Finland
Northern lights in Kilpisjärvi
6 viewing spots around Kilpisjärvi, chosen for a dark sky and an open view. For each one: how dark it is, which way it looks, where to park and how to get there. Under the auroral oval: aurora can be overhead even on quiet nights.
- Viewing spots
- 6
- Dark or very dark
- 5
- Magnetic latitude
- 66.5°
- Clearest dark month
- March 22 % of hours clear or partly clear
Which of these spots is clear tonight, and when? Aurora Atlas scores every spot hour by hour from the cloud forecast, darkness, the moon and live aurora activity, with live camera stills and road notices.
See tonight's live scores for Kilpisjärvi in Aurora AtlasViewing spots
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Lakeside shelter, Kilpisjärvi hiking centre
Fire shelter on the shore by the Kilpisjärvi hiking centre, looking across the lake to Pikku-Malla, where the aurora…
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Malla and Saana car park
Free Metsähallitus car park (26 spaces) at the start of the Malla Strict Nature Reserve and Saana trails, on the…
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Kilpisjärvi Visitor Centre car park
Large free Metsähallitus car park (60 spaces) at the Kilpisjärvi Visitor Centre; the easiest legal parking in the…
- E8 rest area north of Kilpisjärvi Small E8 rest area between Kilpisjärvi village and the Norwegian border, an easy dark stop above the treeline.
- Iitto rest area · E8 Paved E8 rest area at the hamlet of Iitto, the darkest legal stop between Karesuvanto and Kilpisjärvi.
- Saarikoski rest area · E8 E8 rest area at the Saarikoski rapids on the Swedish border river, on the drive up the "arm" of Finland.
Drive times are estimates from Kilpisjärvi by straight-line distance, as the app estimates them before it knows your route; ferries and winter closures are not counted.
Good to know in Kilpisjärvi
- Face Pikku-Malla From the lake shore by the hiking centre, the aurora often shows up above Pikku-Malla across the lake. There is a shelter where you can make a fire while you wait. Source
- Treat Saana with respect after dark Saana rises over 500 m above the lake and the weather on top changes fast. At night, the first open ground above the tree line is usually enough. Source
- Check the Kilpisjärvi all-sky camera The Finnish Meteorological Institute runs an all-sky camera at Kilpisjärvi; its latest image shows whether the aurora is up and where the cloud is. Source