Where is the Best Place in Canada to view the Nothern Lights? Have you seen the Northern Lights? Also Have?

You can see maps showing the zone of best activity at

http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/

I have been to Alaska, Northwest Territories, and Yukon Territory. I seem to bring the cloudy weather with me, but I have gotten enough breaks in the clouds to see aurorae from Barrow, Fairbanks, Fox, Yellowknife, and Dawson City. Once I invested in serious winter clothes, I hate to let them go to waste. To see the aurora getting away from city light pollution helps a lot. When Fairbanks gets really cold, often ice fog settles in the Tanana River valley, but heading a few miles north on the Steese Highway towards Fox can get you above it. Of these places Fairbanks was the only one where I rented a car.

Unless the activity is very strong, the color will be much more subtle to the eye than in long exposure photographs.

The farther North you go, the better you will be able to see the Northern Lights. The Northern lights are a phenomenon, with radiation reflecting off of the magnetic "Shield" that is formed from the charges at the poles. Therefore, the furthest North you go, the best you can see the Northern LIghts (same goes with the South end of the globe).

So, theoretically, if you wanted to see the best Northern lights, you would go to the very top of Ellesemere Island. However, I would probably stick wtih Inuvik, Tuktoyuktuk, or perhapds Yellowknife or Whitehorse.

To answer your question, YES, I hvae seen the Northern Lights. I live in Southern Alberta. Here you can best see them near the Solstices, so either late June or late December (as is the case everywhere actually). This far South they are mostly blue and green. The further North you go they turn red/orange.

Yellowknife is the best city in Canada to observe the Northern Light. Whitehorse is almost as good. Other cities are further away from the magnetic north pole, which is what (indirectly) creates the light show.

Yes, polar bears do walk around town in Churchill, ocassionally, and everyone gets nervous. Canada has some amazing scenery.

Hi,

I have seen the Northern Lights on more than one occasion from my chalet, 1 hour north from Montreal. It was spectacular! Like going to a show to be entertained except the show is the sky! The more you are north and the more dark the sky is, far away from any city lights, the more spectacular the Northern Lights are.

I am not sure that there is a populated place where bears are running around loose but I am sure that you don't have to go very far in northern Canada to see wildlife!

I have heard of moose and deer running around in the northern communities but bears? If it does happen they are shooed away, kind of dangerous!

I hope that you aren't one of those that think that Canada is all rural with wildlife running around everywhere because there is nothing more modern than a Canadian city!

I have seen some very spectacular norther lights from my house (which is just out of Winnipeg, Manitoba). I find that spring and fall are the best times for them to occur and the more north you go, the more likely you are to see them. They can be completely memorizing.

Churchill does not (usually) have polar bears roaming through town, but you can take a polar bear tour and the tour guides take you to where they are to see them.