Kilpisjärvi · Finland

E8 rest area north of Kilpisjärvi

Small E8 rest area between Kilpisjärvi village and the Norwegian border, an easy dark stop above the treeline.

See tonight's live score and best time to go for E8 rest area north of Kilpisjärvi in Aurora Atlas

Why it works for the aurora

View
North-west along the top of Lake Kilpisjärvi towards the border fells; Saana to the east..
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 5 km by road from Kilpisjärvi (estimate), roughly 5 min by car.
Parking
Rest area; no toilets.
Coordinates
69.0789, 20.7605 · Open in OpenStreetMap

Before you go

Exposed fell road: wind and drifting snow; the E8 can close in storms (check Fintraffic). Stay by the car.

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 Finland before a night drive. See our winter safety note.

Spot information from openstreetmap.org.