Alta Canyon - An Amazing Hike to Sautso, Norway
The Alta Canyon (Sautso) in Finnmark, northern Norway, is the most spectacular hike in Alta region. It is one of the largest canyons in northern Europe, and it can be reached by hiking, cycling and by boat along the river. The canyon hike, south of Alta, is a day trip and not as inaccessible as you might think.
In summer, the just under 13 kilometres of Alta Canyon trail are lush with greenery. The midnight sun shines in the Alta region until the end of July, so there are many ways to experience the canyon. I did a self-guided hike to the Alta Canyon on a trip in Norway from Varanger Peninsula to Koutokeino. Here are my own experiences and all the info and tips for visiting the Alta Canyon.
Alta Canyon
The Alta Canyon, Sautso in Sami, is one of the largest canyons in Northern Europe, in Finnmark County in northern Norway. If not the largest. In fact, Visit Norway reports that both the Alta Canyon and the Jutulhogget Canyon have been awarded the title of "Northern Europe's largest canyon".
Either way, the Alta Canyon is in a class of its own as a nature destination. It is a wonder that the Alta Canyon is not at all crowded like for example Gorsabrua and Gorsa Canyon, which is located at the end of a similar bumpy sandy road.
The Alta Canyon is over 10 kilometres long in total. That's a lot. The gorge begins at the confluence of the Kautokeino River and the Alta River (Altaelva), where the Alta dam and power station are located. These are also attractions that can be visited on a paid guided tour. At Tutteberget, the road is closed, so you cannot drive from there on.
At the bottom of the gorge flows the Alta river, famous for its abundant salmon. The Alta River, some 240 kilometres long, is one of Alta's most famous landmarks. Sandiagården is considered the best fishing spot, located about six kilometres in the direction of Alta town from the viewpoint of the canyon.
At its highest point, the Alta canyon has a drop of over 400 metres from the plain to the river. The actual hike is a flat fell walk, no mountain climbing is required to see the canyon.
Visiting Alta Canyon - with a guide or by hiking yourself
There are several routes and ways to reach the Alta Canyon.
Guided hikes to the Alta Canyon
You can book a guided hike to the Alta Canyon. These are organised by a number of different tour operators.
- Hiking: there are no marked trails on the east side of the canyon, but there are guided hikes from Tutteberget in Stilla to the canyon. From the east side you reach the canyon edge above Sautsogården.
- By boat: the Alta Canyon and the Alta river can be experienced in a traditional river boat when the water is high enough. Boat trips to the canyon depart from Sorrisniva.
- By bike: the Alta Canyon route is also a popular biking route. You can book bike tours and hire bikes from Stilla.
The Alta Canyon hike - self-guided
The Alta Canyon can be reached quite easily without a guide. The most difficult part of the hike is getting to the trailhead of the Alta Canyon trail by car, but that is not so difficult after all. Search Google Maps for "Gargia" on the south of Alta and you'll be close to the starting point.
The Alta Canyon hike is 12.5 km / 7.8 miles from the trailhead to the canyon viewpoint and back. The ascent is less than 100 m, and closer to 400 m when you visit the bottom of the gorge. The duration of the hike is about 4 hours. The trail is classified as green, i.e. easy, according to Norwegian standards.
There are a few river crossings on the hiking trail. Most of the time the water is quite shallow and the crossing is made by large rocks and planks. In early summer the water level can be so high that you have to wade. There are usually duckboards across the wetlands.
The path is marked all along the way with green signs and red T-signs or red circles and cairns.
Arriving at Alta Canyon by car & parking
Alta Canyon is located half an hour's drive south of the town of Alta. If you are coming from the direction of Alta city, take the E45, the motorway past Øvre Alta. (Tip: From Øvre Alta, take a quick tour of Lille Raipas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site!)
Turn towards Gargia on the Gargiaveien road and drive over the bridge. Along the Gargiaveien you will find Sorrisniva, husky tours and Peskatun, where you can watch the northern lights (not in summer). Follow the road until you reach Gargia.
The paved road ends at the Gargia Lodge (Gargia Fellstue), where there is a car park at the end of the road that can accommodate about a dozen cars. From the car park, you can walk just under 5 km along the dirt road to the starting point of the Alta Canyon trail, or you can continue by car along the slightly tricky dirt road right to the start of the trail.
Search Google Maps for "Trailhead for Alta Canyon" and "Parkering utsiktspunkt elvegjelet Sautso". The Gargia road seems to end at Gargia lodge, but zoom in enough on the map to see the whole road.
The bumpy Gargiaveien continues in the direction of Beaskadas and the Suolovuopmi huts. The starting point of the Alta Canyon hiking trail is about 4.5 km away. The road leads up to the fell highlands, and there is no need to hike much uphill when you arrive at Alta Canyon by car.
Although the road is in poor condition, a normal car will do. However, drive carefully and avoid the biggest holes. According to some sources, camper vans should be parked in the Gargia lodge parking, but at the time of my own hike, most of the vehicles in the upper car park were camper vans.
The parking area is in a nice open landscape on a hard rock - so no worries about getting stuck in the mud, even if you are in a remote area. The car park can easily accommodate 10-15 cars, both cars and camper vans. Remember to park on the side of the road so you don't block the road.
