Five reasons to Fall for Autumn in Helgeland

Are you one of those ready to embrace the colours and cosiness of autumn—or are you mourning the end of summer? Here are five good reasons why autumn might actually be the best time to experience Helgeland.

Crystal-clear water and great fishing

September and October are prime months for fishing. The air is still mild, the sun warm without being intense, and the days are long enough for you to stay out for as long as you like. And best of all—this is when the fishing is really good! It’s the time of year when locals often head out to fill their freezers with fresh pollock and cod before the cold and dark of winter sets in. After a summer of feeding, both fish and shellfish are fat and flavourful, and as autumn progresses, cod becomes firmer and better by the day—perfect for big, beautiful fillets.

As the temperature drops slightly, the water becomes even clearer. The crisp air also makes it ideal for those longer kayaking trips you might have been dreaming of—without overheating in your drysuit. It’s a wonderful time to paddle from island to island, islet to islet, stroke by stroke. Maybe even trolling for pollock along the way?

And don’t forget the diving! When the water is so clear it almost gives you vertigo, you can spot flatfish and scallops from a distance. Whether you’re diving with snorkel or tank, using a spear, a net, or a camera—autumn is a fantastic time to explore the underwater world.

Fresh Air and Autumn Colours

The flies are gone. The mosquitoes are gone. The sticky sweat from climbing hills in 22-degree sunshine—also gone. No wonder many say this is the best time to head for the hills. When the morning sun rises over a landscape ablaze with red heather and golden birch, it’s like your senses shift into a higher gear.

It’s the perfect time to sit outside a cabin, a cosy mountain farm, or by a peaceful tent site, watching the sunrise with coffee in hand—or to light a campfire and enjoy autumn’s soft sunsets with something cold in your glass. And in between? Hiking trails, mushroom forests, and lake after lake just waiting to be explored. Lace up your boots, pack a kettle, fishing rod, and mushroom basket, and head for the hills!

The best time to chase the northern lights

This may just be the finest time of year to see the northern lights. The season kicks off in earnest around mid-September, when the nights grow dark enough to reveal a sky full of stars before midnight. That gives you the whole day to explore the forests and mountains, fish, or build a fire—before the aurora becomes the grand finale.

The northern lights don’t follow anyone’s rules. They come and go as they please. But we’re lucky in Helgeland to have plenty of places with little light pollution—making it easy to find the perfect “stage” when the show begins. You can head out to the coast, with the ocean and sky as your backdrop. Or climb into the national parks or high mountain areas, where jagged peaks frame the green night sky in dramatic style.

Autumn Food and Cosy Moments

Ask any chef in Helgeland—they’ll tell you this is the tastiest time of year. The forests are bursting with mushrooms and berries, apples and plums hang ripe from the trees, and vegetables are freshly pulled from the soil. This is when kitchens fill with game meat and autumn lamb, and the season’s new ingredients spark creativity and new flavours across the region.

And when the weather turns wild, few things beat a cosy corner in a café with something warm in your cup. Whether it’s coffee and music in an old wooden house, warmth in a boathouse café by the water, a brewery bar next to the source of the ingredients, or a few steps from a wood-fired pizza oven—let the wind howl. You’re already in the perfect place.

Room to explore—with the kids

If you’ve got kids in need of fresh air and action, you know holidays can sometimes be a handful. Thankfully, autumn means fewer crowds—and that means more space, better overview, and shorter waits. Fewer tantrums. Less frantic running around looking for your kid.

Let them burn off energy in the Høyt & Lavt climbing park at Krokstrand Fjellpark, raft downriver with RiverNorth, or fly through the air on the Mosjøen Zipline. They can learn and play at Vitensenter Nordland or head underground as little explorers in Helgeland’s caves. And Mosjøen, Sandnessjøen, and Mo i Rana all have great indoor swimming pools with slides and kid-friendly pools.

When it’s time to wind down, Nordland Theatre and Helgeland Museum’s many exhibitions offer plenty of enriching experiences. Check out the natural history exhibit at Rana Museum, learn about forestry and boatbuilding in Bindal, visit an old general store in Leirfjord—and much more.

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