The odds of seeing the northern lights in Vancouver are not that high. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Upon arrival we were caught in a huge thunderstorm and the weather did not look promising. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. British Colombia is Canada’s most developed western province, with … While travel to and from Australia and New Zealand seems likely to be limited in, at the very least, the early stretches of 2021, residents there can plan to catch a different aurora. That’s right, the northern lights will be ripping super hard tonight across Canada, and yes, you might be able to see them if it’s clear out. We were able to capture as many photographs as possible without missing any shooting stars, and it allowed us to create star trails by stacking all the photos in post-processing. Avid fly fisher Andre Jr. visits the legendary Skeena River and its tributaries in Northern British Columbia to fly fish for steelhead. © 2021 Lonely Planet. offer a backdrop about as picturesque as they come. Canadian Geographic has some resources to help in your search for the northern lights. Northern Lights show from Whiffen Spit in Sooke. Throughout this process, each image takes up to 30 seconds to compose. But there’s another phenomenon that causes the northern lights - coronal holes. See also. The location itself seems ideal for viewing, as there is very little light pollution and it provides a broad vista in which to see the night sky, and, if you're lucky, to actually take in the Northern Lights. I’ve kept this location secret for over a year now and I’m very happy to first share with British Columbia Magazine. Hunting the Northern Lights is obviously an after-dark activity and often requires one to venture into remote spots. They recommend the area around Dawson Creek BC, and Muncho Lake Provincial Park.You might also look at Beaver Point Resort in Burns Lake BC, or one of a number of options in the Peace River region.. Doing a time-lapse has a few advantages. Step one is to locate yourself in the Northern Hemisphere (check!) Summit Lake. Summit Lake. Gordon’s Park is Canada’s first commercial dark sky preserve and a great place from which to view the northern lights. Eaton said the lights from the city can make it difficult to see the aurora. Here are some recommended locations for spotting the Northern Lights when the conditions are right: Spanish Banks in Vancouver (From the westernmost area of the beach next to Pacific Spirit Park) Porteau Cove in Squamish along the Sea to Sky Highway (The … NOAA also has some tips on viewing aurora with links to maps that show where it can be seen. These cookies do not store any personal information. We were heading towards Wells, B.C., a small town of about 250 people. The ghostly colors of the aurora borealis captured above an unidentified person standing on a frozen lake in northern Canada / Shutterstock. The Salmon Valley Church is known to be a great spot to catch the northern lights. The best ice hotels, igloos and snow villages open in 2020. Even Metro Vancouver area witnesses the natural phenomenon a few times per year despite light pollution and a relatively southern location. Sakinaw Lake is located about 40 kilometres north of Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast. Luckily for us it was a mild winter night so the temperature was manageable, and we had hot chocolate just in case. So for travelling to see the aurora, there is the added benefit of more predictability during solar minimum than during solar max. The Northern Lights will be visible across Canada tonight; According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, the lights are “a major disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth.” The beautiful province of British Columbia offers an extensive amount of activities, sites, and landscapes to enjoy throughout the year. Head north on Highway 97 and turn right onto Salmon Valley Road. We quickly raced up to Porteau Cove not knowing what to expect and hoping that we hadn’t miss the entire event. While they are famous for dazzling across the night sky, the northern lights are actually influenced by the activity of the sun. Awe-inspiring light shows around the world. “Iceland is a favourite because you can sometimes see volcanoes too,” he says. My photo of the Northern Lights was taken on the shores of Sakinaw Lake. The company seems very COVID-aware, as they provide hand sanitizer when you get in the vehicle, as well as at the warming hut. Where Can I see The Northern Lights in British Columbia? To see the northern lights in British Columbia, you’ll need to get away from more than the city. As Rick Phillips says: “Make sure to look behind you.” By the end of the night, nearly 3 a.m., all I could do was lay still and watch in awe. This creates a lot of northern lights activity, followed by a couple years of transition, then three to four years of solar minimum. The essential requirements for successful glaring at polar lights are northern climate, clear skies, and total darkness. While the southern part of the province boasts the more urban areas, the northern area of British Columbia lets visitors enjoy a variety of historical, natural and cultural sites and more remote regions. (With that being said, winter is the best season to spot them, owing to clearer skies and longer, darker nights.) This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. (You always stay longer without the “I’m-hungry” excuse.) Photographers spend hours tweaking their camera settings through the coldest of nights in hopes of capturing that one perfect shot. It was nearly 1 a.m. when we got an email alert for a strong Aurora storm that would potentially reach 7 kp. Summit Lake Provincial Park is another great place where you might see the northern lights. Around midnight, I glanced towards the lake. However, these auroras are sudden and short-lived. From $179. The isolated park, located close to the Yukon border and off the Alaska Highway, reportedly has aurora sightings year-round. For a good display we would like to see the particle density and speed increase increase (indicating the CME has arrived), together with a Bz being negative (indicating the interplanetary magnetic field is pointing south). St. Patrick’s Day 2015 was my first real Aurora storm captured with a DSLR. I wanted to be able to capture not just the Northern Lights, but convey the sense of the peacefulness of the night overlooking the town. Meeep meeep meeeep, the alarm goes off and you think to yourself, is it really worth getting out of my warm, comfortable bed and traveling 100+ kilometres into the frigid air of the woods? Reading Time: 8 minutes When you think of the Northern Lights – the elusive green ribbons of the earth’s solar and magnetic fields that dance through the sky on dark cold nights – places like Iceland, Greenland, and the Norwegian or Canadian Arctic typically come … I saw it from the corner of my eye and I barely turned my camera in time. Northern Lights “Aurora borealis” in the north and “Aurora australis” in the south or known to many as – The Northern Lights – are one more of nature’s amazing attributes! The Salmon Valley Church is known to be a great spot to catch the northern lights. Some locations even require require a 4×4 to reach or tenting overnight in the outdoors. We took a couple of roads that had potential, but this time I was looking for something a little different. By signing up for our newsletter, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Aurora Hunting Tour. You'll also have to escape the cloudy weather on the coast. The river can be accessed near the towns of Terrace and Smithers, and features views of the nearby Coast Mountain Range, including the Seven Sisters Peaks. To see the Northern Lights in British Columbia, you have to head far away from Vancouver.Northern BC is the best place to view them, in places such as Muncho Lake Provincial Park. Green and fuschia lights blaze across the night sky while millions of stars twinkle in the background. Backing out of driveway I’m already thinking about my favourite location to photograph the Northern Lights: Salmon Valley Church. Eaton said the lights from the city can make it difficult to see the aurora. The best time to see the northern lights in British Columbia and Canada, in general, is between September and March. However, it’s not unheard of for B.C. The banks of the Peace River near Hudson’s Hope B.C. British Columbia: British Columbia offers a range of places to see the Northern Lights, especially when travelling during the darker months from December to March. Visitors report Aurora... Dawson Creek. Check out Epic North! In short, these are the 10 best places where Northern Lights in Canada are seen: Whitehorse – Yukon: One of the most popular places to take an Aurora Tour in Canada. -Get out to a place with a northern view. It also doesn’t hurt to bring some snacks and refreshments. Rodney Viereck of the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) in the US explained to Lonely Planet that the sun goes through a roughly 11-year cycle, which includes three to four years of solar maximum. You will not see Northern Lights in Vancouver or very rarely in BC. Dr. Ian Griffin, an astronomer who is the director of the Otago Museum in Dunedin – one of the most southernmost cities in New Zealand – has long been tracking the lights. Eaton’s top picks for places to go include the 5 Mile Boat Launch on Highway 23 North past Revelstoke Dam, Boulder Mountain, and Sale Mountain. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Not only did we find an amazing place to capture this natural phenomenon, we walked away with incredible photos to share with everyone who peacefully sleeping slept through it. The “Dunedin Aurora Nowcast” site – run out of the University of Otago in partnership with the museum – helps track the auroras for when they are visible in the region. A solar storm could spark northern lights over Metro Vancouver this week Dec 10, 2020 11:26 AM By: Elana Shepert. To truly put a finger on where to stake out an evening show, we asked five B.C.-based photographers to share their experience capturing the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights put on a show over Muncho Lake, BC. The truly dedicated can download smartphone apps that notify users about impending solar storms. We used a Nikon D750 with a Nikon 20mm f/1.8 lens and our shots were taken at f/2 and were exposed for 25 seconds. British Columbia offers plenty of places to see the Northern Lights during the winter months, from December to March. From the bright blue hues of Jodhpur, Rajasthan's medieval metropolis, to the deep purples of Provence's lavender fields, discover the world through a stunning collection of photographs with the first and only travel guide by color palette. X. For a dedicated night photographer the answer is a decisive yes. Don’t be surprised if your alarm goes off in the middle of the night…. Exiting the house a wave of biting cold air washes over me. When it comes to where you could go, Rodney recommends northern spots like Fairbanks, Alaska, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Churchill in Canada, and Iceland and northern Norway. This would give the best conditions to let the particles to get into the Earth's magnetic field (the magnetosphere). It'll be on the right-hand side after you cross the bridge. The Canadian Space Agency’s Aurora Viewing Tips page has many additional tips for watching the … This creates a lot of northern lights … For peace of mind wherever the lights lead you, including beyond the cellular grid, pick up a SPOT satellite device. This means that major cities, or areas with a great deal of street lights, billboards and so on, will make viewing the northern lights more difficult. In the solar maximum, the sun is more “active”, leading to northern lights that are caused by solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). I took hundreds of photos that night but this shot (above) caught my attention. All rights reserved. North Shore Rescue Society recently rescued stranded hikers on a sunset hike; if you’re chasing Aurora Borealis, you’ll be out well past sunset. