From today (4.01.2012) you can book cabins Online  for the season 2012. You find the right prices in the booking module where you choose your cabin and dates.

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www.norgesguidene.no or Turtagrø Hotel www.turtagro.no
Tel. +47 57 68 08 00
Utladalen – the valley of waterfalls
The western gateway to Jotunheimen. The Utladalen valley extends from the Sognefjord into the heart of the Jotunheimen Mountains and is a superb starting point for walks and hikes. It is also a perfect area for short walks. You will find the Utladalen Naturhus information and exhibition centre (open 20.06-20.08) at the departure point at Hjelle.
Utladalen is one of the deepest valleys in Northern Europe, and the valley has had the status of a National Landscape Preservation Area since 1980. The main valley is 40 km long. Some 50 peaks of over 2.000 metres surround it. Converging on the main valley is some 20 hanging valleys This 40 km long ravine boasts bridges spanning deep gorges, huge ravines, steep mountainsides and numerous waterfalls. Along the valley you can explore three large falls – first Hjellefossen, then Avdalsfossen and finally the giant Vettisfossen – the waterfall with the highest free-fall in Northern Europe (275 m).
Aurlandsdalen – Aurlandsdalen Valley
The well-known and historic Aurlandsdalen Valley was once one of the main routes between the eastern and western parts of Norway. The area, known as Norway’s Grand Canyon, is wild and breathtaking in its beauty, rich in plant and animal life, cultural treasures, history and geological features. A trip through the Aurlandsdalen valley is something you’ll never forget! Famous routes are: Geitarygghytta – Steinbergdalen (3 hours), Steinbergdalen – Østerbø (4 hours), Østerbø – Vassbygdi (6 hours). You can hike through the valley and stay at tourist cabins along the way, or come by bus or car for shorter trips. Guided hikes: contact Aurland and Lærdal Tourist Board info@alr.no This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Lærdal – Historic Route
The many historic trails in Lærdal are splendid hiking trails and national tourist attractions in their own right. In beautiful surroundings around the Borgund Stave Church (1180) you’ll find famous trails such as Sverrestigen, Vindhellavegen, Seltåsen and Galdanevegen. Routes steeped in history and once walked upon by Viking Kings! Guided hikes: Lærdal Guiding sognebia@frisurf.no This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The Jostedalsbreen glacier
The national park consists of Jostedalsbreen, the largest glacier on the European mainland, and its surrounding area. The Jostedalsbreen National Park is distinctive for the contrasts it offers over short distances. It varies from lush valleys to bleak mountain and glacier areas. Hiking from the peaks down into the valleys is like walking from one season to another. The trip up to the Flatbreen cabin in Fjærland, 1.000 metres above sea level, is an once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Both the Nigardsbreen glacier at Jostedal and the Flatbreen glacier at Fjærland offer glacier hikes. Ice troll at Jostedal offers mountain guides and kayaking on local glacial lakes. For more information, contact Jostedalen Breførarlag, www.bfl.no the Tourist Information Office in Fjærland, www.fjaerland.org or Ice troll, www.icetroll.com
Breheimen
Breheimen is the mountain range between the two national parks. Fortun, Skjolden and Jostedal in Luster form excellent bases for hikes in this district. The area abounds in marked trails, and one classic hike takes you from Fåberg in the Jostedal valley to the Mørkridsdalen valley.
Sognefjellet
The road over Sognefjellet is the highest and most impressive mountain pass in northern Europe (altitude 1.430 m). Sognefjell has been an important route between eastern and western Norway for centuries. The road was awarded the status of a National Tourist Road for the spectacular and wild scenery it passes through. Several side roads leave the Sognefjell road and into the mountain districts of Jotunheimen and Breheimen. The Sognefjellet Summer Ski Centre is found in this district, offering cross-country skiing on prepared trails all summer.
www.skjolden.com/sommarski
Gaularfjellet
Gaularfjellet lies to the north of Balestrand. The Gaular watercourse runs on the north side of the mountains offering trout and salmon fishing. Remember to buy a fishing permit. On the south side of the mountain, the road passes through 9 hairpin bends on its way down to Balestrand. The Gaularfjellet Mountain is a magnificent experience both from the car window and in the open air. There are excellent fishing spots and easy hiking terrain, ideal for all the family.
From June to August there is a daily bus service on the stretch from Balestrand to Gaularfjellet, and on to Førde or Fjærland. The journey ends with a boat trip on the Fjærland fjord to Balestrand. For more information destination@sognefjord.no This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Stølsheimen and Vikafjellet
This mountain district is south of Vik. The mountains are varied and all of the old mountain pasture farms are characteristic for, and have given their name to, Stølsheimen. Several of these have been restored lately and are used for accommodation. In the east, Stølsheimen borders onto Vikafjellet. The road through the area, RV 13, provides an ideal base for hikes in both mountain districts. For more information destination@sognefjord.no This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
DNT – The Norwegian Mountain Touring Association
The Norwegian Mountain Touring Association has many marked trails and cabins in the mountains around the Sognefjord. More information can be found at www.turistforeningen.no.
