The beautiful villages of the Ottadalen Valley

"It seems a pity to burn such beautiful villages", said Olav the Holy on his crusades a thousand years ago. It turned out all right. The residents of Ottadalen  were converted and the villages spared. Vågå, Lom and Skjåk are the three municipalities in the Ottadalen Valley, and there are approximately 10,000 inhabitants here.

You will be captivated by the beautiful and wild landscape that opens out towards Western Norway and which has always formed an important route between East and West. Drive for example the scenic Sognefjell Road (rv. 55), which is the highest mountain pass in Northern Europe and one of Norway’s national tourist routes.

Skjåk

Skjåk has many signposted walking paths and nature trails, for example the trail around Lake Aursjøen and the paths in the Botn area around Dønfoss. Other popular walks are Skridulaupen (a hilltop north of Grotli) and the area around Sota Sæter.

Vågå

Vågå is the first village in the Ottadalen Valley. It has a pleasant village centre, where you will find its main tourist attraction; Vågå Church. 

Jutulheimen Village Museum is within walking distance of the village centre and is the starting point for many fine walks. Close to the centre is Blåhø, a fantastic view point. From here, on a clear day, you can see the Jotunheimen, Rondane and Dovre mountains.

The Besseggen Ridge, perhaps Norway’s best known mountain hike, is situated in the Vågå district, more precisely by Lake Gjende.

Lom

In the middle of Ottadalen, you find the mountain village of Lom. Lom is also a municipality where you will fin Norway’s highest peaks, and over half of the Jotunheimen National Park. 

The municipality centre, Fossbergom, is a modern small town. Most of its inhabitants work within tourism, commerce and the service sector. The area also contains many excellent craftsmen who offer products based on local traditions.

Jotunheimen

Jøtunheimen was the name given to this mountain area by the Norwegian author Aasmund Olavsson Vinje in 1862, under the inspiration of the wild landscape and Norse mythology. The Jotuns — trolls — have their home here. Jøtunheimen later became Jotunheimen, which is the name still used for this magnificent mountain area. 

High peaks

Jotunheimen, which lies on the border between the counties of Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane, is a largely undisturbed mountain area full of majestic mountains and glaciers.

Its hard, durable rocks were formed under vast pressure deep within the earth’s crust and later pushed up to the surface. Jotunheimen contains Norway’s highest mountains: Galdhøpiggen (2,469 metres above sea level) and Glittertind (2,464 metres above sea level).

Altitude record for Norwegian plants

Jotunheimen holds the altitude record for a large number of Norway's mountain flora. The beautiful glacier crowfoot is the highest growing flowering plant, thriving at 2,370 metres on Glittertind, only 100 metres below the summit. Purple saxifrage and rose-root also grow as high as 2,300 metres above sea level.