Where to watch near Yellowknife
Madeline Lake Territorial Park Day Use Area
Lake
Tonight: too light
Small, sheltered lakeside day-use area with a dock and parking, about 30 minutes up the Ingraham Trail.
- Getting there
- 30 min drive
- Darkness
- Very dark: far from town lights
- Parking
- Good-sized lot, but it can be crowded on a busy aurora night.
- Toilets
- Outhouses are normally closed in winter.
- In winter
- Open year-round.
- Safety
- Never park on the side of the Ingraham Trail; use a parking lot or pullout. Heavy truck traffic on the Ingraham Trail in winter; wear bright or reflective clothing. No cell service at Madeline Lake.
Directions in Maps · Public sources, not yet visited
Pilots Monument
Hill
Tonight: too light
Lookout on the Rock in Old Town with a 360-degree view, a 15-minute walk from downtown.
- Getting there
- 15 min walk from the centre, 5 min drive
- Darkness
- Some glow: town glow on the horizon
- Parking
- Parking lot at the top of the road, with stairs up to the monument.
- In winter
- Accessible all year.
Directions in Maps · Public sources, not yet visited
Pontoon Lake Territorial Park Day Use Area
Lake
Tonight: too light
Small peninsula jutting into Pontoon Lake with a parking lot, at km 26.4 of the Ingraham Trail.
- Getting there
- 40 min drive
- Darkness
- Very dark: far from town lights
- Parking
- Parking lot with access to the lake.
- Toilets
- Outhouses are closed in winter.
- In winter
- Open year-round.
- Safety
- Never park on the side of the Ingraham Trail; use a parking lot or pullout. Heavy truck traffic on the Ingraham Trail in winter; wear bright or reflective clothing. Do not drive your vehicle onto the lake.
Directions in Maps · Public sources, not yet visited
Prelude Lake Territorial Park
Lake
Tonight: too light
Largest park on the Ingraham Trail, with a short stair trail from the shore to a lookout over the lake.
- Getting there
- 45 min drive
- Darkness
- Very dark: far from town lights
- Parking
- Boat launch parking near the beach; reach the day use area by driving through the campground.
- Toilets
- Outhouses are often closed in winter.
- In winter
- Park facilities are closed out of season, but road access to Prelude Lake is year-round.
- Safety
- Never park on the side of the Ingraham Trail; use a parking lot or pullout. Heavy truck traffic on the Ingraham Trail in winter; wear bright or reflective clothing. Don't drive on thin ice or on areas without other vehicle tracks.
Directions in Maps · Public sources, not yet visited
Prosperous Lake Territorial Park Day Use Area
Lake
Tonight: too light
Boat launch with a simple parking lot overlooking a bay on Prosperous Lake, km 19.7 of the Ingraham Trail.
- Getting there
- 25 min drive
- Darkness
- Very dark: far from town lights
- Parking
- Simple parking lot overlooking a bay on the lake.
- Toilets
- Washrooms listed by NWT Parks; winter status not stated.
- In winter
- Open year-round.
- Safety
- Never park on the side of the Ingraham Trail; use a parking lot or pullout. Heavy truck traffic on the Ingraham Trail in winter; wear bright or reflective clothing.
Directions in Maps · Public sources, not yet visited
Tin Can Hill
Hill
Tonight: too light
Walking trail from the end of School Draw Avenue to a lookout over Yellowknife Bay.
- Getting there
- 16 min drive
- Darkness
- Town glow: faint aurora is hard to see
Directions in Maps · Public sources, not yet visited
Yellowknife River Territorial Park Day Use Area
Viewpoint
Tonight: too light
Riverside day-use area at km 7.7 of the Ingraham Trail, open year-round, about 20 minutes from town.
- Getting there
- 20 min drive
- Darkness
- Dark: little light nearby
- Parking
- No overnight parking is allowed.
- Toilets
- Washrooms listed by NWT Parks; winter status not stated.
- In winter
- Open year-round.
- Safety
- Never park on the side of the Ingraham Trail; use a parking lot or pullout. Heavy truck traffic on the Ingraham Trail in winter; wear bright or reflective clothing.
Directions in Maps · Public sources, not yet visited
Times are typical, from the centre of Yellowknife by road or path rather than in a straight line, and winter conditions can make them longer. Walking times don’t mean a route is lit or safe on foot in winter; check each spot’s notes.
Clear dark nights by month
-
37%
Jan
-
45%
Feb
-
43%
Mar
-
40%
Apr
-
38%
May
-
–
Jun
-
–
Jul
-
35%
Aug
-
36%
Sep
-
27%
Oct
-
24%
Nov
-
31%
Dec
The share of nights with at least two dark hours under 30% cloud cover, averaged by month over 1996–2025. It describes cloud, not aurora: a clear night still needs activity. A dash means no record for that month, usually because it doesn’t get dark. About this record
Questions
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Yellowknife?
In the dark months. Over 1996–2025, a clear spell after dark was likeliest in February and March, on about 45% of nights. That record is about cloud only: on any one night, the cloud and the activity forecast matter more than the season, so check on the day.
Where can you see the northern lights near Yellowknife?
This page lists 7 viewing spots near Yellowknife; the darkest is Madeline Lake Territorial Park Day Use Area (30 min drive). Each has how to get there, parking, winter access and safety notes. Little Aurora picks the best one each night from cloud and darkness.
Aurora data from NOAA and GFZ. Cloud forecasts from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Places and travel times from OpenStreetMap contributors. Usual cloud from Copernicus ERA5 and weather-station records from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet, SMHI and the Icelandic Met Office. Forecasts are never guaranteed; conditions can change quickly. How the forecast works