Photo: Birgitdre

Helgeland coast

The Helgeland Coast Offers Great Experiences

The Helgeland coast offers an adventurous landscape and great nature experiences. With the goal of being the world’s cleanest coast, the Helgeland coast is a unique destination – whether you want to paddle calmly between islets and skerries in a kayak, experience coastal fishing from a traditional fishing boat, go on a RIB safari and view the wildlife, or climb a peak and enjoy the view.

Cultural History in Helgeland

The Helgeland coast has a long and rich cultural history. The area has been populated for 11,000 years, and was home to Viking chieftains and poets. Traditionally, agriculture and fishing have been the most important livelihoods for the people along the Helgeland coast, and that is still the case today. Human activity in Helgeland – and history – has also taken other directions. Hydropower, industry and mining, and the use of natural resources, have been ongoing since the Stone Age.

It is from this activity that Korgfjellet Fjellstue has its origin. The mountain lodge was built in 1958 for construction workers who had participated in the development of the dam facility for the Nedre Røssåga power plant in Korgen.

The Røssåga River meanders through large parts of the municipality and is one of Norway’s most hydropower-rich rivers, while also being a salmon river. The river originates in Norway’s second largest lake, Røssvatnet, and flows north through a relatively wide valley before it flows into the Sørfjord after approx. 50 km, an arm of the Ranfjord at the village of Bjerka.

In the early 1950s, Røssåga was developed with the Nedre Røssåga power plant (completed in 1955) and later also the Øvre Røssåga power plant (completed in 1962) to provide electricity to power-intensive industry in the region, such as Norsk Jernverk in Mo i Rana and the aluminum plant in Mosjøen, as well as for electrification of the Nordland Line and general electricity supply to 19 municipalities in Midt-Helgeland.

In Vesterli, at the foot of Korgfjellet, lies one of Statkraft’s central offices in the Nord-Norge region. Statkraft recently expanded and rehabilitated the Nedre Røssåga hydropower plant for over two billion kroner. The development involved no new regulations and mainly consists of new tunnel and mountain facilities inside Korgfjellet, which is barely visible in the terrain. The project was completed in 2016.

The nature along the Helgeland coast has been a source of more than just business – it has also provided inspiration for the poetry of the poet priest Petter Dass. The museum in his name is Nordland county’s millennium site, and offers exciting exhibitions all year round. Location: Sandnessjøen.

Along the Helgeland coast you will also find a number of war memorials and war cemeteries from the occupation years. The area was home to a large number of prisoners of war, mainly from Yugoslavia, who were ordered to build railways and roads in the area.

World Heritage on the Helgeland Coast

In Sør-Helgeland, a few hours’ drive and a ferry ride from Korgfjellet Fjellstue, you will find the Vegaøene World Heritage Area.

The Vega Islands were inscribed on UNESCO’s list of world natural and cultural heritage in 2004. With this, the Vega Islands became the first Norwegian cultural landscape to achieve such status. The reason for placing the Vega Islands on the prestigious list was given as follows: “The Vega Islands show how generations of fishermen and farmers over the past 1,500 years have maintained a sustainable way of life in a harsh area near the Arctic Circle, based on the now unique tradition of eider farming. The status is also a tribute to women’s contribution to the down process.”

The buildings and cultural landscape on the islands tell a rich story about the life and work of the fishing farming family through centuries. An important part of the world heritage is the story of the eider duck – a story that is still upheld through animal husbandry, so that the bird keepers can collect the soft down from the bird and make some of the world’s most exclusive duvets.

A visit to the Vega Islands is well worth your time!

Experience the Hegeland Coast from the Car

The Helgeland coast is a suitable destination for those who like to go on a driving holiday. The national tourist road winds 650 kilometers through a fantastic landscape. Along the road you will find a number of sights and tourist destinations, such as the triangle churches, the Petter Dass Museum, the Seven Sisters, Torghatten, Dønnamannen, Rødøyløva and Vega. Hurtigruten has several calls along the Helgeland coast, so if you want to see parts of the fantastic coast from the sea, you have the opportunity to do so.

Korgfjellet Fjellstue is a good place to stop for those of you who are on a driving holiday. With a short distance to the coast and a view towards Okstindan, the mountain lodge is a natural starting point if you want to take a summit trip, hike on the Okstindbreen glacier or visit Rabothytta to Den Norske Turistforening. Korgfjellet Fjellstue also has parking spaces for motorhomes.