Søre Austerdalen | Lomsdal-Visten Nasjonalpark

In short, you are passing from a regularly visited part of the national park to an area into which few people venture. You can make this route part of a longer excursion from west to east in Lomsdal-Visten, or a part of a hike between Lomsdalen and the valley of Laksmarkdalen/Børjedalen.

A rough boulder field uppermost in Søre Austerdalen. It’s quite a challenge to hike through such terrain, especially with a heavy backpack. Photo Marius Nergård Pettersen

Overlooking the valley of Børjedalen. In the distance you can see the mountain peaks that tower over the fjord arm Storbørja. Photo Marius Nergård Pettersen

Søre Austerdalen is an exciting little valley; no matter which exact route you choose your hiking will be challenging. The terrain has small gorges and many steep hillsides. Hikers should make allowances for this part of their journey being more time-consuming than a quick look at their map may suggest. The western part of the valley and the elevated areas in the middle will be especially challenging. Part of your route is on bare rock, which is easy enough to walk in dry weather, but may be slippery when it’s wet.

At the top of the valley are numerous small lakes. Be sure to walk to the south of these; to the north your passage is blocked by a large gorge. And be on the look-out for the cairn on the hillside to your west, which marks the route you need to take.