Explore the arctic wilderness
To the west lies Sørdalen valley with the dramatic canyon that was carved out by melt water from lake Torneträsk during the last Ice Age. On both sides of this canyon tower lofty glacier-clad mountains above 1,500 mas. Down in the valley are lush, old-growth birch forests and a great diversity of plant and bird species. To the east in the national park lies the mighty Rohkunborri massif, surrounded by forested valleys, alpine wetlands and lake Geavdnjajávri.
Sørdalen valley
Heidi Marie Gabler
Experiences
In Rohkunborri National Park, you can hike, fish and hunt. You can hike on the waymarked Arctic Trail from Sweden in the south or from Øvre Dividal National Park in the north through the canyon in the Sørdalen valley, or you can take a hike off the beaten path in a vast wilderness area.
There are many good fishing lakes, including the Geavdnjajávri and Eartebelajávri lakes, which are surrounded by cloudberry marshes. In the designated season, you can go shooting for both willow ptarmigan and rock ptarmigan in the national park. There is also a designated hunting season for Eurasian elk.
Arctic spring flowers
Vilhelm Kjelsvik
Flora & Fauna
Rohkunborri is a habitat for the big predators, wolverine, lynx and bear. The golden eagle, rough-legged buzzard, gyrfalcon and kestrel all nest here.
The national park’s high conservation values are associated with its birch forest wetlands and its alpine wetlands on mineral-rich bedrock. In the Sørdalskløfta canyon and the Jordbru river system, there are lakes which are naturally empty of fish.
One of the results is a healthy stock of crustaceans, and these are important for mountain ducks such as the common scoter, long-tailed duck, velvet scoter and scaup.
Witness a majestic reindeer peacefully grazing, embodying the harmony between wildlife and nature.
Asgeir Blixgård
Reindeer Herding
Rohkunborri is an important grazing area for domestic reindeer. The herds are moved here for calving in the spring months of May and June.
The calcareous bedrock makes for good summer grazing and the snow on the mountaintops reduces the insect nuisance. In late autumn, the Swedish reindeer are moved to their winter grazing areas in Sweden. There are both Norwegian and Swedish reindeer herds in the national park.
Show consideration, and keep your distance from reindeer during their calving period.
How to get there
The E6 from Narvik leads you north to Setermoen where you turn onto the Altevatn road, and then choose between the Sørdalen and Altevatnet branches. Alternatively, take the E6 through Salangsdalen and branch off to Bones.
There are car parking and toilet facilities at the national park access points in the Sørdalen valley and at Bones in the Salangsdalen valley.