An Expedition Leader’s Extraordinary Northern Lights Adventure in Churchill

By Nat Hab Expedition Leader Eddy Savage 

As a year-round Expedition Leader with Natural Habitat Adventures, part of my annual circuit of trips has me leading groups on the most extraordinary of winter adventures. You can usually find me exploring the Churchill area from late January until early April while leading Nat Hab’s Northern Lights & Arctic Exploration expeditions. Churchill, Manitoba, a town of roughly 800, is nestled on the edge of the frozen Hudson Bay, where the cold air of the Arctic meets the northern extent of the boreal forest treeline. Temperatures often drop below -40°F, snow covers the dormant tundra vegetation, and the plentiful ponds and creeks are frozen solid. Churchill is known for its iconic nickname, “The Polar Bear Capital of the World,” because of the larger-than-life icons of the Arctic migrating through the area in October and November, but let me tell you, this welcoming community is one of the best places to experience the delights of a northern Canadian winter as well as one of the nature’s most beautiful phenomenons: the northern lights.

Due to Churchill’s position underneath the “Auroral Oval,” the joint US-Canada “Churchill Research Rocket Range” was built 15 miles east of town in the 1950s and was operational until the 1990s. From this site, more than 3,000 sounding rockets were fired into the upper atmosphere to study the northern lights and the ionosphere. The cold winter air and frozen Hudson Bay make for an exceptionally dry environment, and the persistence of clouds is less likely through the winter, where you have, in my opinion, unrivaled odds of seeing the northern lights. Clear skies, stunning landscapes, fascinating people and the remarkable northern lights make an adventure here one for the books. Please enjoy my recap of my first 2023 expedition to Churchill.

1 – After a charter flight into Churchill and a hearty lunch at the Seaport Restaurant, we got into our cold-weather gear and journeyed into the boreal forest for our first opportunity to snowshoe. The air temperature was at least -40°F, but we were well prepared and walked for about 30 minutes while the sun sat low on the horizon.

2 – Sunset on our first night. As we drove back to town from snowshoeing, we caught the sun slipping behind the Churchill River. The tree in the foreground is a “flag tree,” as it only has branches on one side. Bombarded by ice crystals during northwest prevailing windstorms, new growth on the upwind side is stunted.

3 – Our first night at the Aurora Domes, we saw northern lights. This was the first-ever look at the northern lights for most travelers in the group. People were buzzing. It looked like daylight because we had the moon rising behind us and it was 85% full. I love the moon for photography!

4 – During the day, we have a variety of activities in and around town. I brought the group to the Itsanitaq Museum, where there is an impressive collection of Inuit artwork and artifacts. Each piece of art is strikingly unique. This piece of caribou antler was carved to look like an Inukshuk with the northern lights dancing above.

5 – A highlight of the trip was getting to spend time with Dave Daley, Wyatt Daley and their sled dogs at Wapusk Adventures. The group went dogsledding and heard firsthand about the Daley’s passion for raising their dogs.

6 – Rhea, one of Dave’s sled dogs, suited up and ready to hit the trails. The dogs are always bursting with energy and excitement.

7 – On our way to our off-grid cabin for our second attempt at viewing the northern lights, we stopped on the frozen Goose Creek. The creek is about a mile wide at this location and completely frozen. Much of the creek is frozen to the bottom.

8 – On one of our days, we take the opportunity to drive out to the Churchill Northern Studies Center, located on the defunct Churchill Research Rocket Range site. We had lunch and toured the center with one of their education coordinators. This state-of-the-art facility is designed to LEED silver standards and houses upwards of 150 researchers annually. After our tour, we headed outside to learn how igloos are built and how to cut snow into blocks. We all got our hands on snow blocks and created a brilliant Inukshuk. The group decided our Inukshuk means “Welcome” and it is designed to appear as a person standing with outstretched arms.

9 – The low sun looked exceptional, casting long shadows through a cluster of spruce trees.

10 – Our third night brought us back to Wapusk Adventures, where we spent the evening hearing stories from Dave and Wyatt Daley. We were also treated to some dazzling northern lights. There were some high wispy clouds, but the aurora was strong enough to shine through.

11 – On our final full day in Churchill, we returned to Goose Creek Cabin during the daytime. This adventure was much different than our nighttime excursion. We stopped on the ice again, except this time, we all spread out, walking far across the ice until we could only see nature and no one else. It was sunny, cold and remote. We took the time to reflect on our adventure thus far and to embrace the wilderness surrounding us.

12 – Our completely off-grid Goose Creek Cabin is tucked away in the boreal forest. Outfit with a wood stove and custom furniture, it was a wonderful place to warm up again before we walk through the forest. We spotted snowshoe hare, pine marten and moose tracks on our walk.

13 – On our way back from Goose Creek Cabin, we stopped again to catch a moment with the rising full moon.

14 – On our third and final night, we went to the custom-built Nat Hab Aurora Pod®. This amazing location has 360-degree views of the night sky through its glass top and sides, so you can see the aurora while staying warm. We arrived at 8:30 pm after catching a peak of the northern lights on our way from town. We spent over 2 hours watching and waiting until right around 11 pm when the sky erupted with light. After already having two nights of the aurora, this third viewing was our best of the trip. Beautiful and powerful lights filled the sky.

15 – This is my favorite photo from the expedition. Spruce and tamarack trees are silhouetted below an illuminated sky filled with the aurora borealis and full moon. What a way to end our trip!