Canada’s Best Places to Witness the Northern Lights, According to a Top Travel Advisor

I’ve always had a lust for far-flung places and exploring the cultures that inhabit them. I find the ways of life in remote places fascinating: how people survive in harsh conditions, acquire food, entertain themselves, raise children, and preserve their history and spiritual beliefs.

Canada’s northern territories deliver this and more. As far as it is, the region provides a lifetime of exploration. Plus, it offers an unobstructed vantage point to witness the northern lights more than 200 nights a year. Here are two exhilarating winter journeys I recommend: one to the Northwest Territories and another to the Yukon Territory. 

Yukon Territory

Directly north of British Columbia and east of Alaska lies the Yukon Territory. It’s nearly the size of Spain, but with only 45,000 inhabitants, a quarter of whom are indigenous. The province has a rich history and spectacular scenery: towering mountains, crystal-clear lakes, and dense forests. 

After arriving in the capital, Whitehorse, begin your adventure with a visit to a remote lodge on the shores of Tagish Lake. Winter activities include ice fishing, snowshoeing, dog sledding, and snowmobiling on the frozen lake and surrounding trails. At night, marvel at the northern lights, while keeping an eye on forecasts and apps that predict aurora visibility.

Following three nights on the lake, journey to Dawson City, a town made famous by the Klondike Gold Rush. Here, you’ll learn about the first gold discovery at Bonanza Creek in 1896 and how Dawson City swelled from 500 to 100,000 people in just three years. A meeting with a local First Nations elder offers insight into how the gold rush impacted its culture and freedom.

The trip to Dawson City is further highlighted by a flight over Tombstone Territorial Park and a return journey along the famed Dempster Highway. And, of course, there’s more northern lights viewing from a secluded yurt, free from light pollution.

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories offer an experience unlike any other. The epic geography of this region, much of it above the tree line, has shaped how its inhabitants have lived for generations. Half the territory lies within a polar climate and borders the Arctic Ocean, where frozen sea ice stretches from October to June. Each winter, ice highways emerge, making remote villages accessible. 

After a night in Yellowknife, the capital, take a ski-plane to Blachford Lake Lodge and land on the frozen lake itself. You’ll spend your days enjoying soft adventures such as skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, and snowmobiling on nearby trails. Evenings are reserved for the northern lights (visible here up to 240 days a year), which you’ll enjoy in silence under the crisp, starry skies.

Next, travel to Inuvik, where local Inuit hosts share their traditional way of life. Learn about life on the traplines, witness an igloo-building demonstration, and have the opportunity to try muktuk (whale skin and blubber), a traditional Inuit food.

The journey’s crescendo is a private flight over the Richardson mountain range to Tuktoyaktuk, an Inuit hamlet on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. It’s the only Arctic community connected to the rest of Canada by highway, and life here feels otherworldly. Bruce Noksana, an Inuvialuit dog musher, will lead a thrilling dog sledding experience and welcome you into his home, sharing local bounty and stories of his people’s traditions and life on the tundra.

While many come to see the northern lights, travelers in these remote territories are rewarded with something deeper: meaningful connections to the people, culture, and land.

Marc Telio is a member of Travel + Leisure’s A-List and, as the founder and president of Entrée Destinations, specializes in trips to Canada and Alaska. You can create a tailor-made itinerary with Telio by contacting him at marc@entreedestinations.com.