Jokkmokk · Sweden

Arctic Circle rest area, E45

Lakeside rest area where the E45 crosses the Arctic Circle south of Jokkmokk; easy parking and little light.

See tonight's live score and best time to go for Arctic Circle rest area in Aurora Atlas

“Die witte stenen stellen de poolcircel voor en loopt rond de hele wereld. Dat is best wel veel werk geweest. - panoramio” by Ben Bender, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).

Why it works for the aurora

View: Lakeside clearing; forest around.
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: Near the edge of the auroral oval: aurora on most active nights, low in the northern sky on quiet ones.

Getting there

Distance: About 8 km by road from Jokkmokk (estimate), roughly 10 min by car.
Parking: roadside rest area by the Arctic Circle sign.
Coordinates: 66.5511, 19.7647 · 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 Sweden before a night drive. See our winter safety note.

Spot information from routesnorth.com.