Cycling in Finnmark

– The Finnmark Plateau is open and vast, and offers fantastic terrain for passionate mountain bikers, explains Trygve Nygård of Glød Explorer in Alta.

The choice of routes in Alta is broad and varied, ranging from family-friendly tours to intricate and demanding routes for more experienced riders. You can either ride on your own or as part of an organized tour for a few hours, the whole day or a few days.

– Some of our guests stay in Alta and do day tours, others join a longer road trip on the plateau. I can’t promise neither sun nor hot summer days, but you’ll come back a changed mountain biker – that is a guarantee!

With Fly and Bike, your bike is waiting for you when you land so your trip can start straight away.

Need more cycling tips? Read more about Fly and Bike and cycling experiences in Norway

– A tour and a half!

Trygve Nygård stresses that the tours are not just for hard core bike enthusiasts.

– For an active family, I would recommend joining us on the plateau and cycling down to Altadalen. Along the way you'll enjoy the gorgeous view across the fjord and a splendid bonfire lunch. The final part of the route follows the old postal road from Karasjok and is very enjoyable. It’s a tour and a half! Or do it at night and cycle straight into the midnight sun, says Nygård.

You can even combine cycling with other activities in Alta. How about a midsummer skiing trip?

Out on the plateau

Road trips on the plateau with overnight stops are suitable for those who enjoy mountain biking or who like keeping fit by cross-country skiing, running or other forms of fitness exercise. The cycling itself isn’t necessarily that demanding, but you’ll have to expect to get tired – and enduring it.

– We need to reach our overnight stops, and you’re on the Finnmark Plateau, which implies that you’re on a bit of an expedition! But once we reach our stops – either a campsite in the wilderness or a cabin – there will be good food, a sauna and a bed waiting for you. It’s a carefree life on the Finnmark Plateau, and you risk getting hooked. You’ll want to come back! says the passionate tour guide.

Year-round cycling

The fatbike has turned Alta into a year-round destination for off-road cycling. Fat bikes are normal bikes with unbelievably thick tires – hence the name. The huge tires allow you to cycle in snow during winter, and in Alta you can choose from either ski trails prepared for dog sled racing or separate cross-country trails for fat bikes.

– Fat bikes open up fantastic opportunities for cycling in winter. You can experience nature in a different way in the evenings, especially when the Northern Lights are dancing across the sky, Nygård enthuses.

Fly and Bike gives you the opportunity to experience some of Norway’s most impressive walking and nature areas that are also suitable for cycling holidays.