For hints about great hikes, mountain guiding, river and lake fishing and to purchase fishing permits, contact the local Tourist Information Offices in the 8 municipalities by the Sognefjord:
AURLAND – FLÅM – LÆRDAL
www.alr.no
E-Mail: info@alr.no This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Aurland-Flåm-Lærdal is one of Norway’s most spectacular hiking areas. Many marked trails make it well suited for individual visitors and there are also a great number of guided hikes available with different degrees of difficulty. The season starts in June, but we specially recommend August and September for its beautiful autumn colours! Famous hiking areas are: The Aurlandsdalen Valley, the Flåm Valley and Lærdal’s Historic Route. Several companies offer guide hikes. Contact the tourist office for rates/hiking brochures.
Fjord View Hike (1 – 1.5 hours)
By private car or bus (for groups) from the centre of Aurland (10 km) or Lærdal (35 km) along Aurlandsvegen to Bjørgo farm. From the blue cabin follow marked trail to viewpoint with panorama view to the Aurlandsfjord and surrounding mountains. Between 800 – 900 metres above sea level. Roundtrip 1 – 1.5 hours
Roundtrip Bell-Volda (2.5 hours)
Start in the centre of Aurland and walk along Aurlandsvegen direction Lærdal to Bell farm. Easy marked path with great views of the Aurlandsfjord, downhill to the fjord. Return along the local car road next to the fjord. Most of the way you’ll see farmland. Roundtrip 2 – 2.5 hours.
Flåmsdalen
Take the train to Vatnahalsen or Myrdal and walk downhill along the old construction road known as Rallarvegen back to Flåm. The entire trip takes 4 – 5 hours. The Flåm Railway has 7 stops between Flåm and Myrdal. If you want a shorter walk, i.e. 2 – 2.5 hours, board the train at Berekvam Station.
Aurlandsdalen:
Geiteryggen – Steinbergdalen – Østerbø – Vassbygdi (3 + 4 + 6 hours)
Well-known trail through famous Aurlandsdalen Valley. A visit to the old cemetery and a quick detour to the Vetlehelvete cave are highly recommended. You may also like to visit the Sinjarheim farm, inhabited until 1921 and now restored.
Historic Route:
Borgund Stave Church – Sverrestigen – Vindhellavegen (2 – 4 hours)
Start at Borgund Stave Church, Lærdal Valley. The path winds on impressive hairpin bends through the mountain pass between Husum and Borgund Stave Church. Combine Vindhellavegen with Sverrestigen – the path King Sverre followed in 1177 – for a splendid round trip! Highest point: 480 m.
Historic Route: Galdane – Seltåsen (4 hours)
Tel. +47 57 66 30 10/35 62
www.ardal.no
E-Mail: aardalaa@online.no This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Årdal is the superb starting point for hikes in the Jotunheimen Mountains. Beautiful nature varying from fjord scenery to the breathtaking mountain scenery of more then 50 peaks over 2.000 m. high.
Årdal’s best-known attractions are Utladalen and the Folkevegen “common road”, Vettisfossen and Utladalen Naturhus. There are also two excellent heated swimming pools, and the outdoor swimming complex in Øvre Årdal has three pools, waterslides and admission free. In order to experience mountain scenery at its best the Tindevegen Mountain Road from Årdal to Turtagrø is a must. In summer, this road from Øvre Årdal to Turtagrø links Årdal to Norway’s first National Tourist Road – the Sognefjell Mountain Road. Another attraction is Indre Offerdal, an old fjord-side settlement packed with interesting history about Årdal.
Utladalen – Avdalen and Vetti Farm
Both the Avdalen and Vetti farms have magnificent settings. Avdalen is situated on the mountainside above the beautiful Avdalsfossen waterfall. Farming began here in the 16th century. The farm has now been restored and now offers meals and accommodation. The first positive information on Vetti Farm dates back to 1120.
Meals provided.
Recommended hikes
“Folkevegen” or the “Common Road” will take you through this dramatic landscape, along the river Utla. The building of Folkevegen was a gigantic project involving over 1.800 local volunteers! The project made it possible for everyone to explore this unique area. The Round trip takes 3 hours depending whether you want to walk up to Vetti Waterfall
Øvre Årdal: Old Tyin Road, Road 53 – Heirsnosi – Road 53
Private road to “The Thousand metres” viewpoint. Fantastic views of the Hurrungane Mountains and Øvre Årdal. Round trip approx. 6 hours.
Offerdalen: Åsete – Bordhaug – Nystølen – Åsete
Nice path through varied scenery. The round trip takes approx. 3 hours. Park at the first bend after the Ofredalstunnel.
　
LUSTER
There are a wide variety of marked and unmarked hikes, from easy family walks to more demanding ridge walks. On the internet you can find detailed descriptions of the 16 top ranked hikes, together with an introduction to hiking in the region: http://www.lustertourist.com/eng-friluftsliv.htm And if you would like to try an exciting adventure like hiking on the blue ice of the mighty Jostedalebreen Glacier, you have certainly come to the right place. The number one place to do this in Norway is Nigardsbreen in Jostedalen, where the glacier is easily accessible and the very best guides are ready to lead you onto the ice. From your car you are only a 10 minutes charming boat trip from the ice. Breheimsenteret, close to the glacier, can tell you everything you need to know about hiking, maps, routes and precautions to make your stay a unique experience. For the Jotunheimen adventures your starting point should be the Turtagrø Hotel, where Norwegian Mountaineering was born and raised. The peaks were irresistible for the early pioneers like the Englishman William Cecil Slingsby, named the main explorer and storyteller of the early years. From Turtagrø there are numerous options. Just to be there is breathtaking, and as you move closer to the peaks you will easily understand the magic that Slingsby felt and expressed in his writing. As you can understand. Luster has something for every nature-loving traveller. And despite high mountains and glaciers, there is nothing wrong with a slow walk along the shores of the Sognefjord on a warm summer night. For skiers Luster is a good place to be in winter. The mountains and slopes are certainly inviting, and there’s also the Sogn Ski Center with top conditions all winter, both for cross country and downhill action.
