Reisa Nasjonalpark

Hiking

The Arctic Trail (Nordkalottruta), which forms part of the European walking route from Sicily to the North Cape (E1), passes through Reisa National Park and the adjacent Ráisdouttarháldi Protected Landscape Area. Several hut and cabins are situated along this trail within the protected areas, which hikers can use.  Some of these are open, while others must be booked in advance.

Riverboat trips

Several companies run riverboat trips on the Reisa river. This is a nice way to experience the national park. It’s possible to take a canoe upriver by riverboat so you can paddle down again. Sightseeing trips to the Mollisfossen waterfall are an attractive option that enable you to experience the most popular attraction in the national park.

Canoeing

When the water level is normal, the Reisa river is safe and easy to paddle. However, paddling can be more challenging after heavy rain and flooding, which causes peak flows in the river. The stretch of the river in the national park, from Nedrefoss to Sieimma, is usually a calm and pleasant canoeing trip.

Fishing

Freshwater fishing in the mountain lakes in the area is a popular activity year-round. Just remember to buy a fishing licence (intatur.no). The Reisa river is noted for salmon fishing, including the stretch of the river from the national park boundary (Sieimma) to the Imofossen waterfall. It’s possible to catch big salmon too. Every year, salmon weighing more than 20 kg are caught here. The salmon fishing is open to locals and visitors alike, providing you order a fishing licence in advance.

Hunting

Small game hunting and moose hunting both take place in the national park, and the area by the lake Ráisjavri/Reisavannet is especially popular.

Skiing

Skiing in the mountains from cabin to cabin is a popular activity in the wintertime. In the Reisa valley, it’s safe to ski on the frozen Reisa river from January to late March. By early April, the ice generally starts to crack, making skiing on the river more challenging.

Flora

Around 385 vascular plant species have been observed in the national park. This number is high in a North Norwegian context and a national basis. Many eastern and northern plant species can be found in the upper reaches of the Reisa valley, several of which are marshland and forest plants, such as cottongrass growing on the palsas, and marsh saxifrage and Arctic bramble found along the river. The northern boundary of several southern species, such as fumewort and apetalous sandwort, are in or near the Reisa valley. The area also houses some of the last stocks of endangered plant species, such as Peel River catchfly and the blunt leaved bog orchid. There is a small number of spruce trees in Jiehtanagorsa, which constitutes the only natural occurrence of Norway spruce in Troms county.

Fauna

Much of the valley contains good grazing areas for moose. The largest Norwegian predator, the brown bear, is occasionally observed in the national park. Permanent stocks of wolverine and lynx are also found in the area. The harbour seal sometimes follows the Reisa river from the coast and has been observed as far up as the Nedrefoss waterfall.

Birdlife

No less than 122 bird species have been observed in the national park, including ducks, birds of prey, wading birds, owls and passerines. For several of the species, the main habitat is either further south or east, making them rare in Troms county. Most of the species nest in the area, while others use the area for grazing, resting during migration or moulting.

The rock walls along the valley provide are good nesting areas for birds of prey, and common species include the rough-legged buzzard, golden eagle, merlin and common kestrel. If you are lucky, you may also see the gyrfalcon.

Fish

The Reisa river is one of the most valuable water courses for salmon, sea trout and Arctic char in Troms county. The selection and density of bottom dwelling species in running water is high. Eastern species such as whitefish, perch and pike are also found in the watercourse.

Bilder

From the Finnmarkvidda mountain plateau near Kautokeino, with vast mountain moors and marshlands, the Reisa river flows through a narrow canyon at Imo down the valley where the landscape flattens out and eventually opens towards the sea. The valley is characterized by waterfalls from tributaries that flow into the Reisa valley. There are high mountains on both sides of the valley. The mountain massif Ráisduottarháldi is situated on the border between Norway and Finland.

