Alta · Norway

Altaelva viewpoint · Rv93

Roadside viewpoint over the Alta river on the Rv93, a few minutes from town: river and riverside forest in the foreground, town glow mostly behind the hills.

See tonight's live score and best time to go for Altaelva viewpoint in Aurora Atlas

“Bridge over Alta river” by Peter Van den Bossche from Mechelen, Belgium, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).

Why it works for the aurora

View: North-east over the Alta river..
Darkness: Dark sky, grade 1 on a scale from 0 (darkest) to 5. Little artificial light; a good place for faint aurora and the Milky Way.
Aurora: Under the auroral oval: aurora can be overhead even on quiet nights.

Getting there

Distance: About 5 km by road from Alta (estimate), roughly 6 min by car.
Parking: Look for a pull-out at the viewpoint.
Coordinates: 69.9332, 23.2539 · Open in OpenStreetMap

Before you go

Dress for standing still in the cold, bring a head torch with a red light, and park only where parking is allowed. A forecast is guidance, not a promise: check the road and weather warnings for Norway before a night drive. See our winter safety note.

Spot information from openstreetmap.org.