Five Canadian spots are among the best for seeing rare pink northern lights this year

The northern lights could turn pink this year, and Canada has several promising viewing spots. Green and blue are more familiar colours, while pink displays are rare. The Canadian Space Agency says the colour appears when energetic particles penetrate deeper into the atmosphere and interact with nitrogen molecules. 2026 is one of the best years in the past decade to try to see the bubblegum hue.

A new study by Nordic airline Icelandair compared 35 aurora-viewing destinations in eight countries. It considered darkness, accessibility, likelihood, scenery and the vividness of pink auroras captured at each location. Maligne Lake in Jasper, Alberta, was named the world’s best place to see the pink northern lights in 2026. Icelandair’s analysis found a dominant vivid rose-pink in displays photographed there. The site has a low Bortle rating of 3.2, indicating darker skies that can make aurora colours and details easier to see. The surrounding mountains and Spirit Island also offer strong conditions for aurora photography. Unlike many remote viewing locations, Maligne Lake is accessible by road and relatively easy to reach from Jasper’s main resort area.

Other leading Canadian spots are in Alberta, Yukon and Manitoba. Prelude Lake near Yellowknife ranked second for pink northern lights, with Icelandair describing the likelihood of seeing them there as “very high” from September through April. Maligne Lake, despite ranking first overall, has a “medium” likelihood of an aurora sighting according to the study’s data.

The best season for pink northern lights generally runs from September to April in some locations, but the viewing window varies by place. At Wood Buffalo National Park, on the Alberta–Northwest Territories border, the best time may be the winter months starting in December.

A high-end Nikon or Canon camera is not essential for photographing the pink lights. An iPhone can also produce photos worth sharing online. Experts recommend enabling the maximum exposure, turning off the flash and setting exposure to a negative value for better results.