Northern lights · dark sky community
Northern lights on the Bruce Peninsula
We’re in the woods, well away from town lights, 219 km north of Toronto. When the space weather lines up, the sky does the rest.
The aurora is never promised, so come for the sky first and let the lights be the bonus.
Sign up and we’ll email you when the lights are forecast, so you can look up from whatever you’re doing.
A forecast is not a promise: the aurora is space weather, and clouds get a vote.
Sky tonight · Red Bay
Aurora outlook, next 24 hours
Kp 5
Worth a look.
Sunset at the lodge
5:05 PM
Look north once it is properly dark, well after the sun is down.
Moon
Waning crescent
A bright moon washes out faint aurora; a new moon shows the stars.
Worth a look north after dark tonight.
Updated every half hour. Cloud, moonlight and timing all matter, and a forecast is never a promise.
§ 01Why here
Why the Bruce Peninsula is a good place to watch
Very little light
No big buildings or cities nearby, so you see far more stars, and the aurora has less light to fight. Red Bay sits in the middle of an extremely dark area.
Far enough north
The drive up brings you close to the 45th parallel. The further north you are, the better your chances.
Clearings and lookouts
The peninsula is full of clearings and lookouts. If clouds roll in, try the east side of the peninsula, which looks out over Georgian Bay.
§ 02An aurora night
What a night here is like
In May 2024, when a historic solar storm lit up Ontario, guests gathered at the lodge to watch it and photograph it. That’s the kind of night this page is for.
In past seasons, on nights when the forecast looked good, we opened the lodge to dedicated chasers: a guided viewing, photo tips and a casual group where you could stay with the guide or wander off on your own.
There are no TVs in the cabins. There is the night sky, which is a better show.
The lodge firepit.
§ 03Tips
Give yourself the best chance
Sign up for alerts
Keep an eye on space weather. Planning is most of it.
Look north
Get away from lights and find a clear view to the north.
Try the other coast
If cloud is in the way, the east side of the peninsula looks out over Georgian Bay.
Be patient
The aurora follows space weather, not the calendar, so keep an eye on the forecast and be ready to go out late.
From the lodge
Photos from Red Bay. No guarantees: the sky does what it wants.
The Milky Way over Red Bay, May 2024.
Stay the night
Stay for an aurora weekend
A cabin in the woods, breakfast included, dogs free in the cabins. We reopen Friday, May 21, 2027. The aurora is never promised, but the stars are.
Northern lights questions
Will we see the northern lights?
We let guests know when the northern lights look likely, but we cannot promise them.
When is the best time to see the northern lights?
It follows space weather rather than the calendar, so it is never promised. The alert email on our northern lights page is the best way to know when a night looks good.
Is it really dark there at night?
Yes. We are in the woods with next to no light pollution, and the peninsula has internationally recognized dark sky preserves.
Can we see the stars or the northern lights from the lodge?
The Red Bay Beach pier is the spot guests use for the stars and the aurora. We let guests know when the lights look likely, but we cannot promise them.
Do you run guided viewings?
In past seasons we’ve opened the lodge on forecast nights for a guided viewing with photo tips. Sign up for alerts and we’ll tell you what’s on.
Look up. We’ll email you.