The E-6 goes through all of Finnmark

The road Alta-Kirkenes, the E-6, starts at Trelleborg in Sweden and goes through Norway up to Kirkenes. We start our E-6 story at the Troms county border in Alta municipality. See map. Alta is the starting point of the famous dog sledge race "Finnmarkslopet".

The Northern Light Observatory at Haldde Mountain

(Photo: Janos Kolostyak/World Heritage Center for Rock Art - Alta Museum).

The picture shows the main building and some of the excellent view of the Alta fiord area. The Haldde Mountain (904 m o.h.) is higher than all the mountains in the Alta fiord. From the start in 1899 to 1926 there was northern light research and weather observations on the top of Haldde.

In additon to the observatory building there was a main building with four flats and offices. Up to three families with children once lived on top of Haldde. After World War II only the stone walls were left. But today much is restored.

There is a marked, 9 km cart road up to the top. The road starts by the E-6 in near Kåfjord Church (35 km southwest of Alta). Accessible all year round. You can hire keys at Alta Museum. See Haldde map.

At Kåfjord there are remains from the old copper mine, the Kåfjord church and the Tirpitz museum. (Site only in Norwegian.)

Alta museum

These rock carvings (or petroglyphs) in the Alta Fjord in Norwegian Lapland are the traces of a settlement dating from ca. 4200 to 500 B.C.

There are thousands of paintings and engravings. They all give us a better understanding of the environment and human activities on Arctic Coast in prehistoric times.

The Rock Art of Alta was taken into UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1985. This is one of the largest known collection of rock carvings in Northern Europe made by hunter-gatherers. The first carvings were discovered in 1973.
Rock Carvings - Alta Museum.
(Photo: Olav E. Johansen)

Read more about Alta museum.

Alta Canyon and Alta Power Plant

The Alta canyon is the largest canyon in Northern Europe. The visitor's room at the power plant was built inside the mountain itself, above the 110-metre high dam. You can see the reservoir and concrete dam through a panorama window. The dam and the power plant are only open to visitors taking part in guided tours.

The Alta canyon is 7,5 km long. The width is between 400 metres and 1,7 km. The canyon is around 420 metres deep.

Read more about Alta itself. As you go eastward from Alta you have to pass the Sennalandet high plateau where many Sami have their summer dwellings. There is also a Sami church at Aissaroaive.

From the church you proceed down the Repparfjord river which a good salmon river and come to another crossroads at Skaidi.

Porsanger

In the Porsanger municipality you can see the Stone Trolls at Trollholmsund. See map.
Read more about Porsanger here.

Karasjok

Still on the E-6, travelling Alta-Kirkenes, from Lakselv you pass yet another mountain and reach the capital and cultural center of the Norwegian Sami, Karasjok. You are now at the Heart of Lapland. See map

From Karasjok the E-6 goes downstream on the shores of the Tana river which runs through three municipalities in the Tana valley.

Tana

As you go downstream you pass the Levajok Fjellstue. At the Lapland bridge the E-6 meets the E-75.

Then you get to Tana bru which is the center of Tana municipality.

Nesseby

We know proceed on the last stretch of the E-6 route Alta-Kirkenes. At Varangerbotn itself there is a modern Sami museum.

Sør-Varanger

Midway between Varangerbotn and Kirkenes you may again deviate from the E-6 and go Bugøynes, which is the Finnmark village where old Finnish traditions still are kept alive after their forefathers immigrated from Finland 100-200 years ago. The place is also called Pikku Suomi, Little Finland. Read more about Bugoynes here.

At Neiden we find the smallest and oldest church building in Finnmark, the Russian orthodox chapel.

At last we are at the end of the Alta-Kirkenes road. The E-6 ends at Kirkenes at the quay of the Hurigruten - The Norwegian coastal express.

In winter there is an ice hotel at Kirkenes. And finally, here is a video showing the road Alta-Kirkenes in 3 minutes.

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