How to See Northern Lights in Ontario

Written by Lana Law
May 21, 2025

Northern Lights over the Talbot River on the Trent Severn Waterway | Photo Copyright: Lana Law

Seeing northern lights in Ontario can be tricky if you are not in the far north, but on some nights, they do extend down to even the farthest southern locations in Ontario. For the best chance of seeing them, the most unobstructed views, and the most beautiful photographs, it's worth doing a bit of preplanning.

Northern Lights Forecast

Most importantly, watch the northern lights forecast. Yes, you can check to see the probability of the aurora borealis being visible in your area. One place to look is on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space and Weather Prediction Center. Here you can see a map that extends over North America and the North Pole, overlayed with a coloured area showing where you are most likely to be able to see the northern lights for the current and following evening.

After you check out the northern lights forecast, be sure to have a look at the weather forecast in your area to see if the skies will be clear.

Location

If you live on a street in a city, the likelihood of walking out your door and seeing the northern lights is fairly slim. If you have a large yard with an open view of the sky and no streetlights, you may have a chance. The best bet is to pick your location in advance so you aren't scrambling to find a decent viewing area at the last minute. If you want good photos of the northern lights, the location is even more important. You don't want telephone poles and wires in your beautiful nighttime sky images.

The first trick is to find a place with a dark sky, preferably outside of built-up areas. Second, you'll need an open view of the sky, not a yard with trees or buildings blocking your view.

A bridge over a river in Southern Ontario with northern lights | Photo Copyright: Lana Law

The absolute best location is a view of the sky reflecting over a lake or body of water. If you live in a city like Toronto and you don't want to go far from home, head to the waterfront where there will be a huge view of the sky, fewer lights, and you will be able to see the sky reflected in the water.

If it's going to be a stellar night for northern lights, and you decide to head out of the city or town to a rural area, again, look for a beachfront area or a bridge. Make sure you have an unobstructed view without wires. Bridges are particularly good locations (assuming they have a pedestrian area to walk on and you are not in traffic) because you can see the sky in more than one direction. If the bridge runs north-south, you can look both east and west over a body of water, and if it runs east-west, then you can see both north and south

Photographing Northern Lights

You might be thinking it's extremely difficult to photograph northern lights, but if you have a modern smartphone with a decent camera, you will be shocked at the quality of the pictures you can get. Your phone will capture the scene in more vibrant colours than what you are seeing. Gone are the days of fiddling with an SLR camera to try to get the perfect exposure; your phone will do the work for you.

For composition, try to include something beyond just the sky. This will give the photo some depth and a sense of scale. This can be the horizon, a tree, or something to interrupt the division of the sky from the reflection in the water, such as a boat, dock, or cabin, if you are shooting from above shore level.