These towns on the Olympic Peninsulas northern coast are in the rain shadow of the mountains and have a good northern view if the weather cooperates. Some of the most popular places are near towns or interesting geologic features, but if youre traveling Iceland on your own, you can set up pretty much anywhere on a good night and get a great view. There are rustic snow igloos surrounded bysnow or heatedglass igloos withprivatebathrooms. Join her on this journey to explore space right here on earth. (Martha Shuff/Courtesy of Voyageurs National Park). Milky Way Calendar 2023 Best Milky Way viewing planner, Even though Iceland is not above the Arctic Circle, there are very. [See more of Tasmania: Things to Do | Hotels | When to Visit | Photos ]. With the village's origins dating back to the 17th century, you'll still find some of the original homesteads, including an old timber cottage. However, almost every town on the south shore of Lake Superior offers a solid chance to see elusive northern lights. Nearby Kola Peninsula is a good place to hunt for the Northern Lights, and from December 24 to January 5, 2018, the city itself is opening a 'Snow Village' installation a town built entirely . See the aurora borealis, aka the northern lights, across the northern tier of the U.S. this week, from Maine to Montana to Washington this week. Share this to help others enjoy the night sky! October through March is the best time to chase the aurora borealis in Iceland. If youre willing to make the trek,Acadia National Parkis one of the best destinations in the region. While there, you can also spend a magical evening outdoors under star-filled skies during a sleigh ride through the snow-covered forests. Abisko: Home to Abisko National Park and the Aurora Sky Observatory. Visit Troms sells aurora-watching trips around the city of Troms in Norway. Iceland is a popular destination for aurora watches, and for good reason. And another perk: Cunard is celebrating its 180thAnniversary with special sales available on many voyages between July 2020 and May 2022, including Alaska. You can pair your pursuit of the auroras with a trip to see the polar bears, or simply visit to chase the northern lights. Greenland may not be the most accessible place to travel for viewing the northern lights, but those who make it there will be thrilled they did. The Aurora Sky Station is one of the best vantage points to see the aurora in the park, with experts on hand to answer questions about the science behind this fascinating phenomenon. The best places to see the aurora borealis offer little to no light pollution, clear skies and no precipitation. Every list on the internet has their own suggestions for the best places to see the northern lights! Hotel Kangerlussuaq , 3910 Kangerlussuaq, Greenland; +299 841180 Saadjrv is also close to the Vooremaa nature reserve, so there's plenty to do in the region when you're not watching the lights dance in the sky. Yellowknife is one of the world's best places to spot the northern lights. Here, the Northern Lights are common throughout the year, but due to the midnight sun, they aren't visible during the height of summer. The small, northern Swedish town of Jukkasjrvi is famous for being the location of the worlds first Ice Hotel. This spectacle is more elusive since there's less land mass in this part of the world and fewer viewing spots to see the show. The northern lights are an optical phenomenon of the Earth's atmosphere, characterized by bright bands of a wide range of shapes and colors, typically red-green-blue, called auroral arcs, caused . Expert aurora chasers recommend staying in the capital city of Hobart as a base. Located 220 miles above the Arctic Circle, Troms is one of several top spots to view the northern lights in Norway. The bitter cold that often comes with witnessing the northern lights can be a real deterrent. Troms, Norway. There are few places where you can stargaze while floating in a canoe within a million-acre (404,685 ha) wilderness. Saariselk is well-known for its glass igloos where you can sleep under the open starry sky and see the northern lights from a bed. Figuring out where to see the Northern Lights in Fairbanks doesn't have to be difficult. The 6 igloo resorts include Northern Lights Village . That said, you'll have more chances from October to March. A view of the northern lights and the Aurora Sky Station. Norway. There is even a Facebook group calledOrkney Aurora Groupwhere local residents and enthusiasts post the latest information. The forecast lead time is the time it takes for the solar wind to travel from the L1 observation point to Earth. The Faroe Islands, Denmark. To help you narrow down a literal hemisphere of places to try and see the northern lights, weve pulled together the best places to see the northern lights from all of the posts weve written so far. Visit for the Jasper Dark Sky festival in mid-October and, in addition to the view of the stars, youll get hands-on science and astronomy events. Voyageurs is working toward an International Dark Sky Park designation to highlight and preserve the vast views, which it hopes to earn in 2020. Around 150 miles above the Arctic Circle, located along the road to the Arctic Sea, Saariselk is the northernmost ski resort in Finland. Liard River Hot Springs, further north, is a bucket-list must. Yellowknife, the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories, is also known as the "Aurora Capital of North America." The best time of year to see the Northern Lights in Alaska is from late August to late April, in Fairbanks at least. As a result, the