Sogndal’s proximity to the fjord, the mountains and glaciers offers excellent conditions for hikes during the summer and ski trips during the winter. There is a wide range of different trails, covering everything from glacier hikes at Fjærland to fishing trips in mountain lakes and forest hikes in the Kaupanger forest roads. The peaks rise to between 1.100-1.600 metres above sea level. There is about 20 marked trails throughout the municipality and the touring association, Sogndal Turlag. Tel: +47 57 67 14 38 regularly arranges trips that anyone is welcome to join. Sognefjorden vandring. Tel: +47 99 24 83 33 arranges guided walks.
The Tourist Information Offices in Sogndal sell route maps with text that describes the various routes and provides information about duration and levels of difficulty
One hike in Fjærland leads to the Flatbrehytta cabin, tel. +47 57 69 32 29, which is possibly the best and most spectacular of all the hikes. The Flatbrehytta cabin, at an altitude of 1.000 m. is a self-service cabin with 18 beds.
The cabin is only a stone’s throw from the edge of the Flatbre glacier, where there are guided glacier hikes from mid July to mid August. The hike to the cabin takes between 2 and 3 hours. Sogndal Turlag also has its own cabin in the Sogndal valley for hire. The cabin is situated with many possible marked alternative routes in the area.
Snow in the Sogndal valley remains until late spring, and the Hodlekve Ski Centre, tel. +47 57 67 99 66, provides an excellent base for ski trips for the whole family. The centre offers excellent conditions for alpine skiing and well-prepared trails for cross-country and long trips. There are also good skiing conditions at the Kaupanger forest and Haukåsen.
Tel. +47 57 69 16 17
This area offers 7 fjord arms, and high mountains and valleys separate them.
The peaks offer a great view, but the lush valleys also hold many fine qualities. If you want to see all the special places, hear their interesting stories and experience real adventure, please contact Destination Sognefjord to hire a local guide.
BALESTRAND: Art – Heritage – Nature
As well as the trails along the rivers and lakes of Gaular watercourse, this area offers
for example;
Saurdalen Valley
The valley is an easy accessible area, 20 minutes from the centre of Balestrand. Saurdalen offer many alternative routes in an easy terrain, no steep trails here. You can walk in the woods, in open terrain, hearing only the sounds of nature, birds, rivers and
waterfalls. You can walk to a viewpoint to look down at Balestrand and the fjord. Ski arena during the winter season.
Raudmelen -
Straight up from Balestrand town centre by the schools, you find the path. Gentle slope before climbing steeply to the top 972 metres above sea level. Outstanding view!
Nature trail
Guiding for cultural historical walks and mountain hikes: Tel.: +47 57 69 16 17
LEIKANGER: The orchard of the Sognefjord.
Eggum – Kleppa. Passing a beautiful summer farm, 3-4 hours. Good path in partly open woodland. Stokkesete is an abandoned summer farm. 3 hours.
Kleppa – Stokksete.
Gjerde – Fadnastøl
Guided rambles. Tel.: +47 57 65 40 14, www.henjatunet.no
VIK: The area of the Vikafjell Mountain and Stølsheimen mountain range can offer amongst other, these tours:
Storehaug – Storesvingen.
Hestavollen – Hola.
Bungane.
SOGNEFJORD ATTRACTIONS
Flåm Railway – Boat trips on the Nærøyfjord, Sognefjord and Fjærlandsfjord – Stave Churches at Urnes, Vik, Borgund, Kaupanger and Undredal – The Heiberg Collections – Sogn Folkmuseum – The Norwegian booktown, Fjærland – Old Lærdalsøyri – Artist’s Villa’s in Balestrand – Sognefjord Aquarium – Norwegian Wild Salmon Centre – Norwegian Glacier Museum – Breheimsenteret Jostedalen – Ofredal Mill – Aurlandsvegen Road – Gaularfjell Road – National Tourist Road Sognefjellet – Tindevegen – Fritjof the Courageous statue – Kristianhus boat engine Museum
Start by following the main road to Valsvik, taking the path north of the rock wall after the tunnel. Steep climb to an abandoned farm, great views. Slight ascent, easy terrain, old road. One direction: 3 hours. Crossing lightly undulating terrain along ridge with panoramic views. 4 hours.
SOGNDAL
. Steep path. Beautiful views towards the village and the fjord. . This one to two-hour ramble in an easy terrain allows you to enjoy beautiful scenery. Highly suitable for families. the top of Balestrand. (5 hours)
www.sogndal.kommune.no
The district of Luster lies at the top of Sognefjorden, between the Jotunheimen Mountains and the Jostedalsbreen Glacier. Some 5.000 people live in the district spread over 2.680 sq. km. The world’s longest fjord, Europe’s largest continental glacier, and Northern Europe’s most Alpine mountain region, are all found in Luster, together with fast flowing rivers, high waterfalls, year-long winters and warmth loving broadleaf forest. One can choose walks in Luster to suit all tastes. The landscape here is rich in contrasts, from fertile pastures with idyllic summer farmsteads to bleak moorland up by the glaciers. :
The road winds its way along the wild Lærdal River and passes the old Cotters Farm of Galdane. Start from Seltun Farm or Sjurhaugen. For a beautiful round-trip, walk Galdane from Seltun to Sjurhaugen, and return via Seltåsvegen path to Seltun. ÅRDAL

