Difficult
Reisa National Park protects one of the most dramatic river valleys in northern Norway. The Reisaelva has carved a deep canyon through Reisadalen, creating a valley that runs 80 kilometres from the Finnish border to the coast near Sørkjosen. The park, established in 1986, covers 803 square kilometres.
The centrepiece is Mollisfossen, a 269-metre waterfall that ranks among the highest in Norway. The falls drop in a single narrow plunge into a gorge so deep that sunlight barely reaches the bottom. Reaching Mollisfossen requires a multi-day hike or a boat trip up the river, which keeps the crowds away but also means most visitors never see it.
Reisadalen is one of the few places in Troms where three indigenous cultures overlap. Sami, Kven (Finnish-Norwegian) and Norwegian communities all have deep roots in the valley, each with their own relationship to the river and the land. The old-growth birch and pine forest along the valley floor is unusually lush for this latitude, sheltered by the steep valley walls from the worst of the Arctic weather.
The centrepiece is Mollisfossen, a 269-metre waterfall that ranks among the highest in Norway. The falls drop in a single narrow plunge into a gorge so deep that sunlight barely reaches the bottom. Reaching Mollisfossen requires a multi-day hike or a boat trip up the river, which keeps the crowds away but also means most visitors never see it.
Reisadalen is one of the few places in Troms where three indigenous cultures overlap. Sami, Kven (Finnish-Norwegian) and Norwegian communities all have deep roots in the valley, each with their own relationship to the river and the land. The old-growth birch and pine forest along the valley floor is unusually lush for this latitude, sheltered by the steep valley walls from the worst of the Arctic weather.