The aurora is visible throughout the year at various places, yet the best time to view this phenomenon is always during the winter season. This is because winter offers longer nights and clearer skies, an ideal condition for the lights. Midnight or later is also the best time of night to watch out for the first signs of waving colour.

Northern Canada is generally the best place for viewing auroral displays with the Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories being optimal destinations. Alaska is also a great place for these displays. However, the lights are also clearly visible and equally impressive in the northern areas of many provinces, including Alberta. Ideal observation locales consist of the towns and surrounding areas of Athabasca, Slave Lake, Peace River, Grand Prairie, and Fort Chipewyan, with Fort McMurray being the most popular choice for visitors.

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Other Viewing Sites
Northern Canada and Alaksa offer many optimal areas for northern lights viewing. Below are useful accommodation links for these areas:
• Alaska
• Yukon
• Nunavut
• Northwest Territories
• Athabasca
• Slave Lake
• Peace River
• Grand Prairie
• Fort Chipewyan
• Fort McMurray

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Fort McMurray and its surrounding area are typically within the Auroral Oval, yet this is not always the case because this area will expand and contract towards and away from the equator throughout the year. The town itself has very little artificial light, or light pollution, which glares over the nighttime sky. This in turn provides easy access to darker observation sites. It is not necessary for visitors to travel too far from Fort McMurray to experience the northern lights because it is not uncommon for displays to occur directly above the town during the viewing season, which extends from September to mid-April.

Those wanting the guidance of a company specializing in aurora borealis tours in Northern Alberta will find a few available in the area, many of which take visitors to sites just outside Fort McMurray. Although the sightseeing usually occurs on the outskirts of this community, these formal northern lights viewing tours are not always based there and visitors may find them in places such as Edmonton and the small town of Anzac.

Usually offered from September to mid-April, tours will usually span a couple of days with several nights of sky gazing. This increases the chance that visitors will catch an aurora show. Many will also provide guests with aurora education and constellation identification. During the day, guests will generally have the option of choosing from a myriad of planned activities. These could range from shopping trips and nature walks to dog sledding, skiing or snowboarding excursions.