Melfjordbotn without the dead end: my failure and an idea that could work:

I just completed the Atlantic coast route north-south from Bodø to Trondheim. This route passes closely by the reportedly beautiful Melfjordbotn, but Mo-i-Rana on the E6 is difficult to incorporate into the coastal trip.

Having spotted a passenger boat line from the ferry harbour Kilbogshamn to Melfjordbotn on the map, I saw a great opportunity to take this boat, cycle from Melfjordbotn to Mo-i-Rana and from there back to the coastal road (Nesna). And indeed, the official booking website sold me a ticket with bicycle reservation for a specific departure on a specific Sunday in July. So there I was at the harbour of Kilbogshavn with my pdf ticket with QR code, 30 minutes early as advised, but no boat ever came. After an hour, a ferry employee found out that this line only operates in winter when the road to Melfjordbotn is closed. The ticket delivery by the website is simply a bug. Upon complaint I got my fare refunded the next day without any message of apology.

So, don’t fall into this trap! The website has still not been fixed and will happily sell you a ticket for a ghost boat.

However, there is an alternative that can work if planned well in advance:

The landlady of the Polarcamp camping (https://polarcamp.no/) has a relative/friend who operates boat trips. He offered to take me to Melfjordbotn for 2000 Kr (as of summer 2025), 1 hour single trip. Unfortunately, he was busy on the day I would have needed it, and I didn’t want to hang around at the camp for yet another day. But with advance booking this would work, and if you are several people, the price gets divided. I would have paid it for a custom-tailored adventure.