Very Difficult
Lomsdal-Visten stretches from the Helgeland coast deep into the mountain interior, covering 1,102 square kilometres of landscape that drops from alpine peaks to sea-level fjords. Established in 2009, it is one of the few Norwegian parks that encompasses the full gradient from coast to mountain within a single protected area.
The park's most remarkable feature is underground. The limestone bedrock has been dissolved by water over millennia, creating some of the deepest and longest cave systems in Scandinavia. Tjoarvekrajgge, at over 15 kilometres mapped length, is one of Norway's longest caves. Cavers have explored barely a fraction of what is thought to exist. Above ground, the karst landscape produces sinkholes, disappearing rivers and unusual rock formations.
The Visten fjord on the western edge is a striking contrast to the mountain interior: a narrow, steep-sided fjord with old fishing settlements and sea eagle nesting sites. The combination of coastal, forest, cave and alpine landscapes in one park makes Lomsdal-Visten unusually varied, though the lack of road access means most of it can only be reached on foot or by boat.
The park's most remarkable feature is underground. The limestone bedrock has been dissolved by water over millennia, creating some of the deepest and longest cave systems in Scandinavia. Tjoarvekrajgge, at over 15 kilometres mapped length, is one of Norway's longest caves. Cavers have explored barely a fraction of what is thought to exist. Above ground, the karst landscape produces sinkholes, disappearing rivers and unusual rock formations.
The Visten fjord on the western edge is a striking contrast to the mountain interior: a narrow, steep-sided fjord with old fishing settlements and sea eagle nesting sites. The combination of coastal, forest, cave and alpine landscapes in one park makes Lomsdal-Visten unusually varied, though the lack of road access means most of it can only be reached on foot or by boat.