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Jostedal glacier valley
•　The glacier is a dangerous neighbour; it creates harsh living conditions for those who live closest to it. The glacier brings with it a cold climate with great amounts of snow each year. As one can easily imagine, the conditions for agriculture are not the most favourable in such an environment. Astonishingly though, the areas closest to the glacier have excellent conditions for growing grass as food for domestic animals. This is due to the fact that sediments from the glacier in forms of gravel and sand leave the earth more fertile than it would have been without these sediments. This is because sediments from the glacier contain minerals that benefit the fertility of the earth. In areas close to the glacier the earth will be more pristine because of the glacial activity, which means that the earth will be less contaminated by use of fertilizers and other chemicals used in modern agriculture.

Natural disasters in Jostedal
•　The flood in 1979 was the biggest flood in the history of Jostedal. In Myklemyr, the water rose about 5 meters in 16 hours. Because the valley is formed like a funnel, narrower the farther away from the glacier one travels, the effect of the flood was greatest in the narrower parts of the valley closest to the fjord. The flood destroyed most bridges in the valley, and the valley was isolated for several weeks. Groceries were transported into the valley by helicopter. Nobody was hurt during the flood, which is quite incredible considering the amount of water and the speed with which the flood swept through the valley.
•　The period around 1750 is called the “little ice age” in Jostedal. Suddenly, without any warning, the glacier started to surge violently forward. The Nigard glacier arm reached a point about 5 km from where it is today. In other word, the glacier has receded 5 km in around 250 years. Currently the glacier is on the move forwards again, the reason for this is rather obscure. One theory is hat climate changes around the globe contribute to excessive precipitation in the western part of Norway. More precipitation of course means more snow in the glacier areas, so that over time climate changes leads to growing glaciers in this part of the world.
•　Snow avalanches are quite common in Jostedal. Because these avalanches tend to follow the same tracks or routes from year to year, they carry little threat to people in the valley. Avalanches can, however, cause considerable damage if they hit the road going through the valley. Avalanches were a greater threat some 50-100 years ago when the population was bigger so that every possible piece of cultivated land had to be taken into use for feeding everybody.

The glacier as a transport mean
•　People in Jostedal have always used the glacier as a transport mean. Before the road to Gaupne was build in the 1890′s the easiest route in order to get commodities like grain and fish was to walk over the glacier to Nordfjord. When bad weather hit Jostedal the route over the glacier was the lifeline for people living in the valley.
•　Intermarriage between people from different sides of the glacier was quite common. Quite a lot of people in Jostedal have ancestors in the Nordfjord area. Even the dialect or accent spoken in Jostedal has more in common with the one in Nordfjord than with accents spoken by the Sognefjord. This is even today a characteristic feature of everyday life in Jostedal.

Bringing cattle over the glacier
•　Some 50-100 years people in Jostedal made a living of buying cattle in Nordfjord, bringing them over the glacier for grazing in the lush valleys along the glacier on the Jostedal side before taking them further towards the markets in Oslo or other places in central eastern Norway.
•　Cattle caravans over the glacier could contain as much as 200 cattle along with 10-15 horses. Each man in the caravan had to look after 6-7 animals. The caravans started around mid-summer when the ice was still solid enough to carry the animals. Later on in the summer the ice would melt too much to be suited for this kind of transport. The caravans started around 2 o’clock in the afternoon from the Nordfjord side so that one could use the lower temperatures during the night for better ice quality. Remember that summer nights in Norway are all bright; there is hardly any darkness to speak about this far north at that time of the year.
•　According to one story, a caravan reached one of the glacier arms in Jostedal too late in the summer for the ice to sustain the cows. The “cowboys” had no other options than to sled the cows on their back down the glacier arm because otherwise the cows would fall through the ice.

People visiting Jostedal
•　The pioneers visiting Jostedal in earlier times have given us valuable expressions of their encounter with the grand forces of nature.
•　The English geologist James Forbes visited Jostedal in 1815. He claimed: “This is the one Norwegian valley that is truly compatible with Switzerland”
•　The Norwegian bishop Neumann saw the Nigard glacier in 1823 and claimed: “Never have I with deeper and holier sentiments worshiped God and his creations. A mass of ice sheet amidst rolling waves magically reminds me of a frozen sea”.
•　The German geologist Leopold von Buch in 1806: “In Krondalen (a side valley to the main Jostedal valley), the glacier arms looked like a white carpet falling right out of the sky”.
•　Godfred Bohr was a Danish teacher who was one of the first human beings to climb Lodalskåpa, which is the highest mountain on the glacier plateau: “The whole nature was deserted and encompassed in deadly silence and quietness. The soul was penetrated by a sad feeling for the perishableness of material forms, but it is raised by an extraordinary feeling of nature’s grandness”.
•　William Cecil Slingsby was a British pioneer in climbing and mountain sport. Standing before the Austerdal glacier arm in Veitastrond he claimed: ” This is the finest ice scenery in Europe”.
•　Kristian Bing was a lawyer from Bergen who was a pioneer in mountain sport in Norway in the 18′Th century. Once he climbed the Bergseth glacier arm in Krundalen, which is very steep and inaccessible. The glacier arm raises about 100 meter straight up with a lot of crevasses and it is a dangerous adventure to climb it. Bing had got a local farmer, Anders Grov, to guide him to the top of the glacier. During the ascension Grov got terrified and fell down on his two feet begging Mr. Bing to turn back referring to his wife and five children. Mr. Bind was in no mood to turn back so he looked straight into Mr. Grov’s eyes and said: “Oh shut up, I got an old aunt too.” They reached the top.
•　Not everyone felt devoted to the forces of nature when seeing the glacier and its surroundings. The Danish scientist Gustav Blom said in 1823:” I travelled the valley from one end to the other, I climbed the glacier and looked attentively for anything that could reconcile me with this awful place, but of graciousness I found nothing, of majestic natural beauty something, but of horrors plenty

