Saraelv (Reisadalen)
34
47 km from Storslett, about 55 min
Park at the road end, leaving the turning space and forest roads clear.
Read first: safe aurora hunting
Spot: Saraelv (Reisadalen) Scores updated (Norway time).
Spot: Saraelv (Reisadalen) Each number is the chance of seeing aurora at least once that night at this spot. It weighs the expected aurora activity, cloud, darkness, moonlight and light pollution.
Other regions:
| Dark enough for aurora | about 1 September to 10 April |
|---|---|
| Polar night | about 27 November to 15 January |
| Clear evenings | About 1 evening in 6 is mostly clear. Of all 5-night stays, about half had at least one (by month). |
| Kp index | Kp 1 is often enough here |
| Nearest dark sky | Sørelva, 11 km from Storslett, about 15 min by car |
| Without a car | 2 of our 10 spots |
| Nearby regions | Tromsø, Alta and Finnmarksvidda |
The nights are dark enough for aurora from about 1 September to 10 April. They are fully dark, with the sun at least 18° below the horizon, from about 17 September to 25 March.
The midnight sun lasts from about 18 May to 25 July.
| Month | Dark hours per day | Fully dark hours per day | Mostly clear |
|---|---|---|---|
| September | 5.5 h | 1.7 h | 14% |
| October | 11 h | 8.2 h | 17% |
| November | 14 h | 12 h | 16% |
| December | 16 h | 13 h | 17% |
| January | 15 h | 13 h | 28% |
| February | 12 h | 9.6 h | 27% |
| March | 7.6 h | 4.1 h | 17% |
| April | 1 h | 0 h | 18% |
Dark hours are the hours a day when the sun is at least 12° below the horizon, dark enough for aurora. In fully dark hours the sun is at least 18° below the horizon. Both are averages over every day of the month, worked out for Storslett. Dates shift by about a day from year to year. You can download these figures as open data from our data sources page.
Mostly clear is the share of night-time observations (19:00–04:00) with cloud covering a quarter of the sky or less, in MET Norway's records for Sørkjosen and Nordstraum, 2001–2018. Based on data from MET Norway.
How often a stay had at least one mostly clear evening, by the month it starts.
| Month | 3 nights | 5 nights | 7 nights |
|---|---|---|---|
| September | 25% | 40% | 50% |
| October | 35% | 50% | 55% |
| November | 30% | 45% | 55% |
| December | 40% | 55% | 65% |
| January | 50% | 65% | 70% |
| February | 50% | 65% | 75% |
| March | 35% | 50% | 60% |
An evening counts as mostly clear when cloud covers a quarter of the sky or less at the 19:00 observation (20:00 in summer time), in MET Norway's records for Sørkjosen and Nordstraum, 2001–2018. Cloudy weather often lasts for days, so we checked each stay night by night. The figures are rounded to the nearest 5%. They describe cloud only and say nothing about aurora. Based on data from MET Norway.
The 2 spots you can get to without a car or a tour are Storslett centre and Lyngseidet.
Our darkest spot is Saraelv (Reisadalen), 47 km from Storslett, about 55 min by car.
Outside the towns, most of our spots have public parking that we checked for winter access, using Statens vegvesen's records where they exist. Some have a fee, need a booking or a ferry, or are on a road that can close in winter. The note under each spot says which.
| Spot | From town | Sky | Without a car |
|---|---|---|---|
| From Storslett | |||
| Storslett centre | in town | town light | on foot, in town |
| Sørelva | 11 km, 15 min | very dark | no |
| Spåkenes | 30 km, 30 min | very dark | no |
| Gildetun (Kvænangsfjellet) | 38 km, 40 min | very dark | no |
| The E6 over Kvænangsfjellet has winter convoys and storm closures. | |||
| Havnnes | 25 km, 45 min with the ferry | dark | no |
| Park by the shore (paid). Late ferries sail only if you call 2 h ahead. | |||
| Saraelv (Reisadalen) | 47 km, 55 min | darkest | no |
| Park at the road end, leaving the turning space and forest roads clear. | |||
| Skjervøy | 47 km, 55 min | some glow | no |
| The only road to the island can close for avalanche danger. | |||
| From Lyngseidet | |||
| Lyngseidet | in town | some glow | on foot, in town |
| On Saturdays the last ferry leaves before 20:00. Fv 868 can close. | |||
| Koppangen | 14 km, 20 min | dark | no |
| Nord-Lenangen | 58 km, 1 h 5 min | dark | no |
| Please keep off the yard by the lay-by. Avalanches can close the road. | |||
Distances and travel times are from Storslett or Lyngseidet.
