Spruce Woods Provincial Park
Milky Way and aurora photos from Manitoba’s desert.
December 2020
My first trip to photograph the night sky in Spruce Woods Provincial Park. On a cold -30 December night, I went to the Epinette Creek Trail to photograph the Geminid meteor shower.
March 2021
Aiming to capture the early season Milky Way core arching across the horizon from one of my favourite views on the Spirit Sands Self-Guiding Trail, I was treated to a magnificent overhead aurora display lasting all night. The core rose around 4:30 am after being treated to the northern lights for over five hours.
September 2021
While my main goal in March of the same year was to photograph the Milky Way core over the dunes in the Spirit Sands, the event became dominated by the northern lights. Still determined to shoot a pure Milky Way photo, I returned in September. Due to seasonal variation, the Milky Way was in a more vertical orientation, but I was able to get a set of photos closer to what I had originally envisioned.
October 2024
Easily the most powerful experience I’ve ever had under the northern lights was the G4 storm on October 8, 2024 at the Hogs Back. This was a location I had scouted two years prior and mentally recorded to come back to for northern lights when the conditions were right. The forecast was questionable, but the space weather data was off the charts, so I decided to take the risk. The sky cleared a few hours after I arrived and I was able to witness the best aurora I have ever seen.
April 2025
During a trip to the Spirit Sands the week before, I noticed the charred black grounds around the Epinette Creek trailhead. The park had recently done a controlled burn and in 20 years coming to Spruce Woods, this view was a first for me. I returned one week later under the new moon for more ideal dark sky conditions. I had a few goals for the evening including capturing some star trails, some prairie crocuses (Manitoba’s provincial flower), and something that really emphasized the burn area in the foreground.
