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If you want to see the northern lights dance across the sky, the Yukon is a great place to be. On a crisp August night, I sat on a hilltop overlooking Dawson City waiting to see if the aurora borealis would show itself. In the wee hours of the morning, just when I decided to give up, I stood up and saw a burst of green and pink colour directly behind me. Turns out I was a little mixed up about which way was north. I stayed out for another hour watching and photographing the aurora dance before it disappeared as quickly as it came. It was a magical experience and I made a plan then and there to go back to the Yukon with my husband for a winter northern lights trip.

Photo by Greg Olsen

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Searching for the Aurora Borealis

Dark clear nights make for the best aurora viewing and that makes winter a good time for a northern lights trip. It was snowing lightly when my husband and I arrived in Whitehorse. The snow and cloud conditions on our first night were not ideal, but we had time for the weather to improve. We started the trip with two nights at the Northern Lights Resort and Spa, a 160-acre property that is far enough outside the city to be well away from light pollution. The second night of our stay was in an “aurora glass chalet” that has floor to ceiling windows so you can watch the stars and the northern lights while you lay in bed. The stars were beautiful and we saw a very faint glow of an aurora, but it wasn’t really dancing. Aurora or no, sleeping under the stars was incredible and the meals at the resort were amazing.