Jotunheimen Nasjonalpark Things to Do

Another form of Giants found within the Park are glaciers. These are another major attraction of Jotunheimen, whether you climb among them or simply observe them. In this landscape, it is easy to imagine the Ice Ages of the past. Glaciers can either be highways to other destinations or barriers to forward progress - depending upon your experience.

As with the other geographical features within the Park, the lakes found in the Jotunheimen are giant, as well. Gjende, Bygdin and Russvatnet extend far into the landscape in fingerlike, fjord manner. Gjende, with its boat service, represents a main highway into the wilderness beyond.

The ridge between Gjende and Bessvatnet is called the Besseggen. Over this ridge, the trail from Gjendesheim to Memurubu winds. Besseggen was immortalized by Henrik Ibsen who described Peer Gynt's ride on the back of a wild reindeer over the Besseggen - and his subsequent fall into the waters of the Gjende far below - musical background provided by Edvard Grieg.

The website below provides a blow-by-blow for the trail.

Below the ridge of the Besseggen, you scamper across the Bandet, a small ridge serving as an isthmus between the waters of the Bessvatnet - lying to the north only a few meters below - and Lake Gjende - over 400 meters straight down to the south!

Crossing Jotunheimen by Sognefjellet is full of thrilling moments. First, the road goes up along the beautiful emerald Lusterfjord and, if you are lucky enough to be the passenger sitting on the right, you can enjoy the marvellous scenery to your heart's content. The driver does not see that much, having to mind the winding road to make sure you don't roll down the steep mountainside. There is nowhere to stop to take a picture and when we finally do stop at what looks like the top of the climb ( wishful thinking!) with some benches, the trees obscure the fiord completely. Here we part with the fiord and on we go, still up and up and round and round, quite a challenge to the driver who must be very careful and watch out for traffic coming up round every bend. Fortunately, we meet very few cars, all of them, like ourselves, going very very slowly. The road, built in 1939 by unemployed youth, is one of the highest roads in Scandinavia, reaching 1434 m a.s.l. The area becomes mountainous, wild and rugged, no more trees, just grass and all kinds of moss. You can see glaciers in the distance and lovely turquoise lakes in the valleys. You may meet some tourists marching or ...trudging up the road and you are thankful to be able to let the engine make the effort for you. The sun here is hot and you can see them sweating. Now you travel up and down the steep roads, negotiating mountain after mountain, there seemingly being no end to them. We stop at the top of one to take some pictures and inhale the brisk mountain air. Again there are some benches and the view is simply stunning - here is nature as it should be without any interference from man, wild and unspeakably beautiful.

1 more image

Having crossed Jotunheimen by Sognefjellet or road 55, we expected similar impressions crossing it again from Randen to Fagernes this time. If we had done it in the opposite order, we would have enjoyed the latter much more. But, spoilt by our journey a few days before, we couldn't give this part of Jotunheimen its due. The most interesting point of this journey was a Sami stall selling reindeer skins and all kinds of tawdry souvenirs, and all in the middle of nowhere. Interestingly enough, the man had on offer two beautiful pearly blue seashells of the same kind that my New Zealand friends had brought me as a present from their country. I wonder where he had got them from. Near the stalls there was an enclosure with two reindeer grazing, and watching them made our day. Only the thought that their skins could soon be for sale there spoilt it a bit. When we got down to Fagernes, the Skansen Museum there was just about to close, although it was only 3 pm. So we saw very little of the life on a traditional Norwegian farm, no special demonstrations or folk dances as the guidebook promised, just an exhibition of traditional Norwegian dress, and, tempted by a discount, I bought a nice sleeveless jacket in traditional Norwegian patterns, which I like very much and wear a lot.

There is a private hut - there was an older hut here which burnt down in '98 - at Memurubu, about halfway between the west end of Lake Gjende - Gjendebu - and the east end - Gjendesheim. The hut is on the north side of the lake at the end of the Memurudalen. Boat service connects Memurubu with either end of the lake and accommodations and food can be obtained from the hut. Many people take the boat from Gjendesheim and walk back, high above the lake on the north side over the Besseggen. Huge mountains frame the south side of the lake.

Roads on the east side of the Park end here at the large DNT hut. Trails and boats lead forth. There is a long history of touristic activity here dating back to the first DNT hut in 1878. One of the main hiking tours within the Park sallies onwards, leading in 5-6 hours over the airy Besseggen arete over to the hut at Memurubu.