Northern Lights in the Boundary Waters

Some guests spent a week  paddling one of my favorite BWCA canoe routes recently.  Besides some amazingly warm and lovely late-season weather, they also had a front row seat to a spectacular northern lights display. 

Kudos to them for bringing along a nice camera and tripod that allowed them to capture this image of the northern lights reflecting on Crooked Lake in the BWCA.

The northern lights are not more prevalent at a particular time of year, but it is more typical to see them on late-season canoe trips.  Why?  It must be dark to see the northern lights.  It gets dark earlier in the late paddling season.  Thus, people are more likely to be awake and, say, sitting around a campfire in the dark at 9PM and catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis in September or October. 

Thanks to our outfitting guests, Kate and Berry French, for sharing this photo.