The parking area is surrounded by dry flat land, so it is easy to pitch a tent there. There is also a map of Alta Canyon along the road and an information board with information about the hiking trail.
Alta Canyon hiking trail
The wide sandy path starts to climb gently uphill. After only a few minutes of hiking, the typical landscape of the Finnmark region opens up before you: wide open plains, gently rolling low mountains, the pleasantly scented rugged vegetation of the Arctic tundra.
The trail is visible in the distance, disappearing only occasionally into small hollows. A wide boardwalk leads across the first marsh. A few wobbly birch trees stand out from the otherwise flat terrain. The path is lined with sweet white cotton balls, cotton tussocks.
After half an hour's walk, the eastern edge of the canyon is already visible on the horizon. A few clear ponds are passed on the way.
After about two and a half kilometres, just before the Vähännivanronka river, the path forks. To the left of Vähäniva, the trail leads down to the bottom of the canyon following Vähännivanronka river. The Vähännivanronka plunges down into the Alta River in a deep gorge and waterfalls.
Continuing along the path from the small ridge to the canyon viewpoint, the waterfall is out of sight. You cross the Vähännivanronka about a hundred metres after the trail crossing. The river is not very wide and there are large rocks. There was maybe fifteen centimetres of water.
The next section is a more rocky path, then a more muddy path with duckboards. On the horizon, the dark edges of the Sautso seem to be gradually approaching.
The Čahppesjohka is the widest of the rivers to be crossed. It flows at the crossing point in a fine steep-walled canyon. The rocks are so large that the water has to rise a fair way before you have to wade.
After the river, there is only a kilometre's descent along a gently meandering path. Alta Canyon seems to be within touching distance.
There is still one more river to cross, the Steinfjellelva. A piece of plank has been laid to help with the big rocks. It's only 500 metres to Sautso in an increasingly beautiful landscape.
The viewpoint of the Alta Canyon
The route finally reaches its destination at the canyon edge. A large sign tells the story of the Alta Canyon and the history of the Alta River as a salmon river. The pictures show a silver salmon at least a metre long and Alta Canyon in winter.
There is also a group of tables and benches on the campfire site. I didn't feel like digging a snack out of my backpack, as the air was thick with mosquitoes. The best thing you could do was to wear light-coloured clothes and a mosquito net.
From the campfire site you can see the opposite side of the canyon and a faint glimpse of the meandering river to the north. The Alta Canyon is not yet visible from the campfire site, but you have to descend lower to the very edge of the canyon. The sandy and rocky path is steep, but descends to the canyon through dense forest, so it doesn't feel exposed.
Suddenly, a shimmering river peeks out from behind the branches. Along the edge, there is a solid platform, and finally the scenery you've come to see opens up.
The beauty and grandeur of the Alta Canyon is stunning. Steep, sometimes vertical walls line the gorge valley, at the bottom of which the Alta River flows calmly. The Kevo Canyon in Finnish Lapland gives a similar sensation when you see it for the first time. You can also get close to the feeling in Reisa National Park by climbing up the mountains from the valley floor. You feel so very small in the depths like this.
For some reason, most of the mosquitos stayed by the campfire site, and I could take pictures in relative peace. No other hikers in sight, either. There is an incredible view in both directions of the canyon. Looking far south, the red buildings of Sautsogården stand out on an islet in the middle of the river.
But the viewpoint is a bit exposed and airy, and with those few mosquitos flying around, I chose not to set up my tripod. But then again, sometimes the landscape is more beautiful just as it is - you don't need a hiker to cover up any part of the picture!
The way back is the same as on the way in: first a steep short climb, then a gentle ascent from the canyon viewpoint, until the plain begins and finally descends to the parking area. Along the way there is also a lake where I saw several people fishing. On the last stretch of the Alta Canyon hiking trail, you might be able to admire the mountains rising in varying shades of blue as the sunset colours the summer sky orange-red.
Alta Canyon hike - my experiences
It was pouring rain during the day, so my Alta Canyon hike became a late evening hike. In July, the time of day doesn't matter so much, as it's light at night too. The weather was perfect for photography: at 9pm in mid-July, the sun filtered down from a beautifully soft cloudy sky, illuminating the edges of the canyon.
Although the Alta Canyon viewpoint is a flat plateau, the flats are small, the ground is somewhat sloping, the gravel is moving a little underfoot, and there are no railings in the area. I held on to the tree trunks myself and didn't dare go below them to take a photo, even though there was a small plateau visible. You have to be careful at the viewpoint, especially if the ground is wet.
Alta Canyon, or Sautso, in Finnmark in northern Norway, is certainly the most incredible hike in Alta region and perhaps the whole of "Ruija" (= old Finnish name for the Land by the Ocean). Although, considering the greater area in northern Norway, you'll be blown away by a visit to Nordkapp, and you'll also be speechless at Lyngen's Dalberget above the Lyngenfjord, too.
The Finnmark region has a special unique landscape: wide, low tundra, gently rolling hills and clear rivers and lakes. Immediately to the west, the mountains are sharp and rugged. Alta and the whole Finnmark region was also very peaceful, for some reason the tourist masses are packed into Lofoten Islands and Senja Island.
I give the Alta Canyon a score of 5-/5. Minus only for the mosquitoes!
Northern Norway destinations
