Northern Lights (with kids) recommendations?

[fortnightlily]

Spin off from the Bucket List thread.

I have a 10 year old. I'd LOVE to try to see the Northern Lights in 2024, which based on school breaks means late March, Thanksgiving, or between Christmas & New Years. 

Has anyone done this trip with a kid and can recommend specific destinations, itineraries, tour companies, or places to stay? Based on the time of year it looks like cruises are out. 

Iceland, Alaska, Finland, Norway? We'd be coming from the East Coast of the USA so I know Iceland is the easiest flight.

[lauren170]

I haven’t been, but Churchill Canada looks pretty cool and you can see polar bears too. I’d be going soon, but am going to wait until my youngest is the recommended age (I think it was age 8 maybe).

[ellipses84]

My BFF went to Iceland around Christmas / New Years once and didn’t see them due to weather but she was only there a couple days on a long layover to try to see them 😞 I’ve heard of people going for a week in winter and not seeing them in Iceland so if that’s the purpose of the trip I’d pick somewhere guaranteed. She was so disappointed! I think there’s a better chance in Finland or Alaska. The colder the weather the better. Lapland is a popular destination for families around the holidays.

A relative works in Alaska all winter and sees them all the time in Fairbanks area and north (so I’ve only seen them on FaceTime). There’s some hot springs near there that sound amazing.

[meganew]

This is a big bucket list item for my H, so I was researching it for his 40th next year. Best plan I came up with was Tromso, Norway over our spring break (same time frame as you). Plan was to stay in Tromso most of the time, but rent an Airbnb even further north in an even more remote area for 2 nights to increase our chances even more. Ultimately the trip looked like it would be amazing- but not sure our 9 and 12 year olds would find it as incredible. We’ll probably wait until they’re old enough to appreciate it- and not complain so much that they ruin our time. Lol.

[fortnightlily]

Nov 7, 2023 22:17:03 GMT -5 lauren170 said:

I haven’t been, but Churchill Canada looks pretty cool and you can see polar bears too. I’d be going soon, but am going to wait until my youngest is the recommended age (I think it was age 8 maybe).

Interesting, thanks! Looks like there isn't a ton of overlap between the seasons for the animals and the Northern Lights that aligns when school breaks. Maybe Thanksgiving, tho!

[fortnightlily]

Nov 7, 2023 22:45:00 GMT -5 meganew said:

This is a big bucket list item for my H, so I was researching it for his 40th next year. Best plan I came up with was Tromso, Norway over our spring break (same time frame as you). Plan was to stay in Tromso most of the time, but rent an Airbnb even further north in an even more remote area for 2 nights to increase our chances even more. Ultimately the trip looked like it would be amazing- but not sure our 9 and 12 year olds would find it as incredible. We’ll probably wait until they’re old enough to appreciate it- and not complain so much that they ruin our time. Lol.

Haha, I know. I have this and the Galapagos on my bucket list but feel like I should wait until DS is older and a stronger swimmer for that one.

[7costanza]

We tried to see them in Iceland with my 4 year old son. We had an overall great trip but the weather didn’t cooperate so we never saw them. There were tons of tour companies offering trips to more remote areas, and I think we did end up getting a refund. If we ever try again we’ll probably go to Norway or Alaska.

[mcmel]

Fairbanks, Alaska for spring break would be perfect.

I would book a tour through Aurora Chasers, I would book for multiple nights if you want a better chance of seeing them but Aurora Chasers was well worth the money to get you to the lights and most importantly, away from crowds which is so important if you want to see the lights best.

You could also- see a hockey game, visit Running Reindeer ranch, look for Denali near the university, go snow mobiling, visit Chena Hot Springs (check to see if kids can enter the hot spring), visit the automobile museum, visit the museum of the north, visit North Pole and Santa Claus, see the world ice art championship, look for moose along Chena Road, see the Love Alaska sign at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, see the moose antler arch, go ice fishing, and go dog mushing.

It would be incredible. Let me know if you want a list of restaurants too!

[fortnightlily]

Nov 8, 2023 0:00:35 GMT -5 mcmel said:

Fairbanks, Alaska for spring break would be perfect.

I would book a tour through Aurora Chasers, I would book for multiple nights if you want a better chance of seeing them but Aurora Chasers was well worth the money to get you to the lights and most importantly, away from crowds which is so important if you want to see the lights best.

You could also- see a hockey game, visit Running Reindeer ranch, look for Denali near the university, go snow mobiling, visit Chena Hot Springs (check to see if kids can enter the hot spring), visit the automobile museum, visit the museum of the north, visit North Pole and Santa Claus, see the world ice art championship, look for moose along Chena Road, see the Love Alaska sign at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, see the moose antler arch, go ice fishing, and go dog mushing.

It would be incredible. Let me know if you want a list of restaurants too!

This is great, thanks!

I've also seen people mention the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but I wonder if the lights are as spectacular there as at more Northern latitudes.

[cattledogkisses]

We also went to Iceland in November 2018 to try to see them, and it was rainy/cloudy the entire time we were there. I'm not sure if there's a time of year when the weather is more likely to favorable, but that would be something to look into.

[waverly]

Nov 8, 2023 7:51:35 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

Nov 8, 2023 0:00:35 GMT -5 mcmel said:

Fairbanks, Alaska for spring break would be perfect.

I would book a tour through Aurora Chasers, I would book for multiple nights if you want a better chance of seeing them but Aurora Chasers was well worth the money to get you to the lights and most importantly, away from crowds which is so important if you want to see the lights best.

You could also- see a hockey game, visit Running Reindeer ranch, look for Denali near the university, go snow mobiling, visit Chena Hot Springs (check to see if kids can enter the hot spring), visit the automobile museum, visit the museum of the north, visit North Pole and Santa Claus, see the world ice art championship, look for moose along Chena Road, see the Love Alaska sign at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, see the moose antler arch, go ice fishing, and go dog mushing.

It would be incredible. Let me know if you want a list of restaurants too!

This is great, thanks!

I've also seen people mention the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but I wonder if the lights are as spectacular there as at more Northern latitudes.

I've seen them in the lower Peninsula, and they were cool, but no I don't think they are as spectacular as in Alaska or Norway, for example.  They were lower on horizon.  

[chickadee77]

We see them frequently when we visit NW Ontario at all times of the year, so even someplace like Winnipeg would work. I wonder if Banff would, too? I haven't been that far west, though.

They are certainly beautiful.

[buckeyegirl]

We went to Iceland with kids in September 2019. We didn't expect to see them and didn't book a tour. We just went and sat outside our hotel in the countryside after dark and were able to see them. We had other tours booked during the days and the tour guides were more than willing to offer suggestions and times to best see them. The locals were all very helpful.

[joy]

We are going to Rovaniemi, Finland in December. I will report back on Northern Light spotting.

[fortnightlily]

Nov 8, 2023 9:58:58 GMT -5 joy said:

We are going to Rovaniemi, Finland in December. I will report back on Northern Light spotting.

I started to do some research and I can't tell if there is no hotel availability for next Nov/Dec because it's already booked that far in advance, or if it's not open for booking yet

[gerberdaisy]

I was on an Alaskan cruise last month and people got some incredible photos of the northern lights. I however, slept through it and did not see them

[fortnightlily]

Nov 8, 2023 10:44:00 GMT -5 gerberdaisy said:

I was on an Alaskan cruise last month and people got some incredible photos of the northern lights. I however, slept through it and did not see them

Yeah, unfortunately it seems like the cruises mostly just operate April-Sept, and our Spring Break this year is March, and then the summer months it's probably too light out to see them. Spring Break 2025 is late April and not sure if that'd be ok timing or not.

[joy]

Nov 8, 2023 10:40:37 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

Nov 8, 2023 9:58:58 GMT -5 joy said:

We are going to Rovaniemi, Finland in December. I will report back on Northern Light spotting.

I started to do some research and I can't tell if there is no hotel availability for next Nov/Dec because it's already booked that far in advance, or if it's not open for booking yet

We booked The Arctic Treehouse in June. It may just be too far in advance now as their busy season is JUST beginning!