The Jostedal Ptarmigan
•　The Black Plague was a great disease in Europe in the Medieval Ages. It reached Bergen, a central trading city in Norway, with a ship around 1350. It spread quickly even to remote places. In Jostedal people tried to isolate themselves from the outside world by limiting communication by means of writing letters delivered at special designed places. But the strategy failed and according to an old story everybody eventually died from the disease. That is, everybody except a little girl. She survived along with wild animals until she was found about a year later by visiting farmers from the other side of the mountains. These farmers had seen cows from Jostedal gone astray and wondered about what was happening in the valley. There were also rumours in neighbouring valleys about everybody in Jostedal being wiped out by the disease. The visiting farmers captured the little girl as she tried to run away from them. All she was able to say was “Mother – little bird”. They named her the Jostedal Ptarmigan and brought her back to civilization. According to the story she is the original mother for everybody currently living in Jostedal.

The glacier
•　The Jostedal glacier is about 480 km2 big. It is the biggest glacier on the European main land. There is a glacier on Iceland, Vatnajøkull, which is considerably bigger. The glacier is as big as Andorra, the little country between France and Spain, or Barbados, the island in the Caribbean. The Isle Of Man, which of course belonged to Norway until 1266, is a little bigger, about 572 km2. It has 70.000 inhabitants. The Sheffield metropolitan area has an area of about 370km2 with a population of about half a million people.
•　The glacier is situated in the Luster municipality, which is almost as big as Rhode Island. Luster has almost 5000 inhabitants. In comparison, Rhode Island has about 1 million inhabitants. Luxembourg has an area of 2500 km2 and a population of 450 000. Greater London metropolitan area has an area of about 1700 km2 (60% of the area in Luster) and the area has a population of almost 6,7 million people.
•　The Jostedal glacier is 75 km (45 miles) long and up to 35 km (22 miles) wide. It has a depth of around 600 meter at it’s deepest. The Jostedal glacier has grown about 10 km2 in the last 5 years; this represents a growth rate of about 2% of the total glacial area.
•　The highest mountain on the glacier is Lodalskåpa, which reaches approximately 2000 meter above sea level.
•　The Swedish geologist Ahlmann has given a popular definition of a glacier: “A glacier is a mass of ice and snow which is situated inland and which is in constant movement.” A glacier is a contiguous system of snow and ice, which receives more snow in one part of the system than it gives away in other parts. The accumulation and melting of snow and ice takes place in different seasons during the year. As long as the amount melting in summer is less than the amount delivered by precipitation during the winter the glacier will accumulate ice and grow.
•　The glacier is in constant movement even if it looks as though it is lying still. The glacier is working as it moves, constantly releasing gravel, sand and rocks as it is sliding over the mountains underneath the glacier. When the glacier moves it is exposed to different forces. Some forces work in the length direction while other forces are pressing the glacier towards the underlying material. These opposing forces are creating crevasses and ice towers, especially at the mouth of the glacier arms.
•　There are different forms of glaciers: i) Plateau glacier of which the Jostedal glacier is one, ii) valley glaciers where the whole glacier is located in one valley, as in the Alps, iii) inland ice as in Antarctica.
•　From the main plateau several glacier arms as they are called in Norwegian are penetrating the valleys around the Jostedal glacier. These arms connect the plateau with the lower-lying valleys. The main plateau of the Jostedal glacier is wave-formed and is situated at about 1750 to 1950 meter above sea level. Most of the glacier arms are reaching down to about 250-300 meter above sea level, some of them even going down as far as 60 meter above sea level. The highest point on the glacier plateau is reaching 1957 meter, but this figure can vary from year to year. The height difference between the plateau and the surrounding glacier arms gives the landscape a quite spectacular touch.
•　There are some 50 glacier arms connecting the main glacier to its surrounding valleys, 11 of these come down in the valley of Jostedal, which has given its name to the glacier.
•　Every glacier has what is called an equilibrium line. All snow falling above this line contributes to the accumulation of the glacier while most of the snow falling below this line will melt away during the summer. The equilibrium line on Jostedal glacier is situated around 1550 meter. Since the highest point on the glacier is about 1950 meter there is a height difference of about 400 meter that is causing the glacier to accumulate ice over the years.
•　From the glacier arms huge amounts of melting water from the glacier are being transported to the fjord. Along with the water sediments like gravel, small rocks and sand is being delivered from the glacier to the rivers. These sediments are the results of the glacier movements on underlying material. The Jostedal river transports up to 100 000 tonnes of sediments each year, this corresponds to about 1000 big trucks transporting the same amount. As these sediments are reflecting the light in a different manner as are ordinary water molecules glacier rivers tend to look green.
•　Around 1750 the so-called “little ice age” occurred in Jostedal. This concentrated surge of ice is a special feature of the Jostedal glacier, nowhere else in the world has there been reports of a similar natural phenomenon at that time. The ice destroyed cultivated land and farms as it surged forward. The saying has it that it that one glacier arm in Jostedal destroyed nine farms, therefore this arm has been named the “nine farm glacier” or Nigardsbreen in Norwegian (“breen” is glacier). During the “little ice age” the Nigard glacier grew around 100 meter a year.
•　The Nigard glacier is currently growing with around 40-60 meter a year. This is also a special feature for the Jostedal glacier area; most other glaciers in the world are retreating while the glacier arms in the Jostedal area are surging forward.
