Experience pristine mountain fringes and Arctic snow in Norway’s Finnmark – and the high-level routes in Northern Norway.
The original Haute Route is in the French Alps. The Finnmark version, however, covers three glaciers and four fishing villages.
Loppatinden is a mountain about ten kilometers southwest of Øksfjord in Loppa municipality in Finnmark. The mountain is surrounded by Øksfjordjøkelen and has a height of 1,175 meters above sea level. It was once considered the highest in Finnmark, until in 2007 a currently unnamed peak was discovered barely three kilometers further west, which appeared as a result of ice melting. This has proven to be 16 meters higher, 1191 m above sea level.
Related: Alta, Norway – Town of the Northern Lights
The ski tourist boat
Far below are Øksfjorden and Goxheim, the ski tourist boat that transports top tourists from peak to peak in Norway’s northernmost waterways. The mountains northwest of Alta in Finnmark are suitable for summit tours. Øksfjord, Stjernøya and Seilander are among the preferred destinations. Many of the peaks can only be reached by boat because they are located on islands without a mainland connection.
Goxheim is a 74-foot fishing and cargo boat from Hardanger, built in 1940. The boat is rented out with a skipper to tourists who want to experience boating with top hiking experiences in the northern Norwegian mountains. The boat is usually docked in Tromsø and has a sauna, shower, galley and four cabins.
Related: The Longest Dog Sled Race in Europe Takes Place in Norway
Awesome beauty
It’s no surprise that Alta is home to awesome beauty. Almost all of Norway is full of mountains, rugged coastlines and natural viewpoints that take your breath away. One of the hidden gems in this area can be found around 25 kilometers to the south of town: Alta Canyon. Carved by the Alta River, Alta Canyon has the distinction of being Northern Europe’s largest. It’s absolutely worth a visit.
It’s also important to underline that it’s not as cold as you might think. Just because Alta is an arctic city, it doesn’t mean that you will have to put up with unbearable temperatures. In fact, Northern Norway has really decent winter temperatures. The Gulf Stream brings warmer air up the coast, so you can expect temperatures that rarely drop below +20 Fahrenheit. The region enjoys a stable climate and good weather, which means you will enjoy many days of clear sky, perfect for your winter adventures.
Related: Seasons, weather and climate in Northern Norway
Few tourists
Compared to other well-known top hiking areas in Norway, Western Finnmark is little visited. The season starts in February and lasts through June, but April and the beginning of May is the best period. By the end of February, you will have more than 8 hours of daylight with beautiful skies. Most summit hikes are around 1,000 meters above sea level and require some summit hiking experience. The easiest way to get there is by plane to Alta and from there by car or boat.
One route in the Alta canyon is an overland hike. It goes south of Alta, past Gargia Mountain Lodge up to the Beskades area of the Finnmarksvidda mountain plateau. The trails follow the gently rising and falling hills of the vidda, and takes you along ridges, down into valleys with waterlogged soil, and across rocky streams.
After just the first hilltop, you’ll be virtually on your own – no cars, no road, no houses, no power lines, no paved trail, and often no other people. It can feel like you are exploring another planet! Here you can hike for hours and everything is calm. You don’t even hear a plane. It cannot be compared to the Alps.
At the end of the trail, the canyon will open in front of you and you can walk right up to (and down into, if you’re not careful) the deep cut.
Fun guided tour
Another way to the canyon from Alta involves a fun guided tour. You leave from city center with your guide, either in a private car, your own car if you have one, or by bus for larger groups. As the road winds its way through farm valleys, past slate mountains and up onto the vidda, the guide will talk about life in the area, point out sites, and talk in depth about the controversy that surrounded building the dam and the power station. That conflict was a watershed event both for Alta and for the local Sami population, and there are many people in town today that still have strong opinions about the project.
Northern lights
Since Alta is called the city of the Northern Lights, this will definitely be a must see during a trip to this area. The town can be easily reached by plane or by road, so you will have no problem getting there. Also, there are several tour companies, that will make sure you will be in the right place, at the right time, to admire this breathtaking spectacle of nature. Sure, you can try to trace the Northern Lights by yourself, but they are known as fickle creatures, and you might miss them.
If you want to experience skiing on steep terrain in a new type of landscape right down to a fjord, Norway’s northernmost county is a natural choice. Compared to heli-skiing, “ski and sail” is not unreasonably priced either.
Ski & Sail
“Ski & Sail” combines boating and peak touring and is particularly popular with the French and Italians. The tourists live aboard boats that transport them to inaccessible mountain peaks. Norwegian nature with its fjords and high mountains is becoming a new favorite.
In the Finnmark Plateau, the Sami are still the vast majority of the population. Age old Sami handicrafts like cutting grass to fill up the winter shoes and making knives are still a part of everyday life, living side by side with Sami rap groups and cutting-edge Sami artworks.
The Sami language
The Sami language, which is of Uralic origin, is spoken by almost all and is totally different from Norwegian. Sami language is being taught to children as a first language. In cafes and shops, it is the language of preference, and one can safely speak it when addressing the local authorities. The ATM allows you to withdraw cash in Sami. Guests, however, will have no trouble using English, as it is spoken by all except the most mature.
The High-Level Routes in Northern Norway, written by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top): © Visit Lyngen