Autumn lakes or March snow, Alta's two aurora windows

The dark season in Alta

The northern lights are present all year, but you need a dark sky to see them. In Alta that dark season runs roughly from late August or September until about the end of March or early April.

Between roughly mid-May and late July the midnight sun keeps the sky bright all night, and the weeks either side are not much better. Summer travelers can enjoy the light but should not plan on aurora.

Autumn, from September into October

Early in the season the nights are milder and the lakes are still open, so a strong display can reflect in the water. Night length grows quickly, and by October the sky is dark for many hours.

September nights often hover near freezing, which makes waiting at a stop far easier than in midwinter. The birches lose their leaves early, and frosts become common as October goes on.

There is usually no snow yet, so the snowmobile has nothing to ride on. Flatmoen swaps its sleigh for a horse carriage when the ground is bare, and our comparison of ride types shows which tours run without snow.

Clothing is easier in autumn, but coastal weather can still bring long spells of cloud. A tour that drives inland, like the minibus, earns its fare on those nights.

Polar night, late November to mid-January

During the polar night the sun does not rise in Alta, roughly from late November to mid-January. Midday brings a few hours of blue twilight and the rest is darkness, which gives the longest window for the aurora.

These are also the coldest weeks, and on clear nights the inland plateau can sink to −20 °C (−4 °F) or below. A long stop in that cold feels harsher than any forecast number, so plan your layers with care.

The long dark suits travelers who want as many hours of sky as possible. It suits less well anyone who also wants daylight for sightseeing, since the town sits in twilight even at noon.

February and March

Late winter brings deep snow and longer days, and the weather is often more settled, though that is a tendency rather than a rule. The snowmobile and the sleigh are at their best on a full snow cover.

Daylight returns fast, so you can see Alta's UNESCO-listed rock carvings and still have hours of darkness after dinner. Nights stay cold, but the sun takes the edge off the afternoons.

By late March the evenings stay light until fairly late, and the season closes in early April. If you travel then, a tour that runs well into the night gives the sky time to darken.

The moon and the clock

Moonlight drowns out a faint display, but a strong one still shines through. If your dates are flexible, a moon calendar shows the darker half of the cycle to aim for.

Within a night, the guides watch cloud cover and the Kp forecast rather than the clock, and tours run late. Alta Adventure normally gets you back just after midnight, and Karlsøy's night can last up to 6 hours.

Start times vary by tour and date. Only Flatmoen's 8 pm start is fixed on its listing, and the others show theirs when you pick a date.

Plan for more than one night

Book your aurora trip for early in your stay, so a clouded-out first night leaves room for another try. No month brings a guarantee. Two or three free evenings matter more than picking the right week.

Some trips leave only one free evening. Then Alta Adventure's chase from ~$257 gives you the widest choice of sky, and our guide to cloudy nights explains how the operators handle bad weather.

Whatever month you choose, the price guide shows what each night costs. The plateau guide explains why inland skies often clear when the coast does not.

Short stays and long ones

On a stay of two or three nights, book the tour for the first evening and treat the others as backups. During a week in Alta you can wait for a promising forecast and book a day or two ahead, though popular tours may fill.

Longer stays also leave room to combine shapes, such as a minibus chase one night and the sleigh on another. Our first snowmobile night guide helps if you add a ride up to the plateau.

The season at a glance

• Late August to October, mild nights with open lakes but no snow for the snowmobile
• November, darkness deepening, with the first lasting snow often arriving
• Late November to mid-January, the polar night brings the longest dark in the coldest weeks
• February and March, deep snow with longer days and often steadier weather
• Early April, the season ends as the nights grow short
• Mid-May to late July, midnight sun with no aurora to see

Getting to Alta is simple in any of these months. Flights come in from Oslo, and the E6 road runs through town. Our travel guide covers the airport and the harbor, plus how each tour collects you.