The geology of Reisa National Park

There are rock species in Reisa National Park that are more than 2.6 billion years old. You can read the geological history on the rockface along the valley. One of the most interesting landscape phenomena in Reisa National Park is Mollisfossen, Northern Norway’s highest waterfall. Precambrian rocks are visible at Nedrefoss along with eskers from the last Ice Age. The natural cross-section of the landscape at the cleft Avvekløfta enables you to gain an insight into the geological history of the bedrock in the area.

bilder

Protected nature in Norway

The main objective of establishing protected areas, such as national parks, is to maintain the diversity of habitat types and landscapes in Norway for future generations. These efforts shall also contribute to protecting areas of special value to plants and animals.

The biggest threats to biodiversity in Norway are that habitats of animals and plants are destroyed and divided. National parks and other protected areas safeguard vulnerable and threatened nature types, and protect areas of international, national and regional value.

In total, 17.1 per cent of mainland Norway is now protected. In Norway, we have several types of protection:

• National Park
• Protected Landscape Area
• Nature Reserve
• Protected Marine Areas

National Parks in Norway

National parks are established to protect to take care of large areas of natural habitat. Norway has 46 national parks (39 in the mainland Norway and seven in Svalbard), which jointly represent the biodiversity in the country.

Besides Reisa National Park, the following national parks are situated in Troms county: Ånderdalen National Park, Rohkunborri National Park and Øvre Dividal National Park.

Photo: Magnus Barmoen

Management of Reisa National Park

The Reisa National Park Board is the management authority of Reisa National Park. It has the task of managing the national park in line with national goals and international commitments. The board consists of representatives from the Sami Parliament, the Municipality of Nordreisa and the Troms County Council. The board has two nature protection officers who manage the day-to-day operations and function as the secretariat of the board.

Reisa National Park must be managed in accordance with certain legislation and rules. All protected areas in Norway have their own protection regulations outlining the rules that apply in that specific protected area. You can find the protection regulations for Reisa National Park here.

If you have any questions about the management of Reisa National Park, please contact the national park manager at: reisa@fylkesmannen.no

Øvrefossen, Photo: Asgeir Blixgård, Fjelltjenesten

The first people in Reisa hunted wild reindeer, and ancient trapping systems are common cultural monuments in the national park. You will find ancient pitfall trapping systems and shooting hides along the traditional reindeer migration routes. Hunting equipment dating back to the Early Metal Age (1800 B.C.) has been discovered in the valley, while the rock art at Sieimma is from the same period. The transition from hunting and trapping of wild reindeer to reindeer husbandry has no doubt been a gradual process that is difficult to date. However, by the 16th century, reindeer husbandry was well established in the area.

Reisadalen (the Reisa valley) is the meeting place of three cultures. The local area has been used by reindeer herders and the local population, which is of Norwegian, Sami and Kven (Finnish) origins. This is reflected by place names and cultural heritage sites. Many of the place names in Reisa originate from the Sami and Kven languages. The settlement in the Reisa valley can be traced well back in history to the Sami hunting/trapping community. Finnish immigrants, known as Kvens, settled further down the valley in the 18th century. It is widely believed that they were responsible for introducing the characteristic riverboat to the valley. The Reisa boat was originally a punting boat but in time has become motorised.

The reindeer migrate long distances in the space of a year. In wintertime, the reindeer graze in the south of the region or on the Finnmarksvidda mountain plateau, while the summer pastures are in coastal areas in the northwest. About 250 people are involved in reindeer husbandry activity that affects the national park, and in the space of a year more than 20,000 reindeer graze in or migrate through the area. The mountains on the western side of the Reisa valley form part of a reindeer grazing district with 6,000 to 7,000 reindeer. These reindeer calve in the northern parts of the national park before migrating to summer grazing pastures further north. In the late summer/early autumn, the reindeer migrate south again and breed in the same areas as they calved before migrating to their winter pastures on the mountain plateau.

It’s important that other users of Reisa National Park take special care and show consideration to the reindeer during the calving period in the springtime and the breeding period in the autumn. Reindeer react to human activity and often retreat from areas with many people and/or dogs.