Saltfjellet

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Saltfjellet
Range
Summer at Saltfjellet
Country	Norway
County	Nordland

Highest point	Ølfjellet
- elevation	1,751 m (5,745 ft)

Coordinates: 66°39′N 15°9′E / 66.65, 15.15

Melfjord in Rødøy in the distance; Saltfjell goes all the way to the coast, and has proven to be a barrier for flora and fauna, including Norway spruce and the Viper.

Saltfjellet (lit. The Salt Mountain) is a mountain area in Nordland, Norway that separates the two regions of Helgeland and Salten. This is one of the largest mountain ranges in Norway, and is also where the Arctic Circle cuts through the country. This range is part of seven municipalities: The northern part is part of Saltdal, Bodø, Beiarn and Gildeskål, the western part is in Meløy and Rødøy while the southern part is in Rana.

The highest mountain is Ølfjellet 1,751 m above sea level. The mountains stretch from the coast to the Swedish border. The glacier Svartisen is actually two glaciers, separated by the Glomdalen valley with the Glomåga river. Western Svartisen is the second largest glacier on the Norwegian mainland, and is part of the national park Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park. A total of 2,587 sq km of the area is protected. Several long valleys radiate from the mountains, such as Dunderlandsdal and Blakkådalen going south from the mountains, and Saltdal and Beiardalen going northwards. The eastern part of the range forms a plateau with some gently sloping mountains, and this is where the road and railway crosses over Saltfjell. Both road and railway take advantage of the Dunderlandsdal and the Saltdal valley to make the distance on the alpine tundra, which often sees snowstorms in winter, as short as possible. The western part is more alpine and steep, and this is where the engabreen glacier tongue of Western Svartisen almost reaches down to the fjord.

Cabins on Saltfjellet at Bjellåvasstua, 720 m above sea level.

[edit] Transport

There are two main transport routes over the mountains, the highway European route E6 and the railway line Nordlandsbanen. E6 was opened in 1937 and was asphalted in 1972. Until 1968 the road was closed in the winter. The railway line was built over the mountain during World War II and opened in 1947.