Where to chase the midnight sun this summer

When it comes to Arctic travel, the aurora borealis gets all the attention. There’s obviously something magical about seeing the shimmering Northern Lights display—but they can be a bit fickle. You can plan an entire trip around the aurora and never spot it. During the summer months, however, in the extreme northern reaches of the Northern Hemisphere, the night sky provides a decidedly more consistent pleasure, when the midnight sun blazes to life.

Depending on how far north you go, you’ll encounter either 24 hours of consistent sunlight or a few hours of twilight, but the effect is generally the same. Following harsh, dark winters, these endless summer days are an invitation to stay up late and soak up nocturnal outdoor pursuits, from midnight hikes and hot springs visits to teeing up on the golf course and whale-watching tours.

Ready to say “take me out to the midnight ball game?” Read on.

From May 17 to July 27, Alaska’s second-largest city enjoys 70 days without a proper sunset, and locals really take advantage of that extra daylight. You can play a nighttime round at the country’s northernmost USGA course, the Midnight Sun Golf Club (true to its name, the club has previously offered tee times as late as midnight); soak in the nearby Chena Hot Springs, which is open until 11:45 p.m.; or zip through the forest on a Midnight Sun ATV Tour.

Or, head to the century-old Midnight Sun Game, an amateur baseball game that's played annually on the summer solstice at Growden Park (this year, that's June 21). Since 1960, the game's home team has been the Alaska Goldpanners, a collegiate summer baseball team whose ranks have included Barry Bonds, Tom Seaver, and Dave Winfield. First pitch is set for 10 p.m.

For unique lodging, head to Borealis Basecamp, a cluster of transparent geodesic igloos on 100 acres of boreal forest outside of town. While the lodge gets its name from the winter's Northern Lights, experiencing the area during summer can be just as magical, as you ride along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline on a UTV, or utility task vehicle.

Iceland is so overflowing with natural wonders—geysers, glaciers, waterfalls, beaches lined with basalt columns, abundant marine wildlife—you can often leave feeling like there wasn’t nearly enough time to see everything. The joy of the summer months is that as long as you have a strong plan for steady caffeine intake, you can basically be out and about 24 hours a day. Take, for instance, the Magical Whales in the Midnight Sun tour from Elding Whale Watching, during which the sky glows pink and orange as you observe the nocturnal habits of minke whales, white-beaked dolphins, and humpback whales.

Across the island, you can take the night shift on outdoorsy adventures, whether you’re sea kayaking past Kirkjufell Mountain with Vestur Adventures, going for a snowmobile tour on the Langjökull glacier with Mountaineers of Iceland, or soaking in the silica-rich waters of the Blue Lagoon, which stays open until 1 a.m. on the summer solstice. If you book a room at The Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland, you’ll have private access to those healing waters late into the night.

Few landscapes can compete with this Arctic Norwegian archipelago for pure ruggedness. One of the easiest way to reach this remote region is on Hurtigruten’s revived Svalbard Express itinerary, which used to operate between 1968 and 1982 and relaunches this June with 10- to 16-day journeys. You’ll cross the Barents Sea from the North Cape to Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost settlement with more than 1,000 residents, and while days are reserved for shore excursions, nighttime is spent sailing along the impossibly scenic coastline. From the ship, you can take in the midnight sun as you sip Arctic-inspired cocktails in the 1893 Bar or watch from the observation deck or the panoramic saunas.

If you decide to skip the cruise and tackle Svalbard on your own, stay in style at the Funken Lodge, which occupies a building constructed in 1947, and then explore the wonders of the polar summer nights, with a guided glacier hike, a dog-cart ride, or simply a walk around town—as you keep your eyes peeled for polar bears, of course.

Finland is often called the Land of the Midnight Sun, and nowhere is that truer than in Lapland, which experiences so-called “white nights” from late May through early August. Locals celebrate the never-ending days with a number of cultural events, including the Midnight Sun Film Festival in Sodankylä.

In the winter, Rovaniemi is a hub for Santa-themed excursions in the snow, but when the sun’s out, it’s an ideal base for midnight sun adventures, such as standup paddleboarding or floating on a lake with Nordic Unique Travels or walking through the forest with the resident pups of Arctic Circle Husky Park.

When it comes time to book your lodging, consider the eco-friendly Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, a collection of suites and chalets which are tucked into a fir tree grove and include green roofs for rainwater collection and enormous bay windows for taking in the forest scenery. The resort can set you up with late-night excursions like a round of midnight sun golf at Ounasvaara’s Santa Claus Golf, where you’ll often share the greens with a herd of free-roaming reindeer.

Just across the border from Alaska, the rugged Yukon Territory is a dream destination for road trippers of all skill levels—and the midnight sun means you'll have plenty of daylight to explore after a long drive. Our favorite route? The 1,387-mile Alaska Highway cuts through the southwestern corner of the territory, on its way from Seattle to Alaska, running through towns like the Yukon capital city of Whitehorse. One of the coolest properties on this stretch of highway is Yukon Black Spruce, a collection of four cabins in Whitehorse that get their name from shou sugi ban, a Japanese method of preserving wood (in this case, local Yukon spruce) by charring it. And don’t miss the cedar sauna, which is heated by a Finnish wood stove.

If you prefer your long-distance treks with a side of water sports, plan a paddling trip down the roaring Yukon River with outfitters like Up North Adventures and Kanoe People, which can stretch from a few hours up to 20 days.