skies above Fairbanks are illuminated four out of five nights from August 21 to April 21 each year. The mountainous island is the only place on the planet where it's entirely possible to see the aurora 365 days a year due to its latitude and its moderate seasonal and light changes. On the Alaska Northern Lights Multi-Active Private, youll snowmobile, mush a dog sled and relax in a private hot spring, all beneath the dancing northern sky. If you're one of the lucky few people on the planet to travel to the southernmost continent on Earth Antarctica you'll have an adventure of a lifetime, especially when the aurora illuminates the sky. The park's remote and wild location places it far from city lights, eliminating nearly all light pollution. You can also chase the lights into the wilderness by snowmobile, take a dogsled ride under the stars or view them from a Smi tent atop the mountain Pska in Alta. My name is Valerie, and I'm the founder of Space Tourism Guide! Located less than 10 miles from the Russian border in Finnish Lapland, this remote Arctic destination is a top-rated locale to view the northern lights due to the lack of light pollution. One of the most unique ways to view the northern lights? That said, the city of Rovaniemi is among the best places in Finland to see the Northern Lights. Troms is a popular place for . Among northern states, Michigan was one of the first to embrace the dark sky preservation movement. best time and places to see Northern Lights in Finland. The northern part of the country is dark in the early afternoon until late morning from the end of September to late March. Aug. 18, 2022 Updated: Aug. 19, 2022 9:03 a.m. 4. The southern lights are most visible in the winter months (between March and October), but due to the extreme weather conditions, only researchers brave the elements in Antarctica in the winter and they mostly stay indoors. It is during those months that solar activity is at its highest, and the skies are most likely to be clear of clouds and light pollution. During your visit, don't miss the panoramic views of the city from the building's fourth-floor observation deck. Fairbanks, Alaska. However, you will have to contend with the light from nearby communities like Bar Harbor when trying to view the northern sky from Cadillac Mountain. Days are spent snowshoeing, igloo-building and dog sledding, while evenings will be spent in search of the northern lights. Talk about a birds-eye view. Tags: Travel, Alaska Vacations, Europe Vacations, US Vacations, Vacation Ideas. A number of local guide services offer unique Northern Lights tours for visitors. Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Because of its protection as a national park, theres limited development and less light pollution. And since the lodge is off-the-grid, theres minimal artificial light to interfere with prime aurora viewing. In addition to its strategic location, Whitehorse also has the longest season for viewing the northern lights in Canada. Late-season expedition cruises to the last continent offered in March also bring the opportunity to view the southern lights and enjoy Antarctica's fleeting summer. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a moderate . This group of captivating islands, located about 10 miles from Scotland's remote northern coast, is one of the best places to see the northern nights in the country. People here in Connecticut may get a rare chance to see the Northern Lights this weekend. Soak in the springs, and don't forget your snowshoes. The area is extremely remote, and visitors will also have the chance to see animals like . Voyageurs is Minnesota's only national park; it's also unique in that, for much of the year, the water-based park's interior is accessible only by water. / Getty Images. Voyageurs alsoruns nighttime junior ranger programs. The northern part of the country is dark in . Because of this, most of us don't live in a place where the aurora can be seen on a regular basis. In order to increase your chances of seeing this spectacle, you should time your trip to anew moon. Headlands International Dark Sky Park, Michigan, guide to stargazing in Acadia National Park, The 6 Best Places to See the Northern Lights in Greenland, The 21 Best Places to See the Northern Lights in Europe This Winter, The 8 Best Places to See the Southern Lights in New Zealand. After a long wait, Swedens highly anticipatedArctic Bath Hotel and Spaa floating architectural wonderis finally set to open in January, 2020. This 13-day cruise itinerary departs from London for the North Sea with stops in ports of call that are top aurora-viewing locales, including Bod, Troms, Alta and Narvik. During other times of the year, Cunard also offers special Northern Lights cruises in Norway. While the auroras are on display regularly in the Orkneys, they are not as predictable and reliable as they are in some other places. Here are some of thebest spots to see the northern lights near Fairbanksif you want to improve your chances during your trip: Want to sleep under the aurora? . Jasper National Park (and its largest town, Banff) host a dark sky festival each October where people travel from around the world to view the dark skies, learn astronomy, and listen to live music while the northern lights dance overhead. You've Gotta See These 6 Spectacular Neighborhood Christmas Light Displays In Connecticut. New policies may be in place, including capacity restrictions, reservation requirements or mask mandates. It could be visible between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., but it is difficult to predict. But