Many know that Canada's territories are some of the best places to see aurora, but you don't have to go that far north to see them — you can visit a small town in Canada's prairies that offers views of the northern lights nearly all year long.
And with 2024 set to see some of the strongest northern lights activity in a decade, now's the perfect time to plan a trip.
Located in Manitoba, Churchill is a small town on the shores of the Hudson Bay. The town is known for polar bear sightings, lying on the migration path of the animals, and is also a great place to spot beluga whales.
The town offers incredible opportunities for catching the northern lights and is said to be one of the top three places in the world to witness the aurora borealis, with the lights visible up to 300 nights each year, on average.
This is because it is so far north in Manitoba that it is located under the Aurora Oval, aka an area close to the Earth's poles where the aurora typically hangs out.
Travel Manitoba tells Narcity that some of the best times to see the northern lights in Churchill are February and March, as the days are shorter and the winter skies tend to be clearer.
However, the northern lights can also be seen during beluga whale season (from June to September) or polar bear season (October and November).
The lights most often appear in green hues, but can occasionally shine in hues of red and purple, the tourism company says.
The northern lights are seen in an array of colours in Churchill, Manitoba. Travel Manitoba
How to get to Churchill, Manitoba
There are multiple ways to get to Churchill. From Winnipeg, you can take a VIA Rail train to Churchill, Manitoba. The trip takes 2 days and 2 nights, covering 1,697 kilometres and passing through communities including Portage La Prairie, Dauphin, and Wekusko Falls Provincial Park.
The trip is available in economy or sleeper class plus, the latter of which comes with cozy accommodations and access to a shower.
The train departs Union Station in Winnipeg for Churchill every Sunday and Tuesday at 9 a.m. The train departs Churchill every Thursday and Saturday. Round-trip ticket prices start at $482 for March.
Air service to Churchill is also available year-round with airlines such as Calm Air, Bearskin Airlines and Northway Aviation.
The Churchill Northern Studies Centre in Churchill, Manitoba. Travel Manitoba
Churchill northern lights tours
A number of northern lights tours are offered in and around Churchill to help you catch sight of the aurora.
For a budget-friendly option, travellers may want to look at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. The CNSC offers "Learning Vacations" that range from five to seven days in length, and come packed with wildlife viewing excursions, visits to local museums and attractions, and fascinating tours.
The best part is that your itinerary, accommodations, and food are all taken care of.
Another more affordable tour option, according to Travel Manitoba, can be found with Nanuk Operations, who host both multi-day and single-evening aurora viewing tours.
Northern lights trips are also available with Nat Hab, giving you exclusive access to the warm Aurora Pod that has been specifically designed for watching the aurora borealis with 360-degree views of the sky.
Or, if you'd prefer to DIY your northern lights adventure, you may want to consider Nights Under Lights, a guided evening photography outing based at a yurt in the middle of the boreal forest, or Discover Churchill, which offers a nightly call list where you can sign up to be informed that the northern lights are out and join a quick viewing tour.
While Churchill definitely offers some of the best opportunities for aurora viewing, you don't necessarily need to go all the way there to see the northern lights — according to Travel Manitoba, they can also be spotted outside other northern Manitoba towns and cities like Thompson, Flin Flon and The Pas, which are all about 6-9 hours from Winnipeg.
Designated dark-sky preserve Spruce Woods Provincial Park, located about 2 hours from Winnipeg, also offers great conditions for viewing the lights.
Where can I see the northern lights in Canada?
While the northern lights can mostly be seen in northern regions of the country, they can often dip down to southern areas, sometimes as far as Vancouver or southern Ontario.
To see them this far south, however, there would have to be an increase in solar activity. Luckily, 2024 is set to see solar activity peak between January and October, according to Space.com, meaning better chances to see auroras.
You can refer to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Aurora Dashboard to see whether solar activity will push the aurora southwards. The dashboard provides a map showing where in Canada will have the best chance of seeing aurora when there are geomagnetic storms, providing a forecast for who will be able to see the lights on a given night.
You can also use an aurora watch app to get alerts about when the lights are visible in your area.
As for where in Canada you can see the lights, they'll be most visible in areas that are free of light pollution, as bright city lights that light up the sky make low-intensity auroras invisible, according to the Canadian Space Agency.
Several dark sky sites across Canada offer wide dark skies perfect for catching the nothern lights. A list of each and every one can be found on the Royal Astronomy Society of Canada's website.
According to the CSA, generally, the aurora appears a few hours after sunset, when the sky is clear, and tends to become more intense around midnight.
Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.
