Junkerdal National Park

Junkerdal is known among Norwegian botanists as one of the richest sites in the country: the bedrock includes limestone and other calcium-rich rock, which combined with the local climate supports a flora of arctic and alpine species far more diverse than the surrounding mountains, including rare orchids and plants otherwise found much further north or east. Collectors have come here since the eighteenth century, and the area was protected partly for that reason, becoming a national park in 2004 covering about 682 square kilometres. Beyond the plants it is ordinary northern mountain country: birch forest in the valleys, bare rock above, lakes and long walking routes toward the Swedish border and the Padjelanta parks beyond.

What you actually see

• The rare flora - orchids and arctic-alpine species on lime-rich ground.
• The valley birch forest - woodland along the lower rivers.
• The border routes - trails linking through to the Swedish national parks.
• The high plateau - bare rock and lakes above the treeline.

When to go

July and early August for the flowering, which is brief and the main reason to come; June to September for general walking once the snow has gone. Autumn colour in the birch is good in September.

Honest expectations

The flora is the point, and without an interest in plants the park is scenically similar to many others nearby. Picking or digging plants is prohibited. Marked routes are limited and cabins few, so navigation and self-sufficiency matter.

Nearby

Rago National Park lies north; Saltdal, Fauske and the Arctic Circle centre are on the E6.