Northern Lights Forecast for Saariselkä

Northern Lights in Saariselkä

Saariselkä is a ski and hiking village on Highway 4 (the E75) in Inari municipality, 30 km south of Ivalo and about 300 m above sea level. Only about 200 people live here all year, in among the hotels and holiday cabins. The fact that matters for aurora watching is that Urho Kekkonen National Park begins at the edge of the village, so unlit fell country is a short walk or drive away.

Kaunispää above the village

Kaunispää rises right behind the village to 438 m. You can get to the top by car on Kaunispääntie, by ski lift, on foot or on cross-country skis. There is a restaurant at the summit, and the view takes in the national park, the Sompio Nature Reserve and the tundra around Hammastunturi. It is the quickest way to get above the lights of the village.

Aurorapolku, a lit loop from the park gate

The Aurorapolku trail starts at the national park gate in Saariselkä and makes a 2.1 km loop along the edge of a fell gorge east of the Luttojoki, crossing the river on a hanging bridge. Halfway round is the Aurora day hut, half of it open to anyone and half available to book, with a campfire site in the yard. The trail is maintained all year and it is lit, which makes it an easy evening walk to a fire but not a dark spot. For a faint display, go past the lamps or up Kaunispää.

Kiilopää, 15 km south

Kiilopää, 546 m, stands about 15 km south of Saariselkä. The fell center at its foot has its own gate into the national park, and a marked route of about 2 km each way climbs to the top. In winter the Ski Bus runs out to Kiilopää, and the Ivalo airport bus continues there after Saariselkä.

Urho Kekkonen National Park and the old Laanila inn

The park was founded in 1983 and named after President Urho Kekkonen. It covers 2,550 km² from Saariselkä east to the Russian border, and its highest fell, Sokosti, reaches 718 m. About 200 km of cross-country tracks are kept in the area in winter, and the downhill slopes are on Kaunispää and Iisakkipää. Tourism here started with the Laanila inn, opened in 1912, and the first cabin on top of Kaunispää followed in 1952.

The airport bus from Ivalo

Ivalo Airport is 25 km from the village, and an airport bus runs in connection with the flights. Buses also come up the E75 daily from the railway station in Rovaniemi, about 260 km south. Inari and the Siida museum are 70 km north.