Akureyri · Iceland

Kjarnaskógur woods

Large planted forest just south of town, sheltered from the wind; watch from the playground clearings or the car parks.

See tonight's live score and best time to go for Kjarnaskógur woods in Aurora Atlas

“Hamrar, Akureyri, Iceland (Unsplash)” by Raul Popadineți raulp, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).

Why it works for the aurora

View: Overhead from clearings; trees block the low horizon.
Darkness: Mostly dark sky, grade 2 on a scale from 0 (darkest) to 5. Some light from a village, houses or a road nearby.
Aurora: Under the auroral oval: aurora can be overhead even on quiet nights.

Getting there

Distance: About 5 km by road from Akureyri (estimate), roughly 6 min by car.
Parking: Forest car parks (lower and upper).
Coordinates: 65.6455, -18.0854 · 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 Iceland before a night drive. See our winter safety note.

Spot information from northiceland.is.