Around Kvænangen fjord

13/09/2025

It felt very strange to be heading south now after such an intensive amount of effort to get north. From our glacier stopover we tracked back to the E6 trunk road where we turned south and after half an hour we were heading off inland along the edge of another fjord.

Kvænangen

Where we left the E6, Kvænangen fjord passes through a very narrow channel before it widens out again into a broad, deep fjord. We drove along the pitted and scarred minor road that follows it’s northern edge. The fjord narrowed again and then widened out to terminate as a shallow lagoon.

The parking spot we’d identified was down a rutted and bouncy dirt track on the edge of the lagoon. Amongst pine forest and sandy soil we found a host of people who were here for a weekend of camping in perfect weeked weather. Motorhomes were in the majority, but there were also a few tent campers. One couple even had a sauna tent set up with a small woodburner inside for heat, something we’d never seen before. They alternated dips in the water with the warmth of the sauna.

Cycling to Gearbbethytta

On the opposite side of the road from our idyllic lakeside parking the Kvænangsdalen valley is a wide wooded valley between the mountains. It has a history of use by the Sami and Kven populations. The area is used for reindeer herding and is rich in timber. It once supported tar production from tree roots (an important commodity for ship building). The current and historical use of the land means there are some well made tracks up into the valley and we read that it was possible to cycle some of these routes.

We chose a track that led up to Gearbbethytta which is one of several hundred (or maybe thousand) hytta that can be found in Norway. I suppose we might call them refuges or bothys. Usually they have to be booked and paid for although some are free to be used by any passer by who needs shelter.

The van was left at our parking spot and we cycled up to the road. Crossing the road we were immediately on a track up into the valley. A couple of motorhomes were parked here, having chosen not to brave the lumpy bumpy track down to the lake’s edge.

We continued up the track which had a couple of steep spots but nothing too difficult to start with. As we approached a small gorge the track turned from a reasonably smooth dirt road to being constructed of massive lumps of rock. We persevered but had to push over most of it.

Out of the gorge the track narrowed and became a path. The bikes were left where the path divided and we walked the rest of the way to the hut through bog and brush.

Large patches of wild raspberries were very recognisable amongst the undergrowth. The pink berries stood our amongst the greenery. We hadn’t come with anything for collecting berries so we decided we would drink our water and use the empty bottles for harvesting berries. We ended up with two litres of small but very sweet raspberries. Also, a lot lower to the ground, I found what I thought were redcurrants, but turned out to be stone bramble. They were delicious but a lot less prolific.

At the hut we stopped and sat next to the firepit and looked across the calm waters of the lake. The hut was well provisioned with tables and chairs, a fire pit and a small boathouse. We didn’t realise that the hut was occupied until a woman stepped out a few minutes later. It was a good job we hadn’t gone for a peek inside.

The ride downhill was a lot faster than our uphill struggle. The rocky section was just about manageable although it rattled my teeth and flapped my bingo wings. We stopped to make way for a quad bike which was being driven up through the rocky section. I cant imagine that was any easier on the body than cycling, certainly the passenger was looking a bit uncomfortable.

Røykfossen

I persuaded Paul that we should drive back to the E6 along the other side of Kvænangen fjord making almost a full circuit of the fjord. There were a couple of waterfalls along this route that we could take a look at. They weren’t too far from the road so we should be able to manage the short walk on top of our bike ride. I put the car parking into google maps and we set off.

The drive back up to the road from our parking was as unpleasant as we expected, there were plenty of rattling noises from the back as we rolled slowly over the ruts. We were relieved when we were finally back on asphalt even if it wasn’t the smoothest of surfaces. What we hadn’t counted on was that tarmac ended after a few kms. We were then on dirt road for most of the rest of the way around the fjord. Our pace slowed as we tried to avoid stirring up too much dust or pinging too many gravel chips on a road that took us alongside the water or high above it.

We then found that the parking I’d chosen was roped off. We’d passed some parking about 2kms earlier but Paul wasn’t keen on turning around. In the end he decided to stay in the van, pulled over in a passing space, and I jogged off to find the waterfalls.

I drew a bit of a blank with Navitfossen. I could almost make out this waterfall from the road. I could definitely see the old log flume that took timber down to a lakeside sawmill. But I couldn’t see how to get a proper view so instead I ventured uphill.

Old sawmill by the fjord

Røykfossen was the spectacle I’d been expecting. I didn’t want to keep Paul waiting too long so I jogged about one km up the trail to find a good vantage point. The waterfall drops into a narrow valley which creates a lot of spray and mist. Røyk means smoke in Norwegian and it’s very obvious how the name came to be. I wished Paul was with me, but as he was waiting in the van I took a few photos and videos to show him and then ran back downhill.

Røykfossen

We continued around the dirt track back to the E6 grateful to finally get back to a decent road.