Drive it Yourself: Hammerfest to the Lyngen Alps
In this article...
Downloadable Version of This Guide
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Online Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the neighbourhood
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Information about facilities along the way
Downloadable Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the region & towns
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Facilities including supermarkets, toilets, petrol, hotels, cafes, restaurants with addresses.
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The Drive: Hammerfest to the Lyngen Alps
Hammerfest
This drive begins in Hammerfest, the northernmost city in the world. You can find a detailed overview to Honningsvåg via the link below.
Rypefjord
Village
Rypefjord is a village just outside Hammerfest. The village is considered more of a suburb of Hammerfest because of its proximity to the city. You’ll find a lot of industry here related to the LNG plant just off Hammerfest but also the fishing industry.
Kvalsund Bridge
Bridge
The Kvalsund Bridge is a suspension bridge over the Kvalsundet strait, linking the mainland to the island of Kvaløya. The bridge is 741 metres (2,431 ft) long and has 11 spans. It is the northernmost suspension bridge in the world.
Kvalsund
Village
Kvalsund is a small village and former municipality in Finnmark. It was its own municipality until 2020, when it was merged with Hammerfest. The name directly translates to the whale strait, refering to the whaling that used to take place in the area. The name of the island Kvaløya means ‘whale island’.
The village used to be known as “Finnbyen”, referring to the Coastal Sami settlement in the area. Until a few hundred years ago, the Coast Sami culture was completely dominant in Kvalsund. Norwegian and Kven immigration soon made the area multicultural, and during the ‘Norwegianisation’ process of the late 19th/early 20th century, most of the culture was lost. One of the only villages to still have the Coastal Sami culture is Kokelv.
Kvalsund is one of the areas in Finnmark county with the most cabins that are especially used by people from Hammerfest. There is good salmon fishing in the fjord and there are nice hiking trails in the area.
Repparfjorden
Fjord
Repparfjorden is a fjord located southeast of the island Kvaløya, where Hammerfest is. The fjord is quite shallow with an average depth of 40-60 metres and a maximum depth of 123 metres. There are strong currents at the bottom of the fjord.
Mining used to take place in this area for copper. The deposits were found around the year 1900 and between 1972 and 1978 Folldal Verk (the mine near Røros) ran the operations. More mining is planned in the area, but it is meeting protests by the local community.
Skaidi
Village
Skaidi is a small village and major traffic hub in Northern Norway. In the 1940s, the Skaidi Mountain Lodge and Station was built. Today it’s an important point to stop if you need a rest on the long road journeys.
Here you’ll find a petrol station, various electric car charging stations, a cafe and a hotel.
Savesalta
Alpine Ski Resort
Sarvesalta is an alpine ski resort overlooking the Altafjord and it is the major ski resort in the area. One of the popular places to stay is the Bjørnfjell Mountain Lodge, which focuses a lot on Norwegian farming and cabin culture.
Alta Municipality
Alta is the most populated municipality in Finnmark county, and its population has increased by 11.3% over the last decade. The coat-of-arms represent a white arrow point on a blue background, and it is derived from the findings of quartzite arrow points dating back to the late Stone Age found in the area. The quartzite was mined in the area and tools were made from it all over Northern Norway.
Alta is most famous for its rock carvings, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The carvings date from 4,200 BC to 500BC and were likely made by the Komsa culture, an early people in Northern Norway. These are Northern Europe’s largest number of petroglyphs and rock paintings made by a hunter-gatherer population.
Alta is first mentioned in written sources around 1500, when it was inhabited by a couple hundred Sami people. The area was a common tax country for Denmark-Norway, Sweden, and Russia. Towards the end of the 16th century there were conflicts between Sweden and Denmark over the right to tax salmon fishing in the river. In 1613, it was decided that the area of Alta belonged to Denmark-Norway, and by this time Norwegians were settling along the Altafjord.
Around 1700, the Kven population began to settle in the area. The Kven people came from Finland and were escaping war and famine. The Kvens brought with them grain cultivation and improved the river fishing methods. In 1826, copper mines were established, and miners came from Finland, Sweden and southern Norway to take part. Several of the miners later travelled onto the United States, but many stayed and combined farming with mining.
During World War II, the German battleship Tirpitz was kept hidden in the Altafjord for 18 months. It was so badly damaged that it had to leave the fjord. It was towed to Tromsø, where it was eventually sunk by Allied forces. The town of Alta was destroyed by the Germans in 1944 and the only building that was not burned was Alta church.
