Norway
Northern lights in North Cape
14 viewing spots around North Cape, 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
- 14
- Dark or very dark
- 10
- Magnetic latitude
- 68.3°
- Clearest dark month
- September 27 % 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 road notices.
See tonight's live scores for North Cape in Aurora AtlasViewing spots
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North Cape plateau
The famous cliff at 71°N with nothing but the Barents Sea to the north. In winter the last stretch of road is only…
- Skipsfjorden · Seibukta lay-by Quiet bay on the E69 a short drive from Honningsvåg, recommended by locals; the lay-by at Seibukta gives a dark place…
- Tufjorden viewpoint Viewpoint on Magerøya’s coast on the way to the North Cape, facing the open sea with no settlement lights nearby.
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Finnkirka · Kjøllefjord
Church-shaped sea stack at the mouth of the Kjøllefjord on the Nordkyn peninsula, an old Sámi sacrificial site; a…
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Slettnes lighthouse · Gamvik
The world’s northernmost mainland lighthouse, on a flat, windswept coastal plain beyond Gamvik with an open sea horizon.
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Utsikten · Turfjordhøyda rest area
Rest area with a viewpoint on the heights above Tufjorden, on the road towards Skarsvåg and the North Cape: tundra…
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Kåfjordelva rest area · E69
Rest area for about ten cars on the E69 by the Kåfjordelva bridge on Magerøya: a dark stop on the way between the…
- Ørahaugen · Havøysund (Roni Horn artwork) End point of the Norwegian Scenic Route Havøysund: Roni Horn's glass artwork in a wooden hut on Ørahaugen, a…
- Veidnessletta rest area · E69 Magerøya Statens vegvesen main rest area on the E69 in Nordkapp municipality, with 24/7 toilets, shelters and picnic tables.
- Gamvik rest area · Nordkyn Small rest area on Kvalvikveien (Fv8072) at Gamvik on the Nordkyn peninsula, open to the Barents Sea to the north.
- Oksevåg rest area · Fv894 Small rest area on Oksevågveien (Fv894) in Lebesby municipality on the Nordkyn peninsula.
- Aslakhaugen rest area · Fv888 Gamvik Rest area on Fv888 in Gamvik municipality on the Nordkyn plateau, about 270 m above sea level.
- Snefjord rest area · Fv889 Small rest area at Snefjord on Fv889 (Måsøy), on the Havøysund road (Norwegian Scenic Route Havøysund).
- Storberget rest area · Russelvdalen Rest area with a viewpoint on Fv889 in Russelvdalen near Kokelv (Hammerfest municipality), south of the Havøysund…
Drive times are estimates from the middle of North Cape 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 North Cape
- The last road to the cape runs in convoy In winter the final stretch to the North Cape plateau is only open in escorted convoys, and bad weather can cancel them. Plan around the convoy times or book a guided trip, and use viewpoints nearer Honningsvåg on stormy nights. Source
- Even a quiet night can deliver At 71°N the North Cape area lies under the auroral oval, so even modest activity can bring aurora overhead on clear, dark nights from late September to late March. Wind and snow are the real limits. Source