Alta River

The Alta River is one of the world's finest salmon rivers — a designation that brings wealthy fly fishermen from across Europe and North America every summer season. Atlantic salmon run the river from June to August, and the fishing rights are tightly controlled and expensive to access. If you can get on the river, it is extraordinary; if you cannot, the valley itself is worth driving up for the landscape of birch forest, canyon walls, and fast green water.

The river runs for 200 kilometres through Finnmark, and the lower reaches near Alta town are accessible for walking and swimming in summer. The canyon section upstream (Sautso) is one of the largest canyons in northern Europe and can be visited on guided hikes.

things to do sight
A story
The Alta River was the site of a defining moment in Norwegian environmental history. In 1979–1981, a proposed hydroelectric dam on the Alta prompted the largest civil disobedience campaign in Norway's history, with Sami and environmental activists staging hunger strikes and chaining themselves to equipment. The dam was eventually built, but the controversy led directly to the creation of the Sami Parliament in 1989.