I traveled to see the Bøla petroglyphs on the 8th of July 2023. The area the petroglyphs are located is actually called Stod in Steinkjer municipality, and Bøla is a small river that runs next to the petroglyphs and into the lake Snåsavatnet.

The site is also often referred to as Bølarein, or Bølareinen, because the first figure found at the site in 1849 was a petroglyph of a reindeer. Later, even as recent at the 2000s, there have been found more petroglyphs in the area. The site is usually dated to have been carved ca. 4000-3000 BCE during the Nordic Stone Age (10,000 BCE – 1800 BCE).

This is the “Bølareinen” figure that the site is famous for. Bølareinen is one of the most well-known petroglyphs in Norway, and is also one of the most anatomically correct drawn petroglyph in the country. Both male and female reindeers grow antlers, and Bølereinen is by many thought to depict a female reindeer (simle).

Right next to the reindeer figure is a small waterfall of the Bøla river:

And right next to the waterfall is another petroglyph:

It’s difficult to see in the pictures, and it was also hard to see when I was there. But there is a feint outline of what looks like a bear carved into the rock:

A bit further away from the river are more petroglyphs:

The leg and ski/snowshoe of the human figure is still clearly visible, but it is difficult to make out the rest of the person and the overlapping animal/bear figures.

Another sign indicates the location of what it describes as a carving of a long-necked aquatic bird:

While there are many markings in the rock at the indicated location, I wasn’t able to find the figure from the sign:

The sign describes the figure as a long-necked aquatic bird, but the figure is more abstract than the others in the area and could represent something different.

Another view of the location of the bird petroglyph.

Snåsavatnet is a short walk away from the Bøla rock art: