Alta Canyon

The Altaelva has cut a canyon through the Finnmark plateau south of Alta that runs for tens of kilometres and reaches depths of several hundred metres, among the largest in northern Europe. It is inaccessible for most of its length, and the practical way to see it is a river boat trip with local operators, running upstream from Alta through the gorge. The river is one of the most famous salmon rivers in the world, with fishing rights closely controlled and historically expensive. In 1979 and 1980 plans to dam it for hydropower produced the largest civil disobedience campaign in modern Norwegian history, with Sami hunger strikes in Oslo; a reduced dam was built, but the conflict reshaped Norwegian Sami policy and led to the Sami Parliament.

What you actually see

• The canyon walls - a gorge several hundred metres deep through the plateau.
• The river boats - guided trips upstream from Alta into the gorge.
• The salmon river - one of the world's most prized Atlantic salmon fisheries.
• The dam site - the reduced hydropower scheme built after the conflict.

When to go

July to September, when boat trips run and the water level allows; the season is short. Fishing runs to a strict licensed calendar, and access to the river is limited during it.

Honest expectations

Access is genuinely difficult without a boat trip, and land viewpoints show only fragments. Trips must be booked and depend on water levels. The fishing is expensive and controlled by long-standing local rights, not open to casual visitors.

Nearby

The Alta rock carvings, a UNESCO site, are in the town; Stabbursdalen and the Finnmark plateau lie south and east.