•　The current surge shows that the glacial movements are cyclical. From the “little ice age” until today the Nigard glacier has retreated some 4-5 km. From the glacier museum in Jostedal one can see the end moraine from the surge forward during the “little ice age”. A moraine is a pile of rocks and sediments together with vegetation, which is being “bulldozed” by the glacier as it moves forward.
•　The Jostedal glacier is about 7-8000 years old. The last ice age culminated about 10.000 years ago. For a period of about 2000 years the plateau on which the glacier is currently situated was free of ice. For some unknown reason the ice started to accumulate again after this short ice-free spell. The Jostedal glacier is therefore no reminiscent of the last ice age.
•　The Jostedal glacier is a laboratory showing us the central landscape-shaping process on earth still in action. The glacier shows us nature in its pristine state, as it was in the origin of modern geological time. The youngest of geological periods, the Quaternary period, was characterized by great shifts in climate along with extensive glaciations. This process can still be seen alive today in areas like Jostedal.
•　During a normal year, some 12-15 meter of snow fall on the glacier plateau. This is the precipitation contributing to the accumulation of the glacier. It takes some time before this snow reaches the mouth of the different glacier arms. This time period, called the reaction period, will vary from one glacier arm to another depending on how steep the glacier arm is. The Nigard glacier has a reaction period of some 25 years while other steeper glacier arms in the same area has a reaction period of 5-10 year.
•　When the snow falls on the glacier plateau it is light and has low density, somewhere around 0,1 g/cm3 of ice. The density gives an impression of the amount of oxygen in ice molecules, the lower density the more oxygen. After a while the new snow is packed by the old ice molecules and the density increases to 0,3 g/cm3 of ice. Now starts a process whereby snow melts and freezes in intermediary sequences. During this process the newly arrived snow will be more packed while it slowly flows into the old ice on the plateau. As this process repeats itself constantly the newly arrived ice molecules reach even higher density. Molecules that have survived one summer are called firn. This is an intermediary state between snow and ice.
•　Ice molecules are constantly on the move. When they finally reach the mouth of the glacier arm they have been packed repeatedly under high pressure from the mass of ice above. Consequently, these ice molecules at the mouth of the glacier has a very high density and very little oxygen. This causes these molecules to look blue because the high density reflects the light in another way then ordinary snow molecules. This give a “blue” feeling of the ice at its mouth in contrast to ordinary snow in its vicinity. Dark ice molecules absorb more light than do molecules with lighter colours.
•　Valleys that are shaped by the glacier have been exposed to erosion. The erosion takes place when the glacier works on the underlying material and shapes the landscape. If one imagines oneself standing in front of a glacier valley looking into it the valley will have a typical U-shape. This is because the erosion has been strongest in the bottom of the valley. Typically one will find quite a number of hanging valleys in a glacier valley. These are valleys that end abruptly up in the mountainside causing spectacular cliffs to arise from the main valley up to these hanging valleys. These cliffs have quite often beautiful water falls leading down to the main valley.
•　In the length direction a glacial valley is shaped like a stairway where different steps are masses of sediments (gravel, rocks and sand) left behind by the river. In the Jostedal valley one can see such “islands” in the river all along the valley. The valley rises from sea level to around 300 meter above sea level at the Nigard glacier.
•　A valley in the surroundings of a glacier is often shaped by a river that transports melting water and sediments down to the sea. The river digs in a V-shaped form so that glacier valleys often have alternating sequences of U- and V-shapes, depending on where the influence of the glacier has been overtaken by the river.
•　The glacier has dug out all the fjords in the Sognefjord area. No other natural force can dig under water. When the glacier retreated seawater streamed into the lower lying valleys dug out by the glacier and the fjord was created. On the way towards the airport in Sogndal one can get an impression of the great mountainous plateau that existed some 50 million years ago before glaciations started to shape the landscape.
•　In late Quaternary period inland ice covered much of Europe. It started some 1,5 million years ago and culminated 10.000 years ago. At its peak, the inland ice covered an area from Great Britain in west, Germany in south all the way to Moscow. The Jostedal glacier is an ancestor of this great natural force.
•　The Jostedal glacier is a testimony of earlier changes in climate. Why do these changes occur, why do we have ice ages? There are different theories about this phenomenon. One theory states that irregularities in the earth’s movement around the sun, and similar irregularities in the earth movements around itself, cause changes in climate. When these irregularities coincide, great changes in the climate of the earth can occur.
•　The earth is mostly covered by water. Of all water on earth, only 2,5% is fresh water, the rest is salt water. Of all fresh water on earth, around 75% or three quarters appear in the form of ice. Glaciers are therefore one of the most important reservoirs of fresh water we have on earth today.
•　There are several stories of people falling into crevasses on the glacier. One of the most famous stories in Jostedal is about a scientist who fell into a crevasse some 35 years ago. He was saved after spending some 8 hours in the crevasse. In the accident he lost his camera and his wallet. In 1998 this wallet and camera was found be a glacier guide. After spending all these years in the ice, one should believe that they would be completely ripped apart. Astonishingly the items were all in perfect condition, as can be seen in the glacier museum where the items are on display. In the wallet you can still read his hotel bill from the week before he felled into the crevasse! It seems that the glacier is a perfect storing place.
•　The river in Jostedal has typically narrow passages that were created by melting water at the time the glacier was still lying there.

