Next 72 hours
Next nights
Where to stand
Drive up Ounasvaarantie towards the top and leave the car at the resort car park. Walk away from the lit slopes and buildings to an open spot and look north. The glow of the town stays to the west.
View towards the pole
Forest on the hill, with a view north over the trees; Rovaniemi to the west
Sky darkness (Bortle scale): 5
Rules and safety
Everyman's rights (jokamiehenoikeudet) let you walk in the forest, but keep off groomed ski tracks and slopes. The slopes are floodlit in the evening, which weakens the contrast of the aurora. In winter it can be colder than minus 25 °C, so dress in layers.
About the spot
Ounasvaara is a wooded hill with ski slopes just east of central Rovaniemi. The town lies almost exactly on the Arctic Circle, at a geomagnetic latitude of about 63.6°. The aurora is often visible in the northern sky during moderate activity, and in stronger storms it passes overhead.
Do not miss the next window
The best windows last a few hours: after a storm, after rain, on a clear night with an active Sun. Sign up and we will email you when the index at your spots goes above 60.