The biggest treasure you can find on the North Shore is darkness. While most of the world’s night skies are polluted with light, the pristine wilderness above Lake Superior is among the darkest areas of the planet. In fact, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area is one of only 23 International Dark Sky Sanctuaries — and with over one million acres, it’s also the largest.

The abundance of darkness makes North-Eastern Minnesota a premier destination for casual stargazers and the serious astrophile. Throughout the year, cosmic events like the Northern Lights, meteor showers, and planet parades appear much clearer here than in densely populated areas. With the naked eye alone, you can observe constellations and planets that are obscured by light pollution almost anywhere else. And if you go out on a moonless night and bring binoculars or a telescope, the skies reveal even more of the universe’s wonders.​