Elfin Lakes
Location: Elfin Lakes, Howe Sound
Photo Date: July 2026
Description:
Alone Under the Aurora — Elfin Lakes
I had the campsite entirely to myself that night, setting up for a long-exposure shot of Elfin Lakes with Mount Garibaldi's jagged peaks standing guard in the distance. The plan was simple: still water, snow-dusted ridgelines, a sky full of stars.
Then, without warning, a ribbon of green light unfurled across the horizon — aurora, this far south, something I never expected to see from this campsite. I barely had time to recompose before it was there, hanging low over the mountains and mirrored perfectly in the lake below, the last of the snowpack glowing faintly in the foreground.
For a few minutes, it felt like the whole basin belonged to me and the sky put on a private show. By the time I'd fired off enough frames to be sure I'd caught it, the glow had already begun to fade — leaving just stars, stone, and still water.
Learn more about the hiking trail to Elfin Lakes.
Contest Year Submitted: 2026
