September to mid May is the most aurora-active, but in fall you can often see them comfortably, combining the trip with camping and other top Rockies activities, like hiking and paddling. Non-scientists should head to Banff National Park for the best vantage points.Īutumn – Total nighttime darkness and scant light pollution make Banff National Park ideal for viewing the Lights. Not surprisingly, northern Alberta is the base of the Geophysical Observatory at Athabasca University, which studies the Aurora’s magnetic impact on Earth. It’s hard to beat the shimmering Lights juxtaposed against the towering Canadian Rockies, reflecting off glassy, glacier-fed lakes. Pack layers, bring your sturdy hiking boots, and prepare for always-changing weather conditions. In addition to the light show, you get the fiery fall color backdrop, plus wildlife like grizzlies and wolves. Set on the Arctic Barren Lands on Ennadai Lake west of Hudson Bay, the lodge is just a short bush plane flight from Yellowknife, NWT. Here, you're most likely to spot the Northern Lights on cool autumn evenings. Winter - Consider a journey to a remote traditional Inuit community like Kimmirut, where you can kayak and see icebergs. Or visit Whale Cove, where you can fish and spot beluga whales after a night of aurora viewing.Įarly autumn – Follow traditional caribou routes by day, then catch the Lights by night at Arctic Haven Wilderness Lodge, which happens to be a t the optimal latitude for Aurora viewing. This time of year is when locals enjoy frequent, rippling aurora displays. December, for instance, has just four hours of daylight. So you want to go between October and April when the dark days are long. Spring and summer in Nunavut is the time of seemingly endless daylight, with 16 hours a day May to August and 24 hours of sunshine daily in June and July. Open expanses of tundra and a far-north location make Canada’s Arctic prime aurora viewing country. Mountain biking pros Boréale Explorers lead guided snow biking-aurora packages, as well as snowmobiling or dogsledding-aurora combos out of their stylish eco-lodge and Yurtville basecamp near Whitehorse. Add wildlife viewing, dogsledding, and a soak in Takhini Hotsprings to round out the fun. Cozy up in Arctic Range Adventures’ AuroraCentre with your choice of a plush, insulated yurt or cozy First Nations-style teepee. Late winter and early spring – In winter, Northern Tales hosts a variety of aurora packages and tours with activities such as snowshoeing, ice fishing, snowmobiling, and dog mushing. The outfitter provides modern creature comforts like barrel stoves and steaming beverages to keep you warm while you wait. In summer the night sky is not dark enough, thanks to the Midnight Sun, though this is also a great reason to visit!Īutumn – Take up residence in a prospector-style tent camp in the wilderness near Whitehorse with Northern Tales, lit only by the stars - and the aurora. Dabble in a few of them - dogsledding, fat biking, roughing it out in the open prospector-style - and catch the Lights while you’re there from September to April. Since the Gold Rush days, the Wild West Yukon has been the spot for fabled adventure. Combine trophy fishing until mid September with a lights show from the comfy deck at Aikens Lake Wilderness Lodge, a two-hour flight from Winnipeg. Snap pics of the often explosive display or better yet, just take it in so you don’t miss a thing.įall – September to November is the second-best time to catch the Aurora. Pack extra batteries, which can fizzle in the plunging temps, and rent clothing from the Polar Inn & Suites. Go with experienced operator Frontiers North, heading out around midnight in a heated Tundra Buggy kitted out with a bar. Late winter – Aurora high season in Churchill is February and March because of the extreme cold, which can drop to 40 below zero. Via Winnipeg is the best route, pausing at the Manitoba Museum to learn more about the Lights and how best to photograph them. But the thing that makes a visit even more special is that you can combine it with bucket list wildlife viewing - think belugas, polar bears, Arctic foxes, and more. In fact, scientists from around the globe flock to the town of 850, famed for polar bears, to study the aurora. Up here, you'll find Churchill, which bills itself as “one of the top three places on the planet” to see the Lights. Northern Manitoba is in the sub-Arctic Circle bordering Hudson Bay.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |