Alta · Norway
Leirbotnvannet rest area · E6
Rest area on the open E6 plateau north-east of Alta by Leirbotnvannet lake: above the treeline and away from every town light, on the way to Hammerfest and the North Cape.
See tonight's live score and best time to go for Leirbotnvannet rest area in Aurora Atlas
Why it works for the aurora
- View
- Open over the Leirbotnvannet lake and the plateau, wide sky in most directions..
- Darkness
- Very dark sky, grade 0 on a scale from 0 (darkest) to 5. No towns or road lights nearby; the faintest aurora shows.
- Aurora
- Under the auroral oval: aurora can be overhead even on quiet nights.
Getting there
- Distance
- About 24 km by road from Alta (estimate), roughly 27 min by car.
- Parking
- Rest area for about 10 cars and 2 lorries.
- Coordinates
- 70.1101, 23.5581 · Open in OpenStreetMap
Before you go
Avalanche-exposed stretches of the E6 nearby: check vegvesen.no/trafikk.
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.