Discover Skibotn

Skibotn combines a long market history with marked trails and opportunities to experience nature nearby. The historic market is documented in written sources as early as 1571 and is considered one of the oldest and most important markets in Northern Norway. If you’d like to combine culture and outdoor activities on your holiday, you’ll find a range of ideas here to help plan your trip.

Trade history at Skibotn Markedsplass

Skibotn Markedsplass is the Nord-Troms Museum’s most important historic site in the municipality of Storfjord. The site has two original trading houses that have been preserved and two reconstructed trading houses. There is also a reconstructed blacksmith’s workshop and a reconstructed klopfbrunnen building. Together, the different buildings give the historic market site a tangible form: preserved houses stand alongside reconstructions that show other elements of the trading post.

The buildings house an exhibition about the market’s history. Images, texts, historical objects and audio recordings offer different ways to explore the subject. This is particularly interesting when choosing a destination if you’re interested in regional trade history as well as scenery and outdoor activities. Skibotn Markedsplass is just off the E6, about 3 kilometres north of the E6 and E8 junction.

Another cultural landmark is Lásságámmi, a hexagonal, traditional gamme-style home a few hundred metres from the centre of Skibotn. It houses numerous works by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää; his own paintings also hang on the walls. The market’s history and a single home featuring an artist’s works are both among the cultural themes that shape Skibotn.

Trails, waterfalls and nature nearby

The Skibotn trail route is a loop along a marked path, passing a gorge and a waterfall near Hengen. The route includes four trim caches: Hengen, Sledo, Svarteberget and Várdovárri. There is also a summit hike cache on Ádjit. These stops give the route several named points of interest; the path combines a loop format with marked destinations.

The nearby Lulledalen area also offers natural and cultural points of interest. Its woodland is home to 16 different orchid species, including the lady’s slipper orchid. The nearby Lulledalen forest trail has information boards about local flora and fauna. There are also cultural heritage sites along the trail, pointing to human activity in the past. When planning your trip, you can therefore make both wildlife watching and traces of the past a focus of your visit.

Activities for different kinds of trip

Skibotn is the core area of Storfjord’s mountain biking trail network. Together with the marked Skibotn trail route, this makes it a good choice for a stay where you’d like to set aside time for trails and outdoor activity. Deciding which of these activities you’d like to focus on can help guide your choice of holiday apartment in Skibotn.

Activenorth offers guided dog-sledding trips in Skibotn, with participants riding in pairs. A trip lasts 1.5 hours and includes a break along the way, when you can take photos and switch drivers. A guide, a hot meal and insulated clothing are included; a vegetarian meal is available by pre-order.

Activenorth also offers a dog-sledding trip powered by a bike. It lasts about 60 minutes and includes stops along the way to take photos and spend time with the dogs. The dog-sledding trip and the bike-powered option differ in both duration and the stops described.

Skibotn as a base for your stay

Your choice of holiday apartment in Skibotn can also depend on how you’d like to spend your stay. Skibotn is a useful destination to search for if you’d like to explore these points of interest during your stay.

More pages at the same destination level: Storfjord, Oteren.

Go to the higher-level travel overview: Storfjord.