Ylläs road conditions and road cameras: driving to Ylläs in winter

Situation at 9 October 2026, 15:18 Finnish time: road surface 4.4 °C, air 1.6 °C at the nearest road weather station (Tie 9401 Ylläs, maisematie); normal driving conditions on the nearest main-road sections by Fintraffic’s classification, normal in twelve hours; no snow on the ground at FMI’s Kittilä Pakatti gauge; 8 road cameras within 50 km.

Ylläs is reached on Highway 21 (E8) up the Tornio river valley to Kolari, then road 940 to Äkäslompolo or road 939 to Ylläsjärvi; from Kittilä and Levi on Highway 80. The scenic road between the two villages has one of the most watched road cameras in Finland. The car train to Kolari is how most families arrive in the school holidays.

Getting there: the drive to Ylläs

From	Distance	Driving time, no stops
Helsinki	958 km	12 h 20 min
Rovaniemi	176 km	2 h 15 min

Routing-engine times on dry roads; in winter, with stops, allow a good deal more. Nearest airport: Kittilä (KTT), about 30 minutes. The car train from Helsinki ends in Kolari, Finland’s northernmost station, 35 km from Äkäslompolo.

Road cameras on the way to Ylläs

Valtatie 21

Tie 21 Muonio, Tapojärvi

Road camera Muonio, Tapojärvi — Frame at 15:11 · 3 views on the station page

Tie 21 Kolari, Pohjasenvaara

Road camera Kolari, Pohjasenvaara — Frame at 15:14 · 3 views on the station page

Tie 21 Muonio Pahtonen

Road camera Muonio Pahtonen — Frame at 15:11 · 3 views on the station page

Tie 21 Muonio

Road camera Muonio — Frame at 15:08 · 4 views on the station page

Kantatie 79

Tie 79 Kittilä, Lentoasema

Road camera Kittilä, Lentoasema — Frame at 15:10 · 3 views on the station page

Tie 79 Muonio, Äkäsjärvi

Road camera Muonio, Äkäsjärvi — Frame at 15:09 · 4 views on the station page

Tie 940

Tie 940 Kolari, Äkäslompolo

Road camera Kolari, Äkäslompolo — Frame at 15:11 · 5 views on the station page

Tie 9401

Tie 9401 Kolari, Ylläs maisematie

Road camera Kolari, Ylläs maisematie — Frame at 15:10 · 6 views on the station page

Images Fintraffic / digitraffic.fi, CC BY 4.0, refreshed about every ten minutes; the time is the frame’s own. A station’s page (in Finnish) has every view and the last 24 hours.

Road surface and air temperature: the nearest road weather stations

Station	Road surface	Air	Dew point	Wind	Read at
Tie 9401 Ylläs, maisematie	4.4 °C	1.6 °C	-1.9 °C	2 m/s, gusts 7	15:17
Tie 21 Muonio, Tapojärvi	2.4 °C	2.7 °C	-2.2 °C	3 m/s, gusts 6	15:15

A road surface at or below 0 °C with the dew point within a degree is where hoarfrost and black ice form; the Finnish station table also carries Fintraffic’s surface word and friction.

Snow and the forecast

FMI’s nearest snow gauge, Kittilä Pakatti (32 km away), reads 0 cm at 15:00. The first lasting snow cover typically arrives at the nearest reference station (Kittilä Pokka) on 9.10. (1991–2020). The slopes are a different matter – the resort reports its own snow.

No FMI traffic weather, wind, rain, cold or pedestrian-safety warnings for the region right now.

Reindeer on the road

Ylläs is in the reindeer herding area: reindeer can be on the road at any hour, most collisions happen in November, December and January, and 4,611 reindeer were hit by cars in Finland in 2025. Lift off the accelerator when you see one – there are usually more – and after a collision always call 112, even if the animal runs off.

Winter tyres

In Finland the winter tyre requirement is a condition, not a date. Under section 105 of the Road Traffic Act, winter tyres must be used in November, December, January, February and March if the weather or the road conditions require it – on cars, vans, motorcycles, mopeds and their trailers over 750 kg. There is no fixed compulsory period: a dry November does not require winter tyres, a snowy April calls for studs or friction tyres and the law does not stand in the way. The main tread grooves must be at least 3.0 mm deep, and breaking the rule costs a 100 euro traffic penalty fee. Rental cars in Lapland come on winter tyres, usually studded. The full rule, speed limits and the car train.

When the roads are busiest

Finnish school holidays 2027: week 8 (22.–26.2.2027) Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Turku, Pori; week 9 (1.–5.3.2027) Tampere, Jyväskylä, Lahti, Hämeenlinna, Kouvola, Kotka, Lappeenranta, Mikkeli, Seinäjoki, Vaasa, Kokkola; week 10 (8.–12.3.2027) Oulu, Kuopio, Joensuu, Rovaniemi, Kajaani. Outbound traffic runs Friday evening and Saturday, the return the following weekend; the week before Christmas is the other peak.

Other Lapland destinations

Rovaniemi – the capital of Lapland, the Arctic Circle and Santa Claus Village
Levi – Finland’s biggest ski resort by visitors, in Kittilä
Ruka – the ski resort north of Kuusamo, with Finland’s longest season
Saariselkä – the northernmost ski resort in Finland, in Inari, 260 km north of Rovaniemi
Kilpisjärvi – the fell village at the end of Highway 21 on the Norwegian border, below Saana

The same place in Finnish, with every camera view, the forecast section by section and the station table: Ylläs.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a road between Levi and Ylläs?

Yes: Highway 80 from Kittilä to Kolari passes Ylläsjärvi, about 50 km from Levi, and road 9401 crosses the fell between Ylläsjärvi and Äkäslompolo in 15 km.

Sources

Traffic data: Fintraffic / digitraffic.fi, licence CC 4.0 BY (cameras, road weather stations, road condition classes).
Snow depth and warnings: Finnish Meteorological Institute, open data, CC BY 4.0.
Distances: openrouteservice / rome2rio, driving without stops; school holidays: Finnish National Agency for Education.
Reindeer: Reindeer Herders’ Association (Paliskuntain yhdistys), 2025.