Jostedal in recent history
•　The Jostedal Glacier is today part of a national park. You can reach the Nigard Glacier from Jostedal. There is a road leading almost all up to the Nigard Glacier. Form the parking place a small boat is taking people the last part of the way toward the front of the Nigard Glacier. No other glacier arm is so accessible as the Nigard Glacier.
•　From the mid 1980′s a professional company of glacier guides are offering guided trips on the Nigard Glacier. These trips last about 1-2 hours. Participants tied together by ropes before entering the blue ice at the mouth of the Nigard Glacier. The trips offer excellent possibilities for experiencing the glacier. You will see crevasses and ice towers. Often the route is taken inside a crevasse to give a spectacular view of the ice from within the glacier. It should be mentioned that the guides all have the highest qualifications available in Norway. During all the years they have had guided tours not a single accident has happened.
•　The Jostedal valley is situated in the biggest reservoir of hydroelectric power in Norway. At Styggevatn, 1400 meter above sea level into the mountains, a dam has been built which supplies water for hydroelectric power production. The power plant is situated in Myklemyr at 100 meter above sea level. About 60 km of tunnels connect the dam with the power plant, and the height difference gives the water pressure enough to drive a turbine that produces the power at the plant.
•　The power plant in Myklemyr produces about 877 gWh of electric power during a year; this is enough to supply a city of around 50.000 inhabitants.
•　The road leading into Jostedal from Gaupne was originally built in 1890. Before that time there was no road between Jostedal and the fjord area.
•　Jostedal is a mirror of the welfare development in Norway after the Second World War. From being one of the poorest regions in Europe the valley can today provide living conditions not inferior to any region in Norway or elsewhere in Europe. Nowhere in Norway is the rapid economic and social development more noticeable than in remote valleys like Jostedal, these places are true monuments over a successful transition from a poor society mostly living from agriculture to a modern welfare state based upon industry and development of modern technology.

The national-romantic period
•　The southern side of the Luster Fiord (the distance from Skjolden to Urnes) played a vital historical role after the establishment of the national state in Norway in 1814. Norway became a separate national state in 1814 (though as an equal partner in a union with Sweden). In the Treaty of Kiel from 1814 Denmark lost its colony Norway because it has supported Napoleon in the war.
•　Contrary to other national states there was no national movement in Norway preceding the establishment of the national state. Consequently, the national identity that is supposed to bind the state together had to be formed in some way. In this context the development of the Norwegian art was of great significance, in particular painting.
•　Many of the most important artists from the period after 1814 found their motives in the Luster area. They were all representatives of the national movement in painting, and they sought to exhibit the “real” Norway and Norwegian in their art. Their perception of the real Norway was the dramatic and majestic nature of the Luster area. The artist were invited to the area by the proprietor of a gentry farm in Kroken on the southern shore of the Luster Fiord. His name was Gerhard Munthe and he was of an aristocratic family that originally came to Norway from Flandern in Belgium because of religious persecutions there.
•　It must be added that Norway had very little noblemen, gentry or aristocracy because the country was a colony but first and foremost because the country was very poor, too poor to sustain such a social superclass.

Gerhard Munthe
•　Gerhard Munthe was a captain in the Danish Army in 1813. He participated in the war between Denmark-Norway and Sweden. After the separation of Denmark and Norway in 1814 he got a job at the Institute for Geographical Measurements. He was also a teacher at the Army school in the new union between Norway and Sweden.
•　As a teacher he taught two princes that were later to become kings in the union of Sweden and Norway, they were Charles XV and Oscar II. One of them, Charles, visited his teacher in 1856 in Kroken as Crown Prince. Among the farmers in the area mister Munthe was known and respected as the royal teacher.
•　In 1830 Munthe ended his career as an officer and devoted himself to collection of geographical and historical materials. He was also interested in the development of a separate Norwegian language that was connected to the old Norse language. This has disappeared during the Middle Ages and was replaced with the administrative language of that time, Danish. This old Norse language is still spoken on Iceland and on the Faroe Islands. There was an attempt in Norway at that time to form a specific Norwegian language that was not derived from Danish. This attempt resulted in the formation of two official languages in Norway, a situation which has persisted until today. Mister Munthe took part in this work and made several contributions. He was also active as a researcher in genealogy.
•　The work he performed as a researcher was a great burden for his eyes. To improve his health situation he moved to Kroken in 1841 and took over the family farm. As a proprietor he had a lot of visits from other scientists and artists, and during this period Kroken was a centre of art and culture not only for the Luster area but for all of Norway.
•　Captain Munthe was the first farmer in this area that started to grow potatoes. That was an important event because the climate here is very beneficial for potato growing. The potato harvest was not so insecure as corn, that meant that more farmers could control their harvests better than before.
•　Captain Munthe died in 1876 and not very long after the farm was bought by a local farmer. The nobility came to an end.

The artists in Kroken
•　Some of the most famous artists from the national-romantic period visited mister Munthe in Kroken.
•　J.C. Dahl became professor at the university in Dresden in 1824.He made a trip to Norway in 1826. During this trip he visited mister Munthe in Kroken. A friend from Oslo, the Danish painter Flintoe, who among other things has decorated a whole room with one of his pictures at the king’s castle in Oslo, had recommended the area to mister Dahl. The professor found the nature in the area very impressing and painted afterwards almost exclusively scenery motives from Norway. Some of his paintings are among the most famous and significant from the national-romantic period in Norway.
•　Other famous painters who visited mister Munthe in Kroken was J.C Tiedemann and T. Fearnley.

Southern Lustrafjord: A fertile area
•　The southern side of the Luster fjord is a very fertile area. The climate is very suitable for cultivating berries. Strawberries and raspberries are produced in big quantities (in Norwegian proportions) in this area. Tobacco was also earlier cultivated in the area. The winter is relatively mild with much precipitation, though great parts of the fjord can be frozen for longer periods. This despite of the Golf Stream which makes Norway habitable. The Luster Fjord freezes because the fjord contains lots of fresh water flowing into it from the surrounding mountains and glaciers.
•　The road from Skjolden to Urnes was built in several stages and the road was not finished before 1981.