“Without a car” says whether you can get there and back in the evening by bus, train or on foot, with at least an hour at the spot. Where it gives a time, leave the spot by then for the last bus back. On 14 October 2026 we checked Entur's winter timetables for a weekday and a Saturday. Bus times are planned times from Entur and change. Check entur.no before you go.
Drive times are estimates at about 80% of the speed limit, rounded up to 5 minutes. Allow more time in bad weather, and check the road conditions before you go.
All 128 viewing spots in Northern Norway and Svalbard
Do you live near one of our spots? If it causes trouble for you or on the road, write to us at hello@aurorachaser.app and we will remove it.
Each spot gets a score from 0 to 100 for every hour. 60 or more is worth going out. Until it is dark enough for aurora, the page shows tonight's best hour, marked “Forecast”. “Our pick” is the spot with the highest score, or one that is quicker to reach from Storslett when its score is within 5 points. When the highest score is below 25, that margin is a fifth of it. Within that margin, a town's dark spots you drive to come before its centre and airport.
Read more about how the score works.
In MET Norway's records, January and February had the clearest skies. Aurora activity tends to be higher around the equinoxes, in late September and March. See the monthly table.
Any time it is dark enough for aurora, from evening to early morning, but most often in the hours around midnight. If aurora activity stays the same all night, our score model gives the highest chance of seeing aurora here at about 23:15 Norway time (00:15 in summer time).
Plan 7 nights or more. In MET Norway's records, most 7-night stays that started between October and March had at least one mostly clear evening. Aurora must also be active, so no number of nights makes a sighting certain. See the table of stays.
The spots around Lyngenfjord lie at about 67.3° geomagnetic latitude, close to the auroral oval. Aurora is often visible here at Kp 1. On most nights, cloud and darkness matter more than Kp.
Yes. The sun's 11-year cycle peaked in 2024–2025, and the Met Office says the years after a peak can often bring strong geomagnetic storms too. At these latitudes the aurora does not need a storm, so the solar cycle matters less here than further south.
Usually not. Only a strong geomagnetic storm brings it into view from places like the UK, Ireland or the northern US, and then usually low over the northern horizon.
Yes, on stronger nights, though street lights hide fainter displays. Our town spot is Storslett centre. For fainter aurora, drive to one of our darker spots outside town.
All our darker spots need a car or a guided tour. If you stay in Lyngseidet, our spot there is a short walk away. See the spot table.
The nearest spot with a dark sky is Sørelva, 11 km from Storslett, about 15 min by car. From Lyngseidet, the nearest spot with a dark sky is Koppangen, 14 km away, about 20 min by car.
In a car park, a rest area or a lay-by meant for parking. Never stop along the road, in a passing place or at a bus stop. Statens vegvesen's records show public parking open in winter at 5 of our spots around Lyngenfjord, among them Sørelva and Koppangen. Park only where parking is allowed.
Yes, when the sky is clear. The sun stays below the horizon from about 27 November to 15 January, but around midday there are a few hours of twilight. On the shortest day, 21 December, it is dark enough for aurora in Storslett from about 15:35 to 07:35 Norway time. Polar night dates for 23 towns.
A bright moon hides faint aurora but barely dims a strong display.
Tonight's forecast is hour by hour. For each of the next 14 nights, AuroraChaser gives your chance of seeing aurora at least once if you look during the dark hours. Any outlook further ahead is only a rough guide to aurora activity.
Last updated: 5 November 2026
AuroraChaser's aurora score is a number from 0 to 100 for one viewing spot and one hour. It combines how likely you are to see the northern lights with your own eyes and how bright they should be, so it is not a percentage.
A faint aurora that you are sure to see scores about 60. A phone camera picks up fainter aurora than your eyes can see, so a photo can show aurora while the score is low.
You will very likely see aurora, and the display should be bright. Go out once it is dark enough for aurora.
60–79GoodYou will likely see aurora with your own eyes, though it may be faint. It is worth going out.
40–59ModerateYou have about an even chance or better, and the aurora is usually faint or between clouds.
20–39PoorThere is some chance, mostly of a faint glow.
0–19Very poorThere is little chance, because the aurora is quiet or the sky is cloudy or too light.
Until the sky is dark enough for aurora (the sun 12° below the horizon), the score shows tonight's best hour, marked “Forecast”, unless the live score is already higher. After that, it shows the live score.
“Estimated” means the live aurora data or the weather forecast is missing, so part of the score rests on averages. Alerts pause until the data is back.
The score cannot see a gap in the cloud right above you, fog in your valley or lights close by, such as a headlamp or a lit house. It also does not know your eyesight or how long your eyes have had to adjust to the dark.
Read more about how the score works.