there's another phenomenon that causes the northern lightscoronal holes. With nearly 2.5 million hectares of untouched wilderness, Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, located about 383 kilometers north of Anchorage, is a favorite destination for campers and hikers because of its wide open spaces, beautiful mountain vistas and abundant wildlife.The park is also one of the best places in the U.S. to see the northern lights, thanks to the lack of light pollution. In fact, this is considered to be one of the best places on the planet to see the Northern Lights. While its far from Norway, Svalbard consistently ranks among the best places to see the northern lights in the world because its so far north it almost seems like youre at the north pole! This article was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information. Whitehorse (Yukon) Whitehorse is one of the best places to see the northern lights in Canada. best time and places to see Northern Lights in Alaska. All of the rooms have luxuries like wood-burning stoves and skylights for optimal viewing. Nestled in Canada's westernmost part, the views here of the aurora borealis are one of the best. Visitors to Troms will find plenty of local guides who offer aurora tours. That means that in the New England states, its hard to find a good dark sky! The cruise ends in Bergen. Each suite is sculpted of ice with a unique theme and maintains temperatures as low as minus 8 degrees Celsius. There are also other stargazing opportunities throughout the year at Headlands. The resort village is also one of the prime spots in the world to view the northern lights as it sits within the "aurora zone" and there are as many as 200 opportunities per year to see the show. To start planning your trip, use ourguide to stargazing in Acadia National Park. Travelers can also see ice sculptures in February and March at the impressive World Ice Art Championships or take a dog-sledding or snowmobiling tour. Sweden. But some placeslike Abisko National Parkare especially outstanding. 2:47. The northern reaches of Norway are nicely nestled within the Arctic circle, and the mega-long nights in winter make perfect aurora viewing conditions. 12, 2023, Lyn Mettler and Timothy J. ForsterJan. The effect of the northern lights inside Icelandairs Hekla Aurora plane. The Iceland Winter Multi-Active Private is a five-day northern lights adventure that kicks off in Reykjavik and includes hikes through otherworldly landscapes and soaking in steaming hot springs. To get there, head toAbisko National Parkand ride a 20-minute chairlift to the viewing tower. In late January to early February, the city hosts the Northern Lights Festival, a 10-day music and performing arts event featuring a variety of musical genres. Before jumping into the full list of great places to see the aurora borealis, I thought it might be good to start with five of the best ones. If you're up for the Arctic adventure, December is the ideal month to visit Abisko National Park, which is regarded as one of the best places on Earth to see the lights dance across the sky. When it comes to lodging, the property features traditional rooms, suites, villas and cabins. The Nellim Wilderness Hotel also offers aurora-focused "kotas" (inspired by traditional Smi huts), as well as cabins and bubble-shaped accommodations for two where guests can watch the dancing lights from their warm, cozy beds. But where should you go if youre trying to see the aurora borealis? She grew up in Alaska, has lived across the U.S., and traveled around the world to enjoy the night sky from many different perspectives. Its the only flight in the world to take off within the Aurora Oval. For an extended visit, plan to stay at the Antonius Hotel, a luxury boutique property in the heart of the historic city of Tartu. Even as late as the end of March or the beginning of April, you may still get a glimpse of these undulating rainbows. Visitors can even camp on a nearby ice sheet while basking in the glow. However, if youre going to see the northern lights in Washington,Olympic National Parkis one of the best spots to see it when skies are clear. HARTFORD, Conn Mother Nature may be providing her own, rare, holiday light show for Connecticut! Fairbanks, Alaska is one of the best places in the United States to view the Northern Lights. This facility is found in an optimal setting, thanks to the clear skies and aurora activity most nights of the year. 5. 3. That makes it a great destination for stargazing in general and for experiencing the aurora borealis specifically. [See more of Fairbanks:Things to Do|Hotels|When to Visit|Photos]. See the northern lights without getting out of bed at one of these hotels. Murmansk is a roughly two-hour flight from Moscow or St. Petersburg, making it an ideal destination for visitors. Northern Irelands northern county, Country Atrim, is a great option for trying to see the northern lights in this part of the Irish isles. Embrace the winter and set sail for the Arctic Circle to experience the aurora in northern Norway. The most basic rule for catching the northern lights is to go somewhere dark - and with Iceland's sparse population, there's no shortage of places that fit the . The northernmost point in the county, this small peninsula has unobstructed views to the north all the way to the Arctic Circle! Best Place to See Northern Lights . The entire area covers more than 38,000 square miles, much of which remains remote and untamed. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm watch into Thursday. 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