark-sky park or clear-sky igloos to watch the northern lights from bed.
Here are seven of the best places to stay in the U.S. for stargazing, with insights and tips from my own visits.
1. Borealis Basecamp: Fairbanks, Alaska
For aurora hunters, Borealis Basecamp’s location is hard to beat. It’s a quick 45-minute drive from Fairbanks, which connects to the lower 48 states via direct flights, but it’s still far enough away to avoid the city’s glow. The area lies in the northern hemisphere’s hub for northern lights activity, known as the auroral zone. And as I learned during my stay in September 2025, it’s built specifically for sky-watchers, with everything from expert lectures on lights chasing to accommodations with unobstructed sky views.
Borealis Basecamp offers two types of stays: fiberglass igloos and glass-walled cubes. I overnighted in an igloo and signed up for their complimentary northern lights wake-up call, although I didn’t need it. During my trip, a strong lights show started just after dinner. I watched for hours from my private patio, then soaked up the view from bed. If you can, book an igloo in the front row; I was in room 401. This provides the most privacy, with nothing between you and the foreground’s spruce-stuffed forest.
2. Skyview Hotel: Torrey, Utah
I visited Torrey, Utah, to photograph Capitol Reef National Park’s lauded nightscapes. The remote red-rocks getaway earned DarkSky International’s most prestigious gold-tier status, and one night showed me why. While in the park, I stared deep into the Milky Way core, then watched shooting stars overhead. What I hadn’t expected, though, was to enjoy this pristine sky-watching in my accommodation, too.
Skyview Hotel, located six miles from the park entrance, sits within the DarkSky International-certified town of Torrey. You have a few rooms to choose from here. First: cozy geodesic domes, with skylights to peep these inky vistas without leaving your sheets. I opted to stay in the main lodge’s premium king room for one particular perk: a private hot tub to watch the Perseids. The attached patio to stargaze and snack on takeaway pie from the park’s famous Gifford Homestead was the cherry on top.
3. The Summit at Big Bend: Terlingua, Texas
It’s easy to find a stellar stargazing spot in the 15,000-square-mile Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve. There’s the national park’s nighttime fresco, which I enjoyed by staying close to the trails at the Chisos Mountain Lodge. But 17 miles west of the entrance is another unbeatable perch, the Summit at Big Bend.
This property, a series of stargazing domes outside ghost-town Terlingua, is a dream for stargazers and night-sky photographers. The abodes overlook the desert scrub, with walls that double as sky-watching windows. I stayed in a Stargazer Deluxe Suite, which comes with a sweeping view and private patio. Like a kid in a candy shop, I alternated between photographing the stars above desert cacti and watching the sky dots from the hammock, then bed. The property also offers a series of on-site trails to see the stars away from the domes. I spent half a night up at the property’s hilltop Summit Viewpoint, which peers across the Big Bend region.
4. Fresh Coast Cabins: Copper Harbor, Michigan
When friends ask me where to chase the northern lights in the contiguous U.S., I always recommend Fresh Coast Cabins. This group of cabins in Michigan’s far-north Keweenaw Peninsula is about as good as lower-48 lights chasing gets. For starters, it’s an unbeatable location. In the contiguous U.S., sky swirls often appear closer to the northern horizon. These cabins boast unobstructed north-facing views across Lake Superior; I’ve seen the lights here, sometimes just above the horizon, at least half a dozen times.
Another necessity for lights pursuits: darkness. You need inky skies to enjoy the streaks, especially in the contiguous U.S., where the show is often fainter. The Keweenaw’s skies are dark with a capital D, especially at Fresh Coast, which is three miles from the town of Copper Harbor—a gateway to Isle Royale National Park. I’ve stayed in several cabins here. The Aurora Major Suite on the lodge’s second floor provides a bird’s-eye view of the big lake, where you can watch for lights from the private balcony or kitchen. Cabin nine is another smart option; it’s located right on the water, with northward views over Lake Superior.
5. Coopers Rock State Forest Stargazing Cabins: Bruceton Mills, West Virginia
In autumn 2025, West Virginia opened the state’s first official “stargazing cabins” in Coopers Rock State Forest. I took my mom and dog on an adventurous holiday visit to check them out. These A-frame abodes were built with stargazers in mind. The oversized windows and patio make it easy to admire the heavens inside and out, especially with the telescopes available in each dwelling. Several of the cabins are ADA accessible; three are pet-friendly.
The backdrop, Coopers Rock State Forest, is equally enchanting by day. It lies about 12 miles from Morgantown, with dozens of trail miles through oak and maple forests reachable just out the front door. It’s also a prime spot for bouldering, with well over a hundred year-round routes.
6. Volcano House: Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
Stars aren’t the night’s only wonder. Darkness can make other marvels, like lava, more distinguishable. I learned this firsthand during a stay at Volcano House in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. The lodge lies on the edge of the active Kīlauea caldera, right along the Crater Rim Trail. The property itself isn’t about over-the-top luxury or specifically built for stargazing like some of the others on this list, but it does come with one of my favorite hotel perks. It’s within easy reach of nighttime beauty. In this case, an active volcano and stars.
Like many Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park travelers, I planned my March 2026 stay hoping for an eye-popping eruption. The conditions didn’t align, but overnighting at Volcano House was still a success. The cobalt night makes even mild activity—the orange glow reflecting in the clouds—visible. Even better: on clear nights, you’ll witness celestial beauty. Each night, I set my alarm for 2 A.M., then raced out to the adjacent Crater Rim Trail to photograph the distant glow while admiring the silvery stars.
7. ULUM: Moab, Utah
Glamping brand Under Canvas has made a name for itself among stargazers. It partnered with DarkSky International to introduce the first nightscape-friendly lodging in 2023, with the world’s first DarkSky-certified accommodation, Under Canvas Lake Powell.
Since then, Under Canvas has implemented light-pollution-prevention measures across many of its properties, including the upscale and now DarkSky-approved glamping escape ULUM Moab, a resort with 50 canvas tents sprinkled among the soaring crags near Moab. I used the getaway as a basecamp for night photography in nearby Arches National Park. As with Skyview Hotel in Torrey, ULUM surprised me. The skies here are exceptionally dark, and each tent comes with a quaint patio to soak up the view. It’s also a good place to try different styles of stargazing. In my case, that meant not only admiring the heavens, but experiencing sky-watching’s wellness benefits during a guided starlit sound bath led by a local meditation teacher.
