Winter Aurora

Seeing the Winter Aurora is an Unforgettable Northern Lights Experience

The Northwest Territories is the place to see the world’s best Northern Lights. Here, the brightest, clearest, and the most active Aurora in the world dance across the cloudless skies of the NWT for 240 nights of the year. In the winter, the low humidity means few clouds and the early darkness means many hours for Aurora hunting trips. There is simply no way to capture how awe-inspiring it is to see the winter Aurora fill the sky, from horizon to horizon, over the Arctic landscapes of the Northwest Territories. The winter Aurora season is an iconic and unforgettable way to see the best Northern Lights.

The best place to see the Northern Lights in a true winter wonderland is the Northwest Territories. Under the Auroral Oval - which is where the world's most active Aurora activity is centered - the NWT has the best Northern Lights viewing conditions. During the day you can enjoy all sorts of spectacular things to do in the winter across the stunning Northern landscape - from dogsledding to ice fishing. Long winter nights provide the stage for you to watch unrivalled Northern Lights play across the sky in bright greens, purples, and even oranges. Away from the lights of big cities, even the capital city of Yellowknife provides excellent Aurora viewing conditions against a wide open sky.

For many locals, the Aurora can be a sudden, but welcome, surprise to their evening any night of the week - the Northern Lights happen frequently in the Northwest Territories. Aurora tour operators keep an eye on the prime nights to go out and see the Northern Lights and provide amazing hospitality while you wait for the show to start. Aurora tours can offer authentic Northern cuisine and hot drinks inside cozy wall tents, photography tips for capturing the Northern Lights, and some offer centuries of Indigenous knowledge behind the significance and meaning of the Aurora to the Indigenous peoples of the NWT. When the Northern Lights stream across the sky, you’ll understand just what makes the winter Aurora in the NWT the best in the world and an unforgettable Northern experience.

Booking a stay at an Aurora lodge is another way to enjoy the height of the winter Aurora season. From all-inclusive fly-in lodges to private wilderness lodges just a brief drive from town, your stay can be rustic, relaxed, and luxurious. These lodges can be the best place to watch the winter Northern Lights fill the sky. Your warm accommodations offer nearby sanctuary as you stand in awe gazing at the Aurora - an unforgettable, personal, and intimate experience under the Northern Lights for you to enjoy in privacy and comfort.

The winter Aurora season is an iconic time to come to the Northwest Territories and witness the best Northern Lights in the world. There are nearly endless ways to get out on the land, experience the pristine beauty of winter in the North, and spend your nights under a marvellous and powerful Aurora display. Find the package or operator below to provide your ideal winter Aurora experience and see the most beautiful natural displays of Northern Lights in the world.