Alberta is the place to see the Northern Lights!
Edmonton, located in Northern Alberta, is not as far north as Canada’s top aurora watching spots. However, it does enjoy frequent northern lights displays that appear on average of about 90 nights per year.
The University of Alberta and the University of Alaska monitor for geomagnetic activity to make the most precise prediction of this phenomenon. To capture the elusive lights dancing in the sky you have to get away from the big city to avoid light pollution and hope for clear skies.
You can also see the Northern Lights from Notikewin Provincial Park or Twin Lakes Provincial Park, both are about a 1-hour drive north of Manning.
As you go further north, towards Fort McMurray located in northeast Alberta, you will get the best aurora watching spots in the country. This is about a 4.5-hour drive from Edmonton. Fort McMurray is between boreal forests and the Athabasca oil sands. You can go further north to Wood Buffalo National Park, the world’s largest dark-sky preserve. Lake Athabasca, located near Wood Buffalo National Park, is the perfect spot for a Northern Lights sighting.
Anecdote!
One cold, dark winter’s night I was travelling from Edmonton to Fort Saskatchewan, a 20-minute drive, when I was gripped with fear!
The highway was dark, everywhere was dark, except the sky!
It was green, purple, pink, teal and blue swirling and eerie – it was BEAUTIFUL! IT WAS SPECTACULAR!
Just for one moment, I felt fear then I remembered and said to myself, “Ah, its the Northern Lights“
