Pyhä-Luosto · Finland
E75 rest area on the Ilmakkiaapa mire · north of Sodankylä
Unlit E75 rest area on a forest island in a big open bog. The Lapland bird society describes it as the stop for the Ilmakkijärvi bird tower; the open mire itself gives the view.
Why it works for the aurora
- View
- All round over open mire (flat, treeless bog): one of the lowest, widest horizons on the E75..
- 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
- Near the edge of the auroral oval: aurora on most active nights, low in the northern sky on quiet ones.
Getting there
- Distance
- About 77 km by road from the middle of Pyhä-Luosto (estimate), roughly 1 h 28 by car.
- Parking
- Free rest area; no toilets.
- Coordinates
- 67.7058, 26.7546 · Open in OpenStreetMap
Before you go
Do not walk onto the mire or the closed duckboards. Busy E75.
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.