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. If you reach the railroad tracks, you’ve gone a few hundred feet too far. Okay, so yes, some of these locations are pretty far north (ie. Not only have they divulged tips and shared these incredible images with us, they’ve also revealed their favourite spot to view the Northern Lights first hand. I started up in the hills but soon found myself sitting on the banks of the Peace. Eaton’s top picks for places to go include the 5 Mile Boat Launch on Highway 23 North past Revelstoke Dam, Boulder Mountain, and Sale Mountain. Yellowknife – Northwest Territories: The best place to see Northern Lights in Canada in winter. I’m getting my gear ready while the car warms up, checking for key items: camera, tripod, and fresh batteries. Tuktoyaktuk – … I was invited to spend a weekend with family and friends at a family cabin. Share on LinkedIn. Best Places to View The Northern Lights. Thank goodness for my personalized face warmer, aka my beard. The size of a visible Aurora will be bigger than what is shown on this map, because the map gives the overhead location of the Aurora. To see the northern lights in British Columbia, you’ll need to get away from more than the city. Best place to see the Northern Lights in the Canadian Rockies. The 8 Best Places To See The Northern Lights In Canada The aurora borealis is a unique celestial display caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with the … Time stands still while nature demonstrates just how feeble fireworks actually compare. Want to see the Northern Lights in beautiful Yukon, Canada? Forward by Email. The best places for stargazers to catch the show are far away from any light pollution. Luckily, there is a benefit of being closer to the solar minimum – it means that the lights can actually be more predictable. 6. This part can be quite difficult when photographing at night, as there is not much to focus on. At lower latitudes, the best place to see Northern Lights in Canada would be British Columbia/Alberta and the Canadian Rockies in general. As it has become second nature to me, I packed up my camera for the trip; with vast beauty around the province of British Columbia there is always something to capture. Reporter, British Columbia Thursday, December 3rd 2020, 10:25 am - The northern lights can be seen from any region in Canada, we reveal the top spots with the best view. You'll also have to escape the cloudy weather on the coast. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. We had not been able to get to a proper location with low light pollution in our previous attempts and were starting to give up hope of capturing the Northern Lights unless we travelled to northern B.C. The northern lights are visible year-round from locations underneath the “auroral oval,” a massive ring that wraps around the earth’s magnetic north pole. Our adventure kicked off around 11:30 p.m. and once we were done it was pushing 2:30 a.m. After almost 3 hours of shooting we left our post and took with us the satisfaction of scouting the jackpot spot overlooking the town. We did our usual test shots and decided to film a time-lapse at the same time. Travel to multiple view spots, ensuring you get the best shot at experiencing that perfect view of the Northern Lights. On this particular night, my phone rang and it was my sister-in-law Candice on the line. Summit Lake Provincial Park is another great place where you might see the northern lights. It's a good sign if you see a thick aurora band with some areas of light yellow, orange or, better yet, RED on this map as opposed to just a thin (or transparent) band with only dark green. She said two words: “Northern Lights.” I responded back, “Ready in 5.”  This wasn’t the first time we had gone on one of these adventures; in fact, Candice and I have a history of going on Northern Lights adventures late at night. Mike Pringle waited for the perfect moment to capture the Northern Lights over Dawson Creek, BC. These months offer the longest hours of darkness throughout the year. Often you’ll find them laden in a swirling mist and trees covered in frost, an effect created by a river that never freezes (even at -30ºC). Green and fuschia lights blaze across the night sky while millions of stars twinkle in the background. I’ve travelled there over 30 times to shoot the Milky Way, full moons, the Northern Lights, light paintings, and a scene I’ll never forge, the eerie fog. Alberta is one of the best provinces in Canada for seeing the northern lights because vast stretches of land... British Colombia. So how does one increase the odds of admiring them? The 8 Best Places To See The Northern Lights In Canada The aurora borealis is a unique celestial display caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with the … There are many breathtaking places to view the northern lights in B.C., but many residents never visit them. We could hear the audible gasps of the handful of other photographers who were also on the pier taking photos. British Columbia also offers some of the world’s best skiing, which can be done in the colder seasons. The aurora australis – or southern lights – are the same phenomenon on the other side of the Earth. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission. Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, Lynn Stevens of See What Eye See Photography, Karina Mikertumova & Amir Hariri of Vanexus Photography, Walking in a Winter Wonderland: Evening Hiking and Snowshoeing. It'll be on the right-hand side after you cross the bridge. Once we arrived we proceeded to set up our cameras and tripods. Approximately 80 kilometres east of Quesnel, Wells is en route to the historic gold mining town of Barkerville. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Tucked among forests of towering Douglas fir and Sitka spruce, and surrounded by majestic Coast Mountains, it makes for a great place to capture the night sky. The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are a spectacular natural light show visible at certain times of the year in the northern hemisphere. Suddenly, rays of purple light started to peak out from the corner of the sky and they continued to get bigger and brighter. The dancing lights in the sky appear in many forms, from patches or scattered clouds of light … To my surprise a green glow at the north end of the lake was peaking over the horizon.