The main industries in Alta include trading, education, and public service. The town of Alta is known for its slate industry. Alta is also the starting point for the Finnmarksløpet, the longest dog sled race in Europe.
Alta is the second northernmost city in the world and a good place to spend some time. I’ve written a detailed travel guide to Alta, which you’ll see below.
Alta
The E6 runs through the city of Alta. You can choose to spend the night here or stop at the UNESCO World Heritage Site where the rock carvings are. You can also drive straight through 🙂
A detailed travel guide to Alta can be found below.
Kåfjorden
Fjord
Kåfjorden is an 8km (5 mi) long branch of the Altafjord. The fjord was used as the anchorage for the German battleship Tirpitz for much of World War II.
Talvik
Village
Talvik is a small village on the western short of the Altafjord. It has been a trading centre since the 1800s and is the home of Talvik Church from 1883.
Langfjordbotn
Village
Langfjordbotn is a small village located at the innermost point of the Langfjorden. The population is around 110 and the village is known for its excellent nature and in particular good conditions for growing potatoes and berries. There are five dairy farms, a school and community centre here. In summer people come to go hiking, while in winter people come to go skiing, snowmobile driving and dog sled racing.
Kvænangen Municipality
Kvænangen is a small but scenic municipality located in Finnmark. The municipality is located around the Kvænangen Fjord and over the Kvænangsfjellet Mountain Pass. The first part of the name refers to the Kven population that resided in the municipality, while the second part of the name comes from the Old Norse word angr meaning ‘fjord’. The population here was originally Sami, but the Kven people settled here about 300 years ago. Archaeological finds indicate people have lived here for 10,000 years.
When the Kvens came in the 18th century, they took part in fishing, hunting and agriculture. Over time, the fisheries became an important industry and dried fish was exported to southern Norway and the rest of Europe. This attracted Norwegians, who gradually settled in the area. Today fish farming and tourism are the fastest growing industries.
Alteidet
Village
Alteidet is a small coastal village located along the Lille Altafjord. The population is around 130 people and historically it was a trading post. Unfortunately the village was destroyed during World War II and wasn’t really rebuilt.
Badderen
Village
Badderen is a small village with a population of around 180. Mining took place in this area throughout the 20th century; the mines were operated by the Alten Copper Works, led by the Englishman John Rice Crow. The old trading centre of Badderen became the centre for the mining operations, and an ore quay was established here.
Sørstraumen
Tidal Current
Sørstraumen is the second-strongest current in Northern Europe, only beaten by Saltstraumen. We cross the bridge over the current while on the E6.
Kvænangsfjellet
Mountain range
We now cross the Kvænangsfjellet mountain range. The E6 highway crosses the mountains over the mountain pass, which can close in winter in the case of snowstorms. The highest point of the road is 402m (1,319ft) and this is exposed to bad weather.
The Kvænangsfjellet mountain area is mainly used by the Sami reindeer herders in the summer.
Gildetun Inn
Accommodation
The inn on the side of the road is a well-known place for visitors to stay. It offers accommodation and meals during the tourist reason and has a nice vantage point. 7
Nordreisa Municipality
consists of the Reisadalen valley surrounded by mountains and high plateaus. The coat-of-arms depicts two white salmon because the Reisaelva River is one of the country’s best salmon rivers. The Reisa National Park is located in the southern part of the municipality.
Most of the people who settled here were the Kven people from Finland, who came over in the 18th century escaping famine and war. Some inhabitants have Sami or Norwegian backgrounds.
Most of the municipality was destroyed by retreating German troops.
Storslett
Village
Storslett is the main centre for the municipality of Nordreisa. It has a small airport, schools and a local church. The town was destroyed during World War II in 1944. The village area has seen strong growth since the war.
Rotsund
Village
Rotsund is a small village located along the Rotsundet strait. We are now in the northern Lyngen region, and the mountains are visible in the distance.
Lyngen
Mountain range
The Lyngen Alps are a scenic mountain range that stretch 90km (56 mi) along the Lyngen Peninsula, with the Lyngen fjord to the east and the Ullsfjorden to the west.
The mountains are popular among extreme skiers, with the highest summit being 1,833m (6,014ft) tall. The mountains are also popular with climbers.
Where to Go From Here
After Lyngen we continued on to Tromsø.
This drive is part of the multi-day series “From Tromsø to North Cape and back again”. You can view the entire drive via the link below.
If you liked this drive, or if you have any travel tips, please leave a comment in the section below!