Skjolden
•　Skjolden was earlier a traffic junction. It lies at the end of the Sognefjord and in its harbour lots of commodities were exchanged. The farmers from the eastern side of the Sognefjell (the mountain range east of the Sognefjord) bought fish and salt and sold corn and leather. These commodities were transported further on to Bergen, the main trade centre for both western and northern Norway.
•　People who wanted to travel to Bergen by boat also used Skjolden as the starting point for their journey.
•　Not very far from Skjolden lies the small community of Fortun. A big hydroelectric power plant was built here in the middle of the previous century. The power plant serves the big aluminium plant in Årdal, which is one of the biggest in Europe.
•　Skjolden was in historic times also a traffic junction for pilgrims who wanted to travel to Nidaros or Trondheim. The church in Nidaros was probably the holies place in Norway as the country belonged to the catholic church.

Sørheim
•　Sørheim means the home in the south. A gentry family lived in Sørheim during the Middle Ages and later on for some time. The family Kruckow, originally from Pommern, had their seat in Sørheim.
•　At the end of the 15th century there was much strife between protestants and catholics in Norway. Norway belonged at this time to Denmark as a colony. The Danes wanted to introduce protestantism in Norway in order to secure their power in the country. Because of this the strife was not only religious but also political. The opposition to protestantism had national overtones.
•　Hans Kruckow, a noble man from Sørheim allied himself with the last catholic bishop in Nidaros and they tried both to exploit the situation politically in order to separate Norway from Denmark and establish Norway as a separate national state. Denmark was successful in the strife and the Norwegian culture and Christianity took a serious blow from which it never quite revived. Sørheim and Kroken was plundered by Danish troops in 1527. Mister Kruckow was able to escape but his wife and children later had to beg for food in the surrounding districts.

Industrial adventure in Sørheim
•　”What are we going to do with these buckets of berries”, asked the merchant Nils Lerum his wife some day in 1907 when the steam boat had left Sørheim with the buckets left at the quay. They made juice from the berries and sold it. An industrial adventure was started.
•　In 1918 they produced 40 000 litre juice and 20 000 kilo jam. Because of logistic problems (i.e. frozen fjord in winter) it was difficult to sustain the production in Sørheim and it was later moved to Sogndal which was more of an geographical centre.
•　Today Lerum is one of the leading brands of juice and jam in Norway.

Feigumfossen (Feigum waterfall)
•　The free fall of Feigum waterfall is 218 metre.
•　The water is foamed when it hits the ground, therefore a fog veil can always be seen at the end of the waterfall in the spring or in periods with lot of precipitation. The veil makes it always raining in the vicinity of the waterfall.
•　The name Feig means the end is near.

Luster municipality
•　The Luster municipality has an area of about 2800 km2 and is one of the biggest municipalities in Norway according to their area. That means that the municipality is about as big as the American state of Rhode Island. This state has 1 million inhabitants while Luster has under 5000. Luster is more than twice the size of Los Angeles City (not the LA County) which has 3.8 million people. As one easily can imagine: there is a lot of space in Luster.
•　The name Luster originates probably from the special light that shines over the fjord and over the mountains. This light comes from the glaciers, lots of ice and snow create lots of reflections of sunshine and moonshine.
•　Many people emigrated from Luster to the USA in the previous century. In some years more then 60% of all children born emigrated. There are today probably about 200 000 people living in USA with ancestors from Luster.
•　The biggest glacier on the European mainland is situated in Luster. The glacier is called Jostedalsbreen or the Jostedal Glacier. It has an area of about 480 km2. This is a little more than half the size og New York which has over 18 million inhabitants. It is about the size of the city of Philadelphia with almost 2 million inhabitants.
•　The glacier has about 50 glacier outlets reaching the surrounding valleys. These outlets are called “arms” and about 11 of them come down into the valley of Jostedal in Luster which has given its name to the glacier.

Urnes
•　 The community Urnes was earlier a very important strategic location. It was possible to control all the traffic along the fjord from Urnes. In pre-christian times Urnes was a place for worshiping old Norse gods and it was also a place for sacrificing. It was the seat of the local chief who ruled the area.
•　 Christianity was introduced into the area about year 1000. It was very important for the new religious leaders to show off their new powers, therefore a church was quickly build on the old religious location.
•　 The church in Urnes dates back to 1130, but the existing church is build upon an even older one. The church is the oldest stave church in Norway (and probably in the world, since not so many other countries use this style of building). The church is on the World Heritage List supplied by UNESCO from the United Nations.
•　 The ornament or the decoration in Urnes stave church is influenced by the Celts. This is a witness to the direct and dense connections between the vikings and the Celtic people living in Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Irish monks have had a special influence on the introduction of christianity in Western Norway.

Churches
•　Luster has many old churches. Joranger church in the community of Indre Hafslo was build in 1650.
•　The stone church in Dale, Luster is 750 years old and was probably build by jobless workers from the building of the great cathedral in Nidaros, Trondheim. Descendants from religious refugees from North-Germany have given art for decoration of the church.

Solvorn
•　Solvorn is an old market place. The place grew on trade while the fjord was the most important artery.
•　All up to the mid 1960′s Solvorn was a traffic juncture with ferry routes to Årdal where the great aluminium plant is situated. A lot of people made every weekend the journey from Årdal to smaller districts along the fjord to visit their family and to work on their farm. In this way many small places were able to survive despite falling population and less income from agriculture.

Hike with care

In Norway the right to hike or roam in wild nature is written in the laws of the country. With the right, there is a duty. Everybody using this right has to excercise caution and consideration. You are obliged not to ruin nature and you have to show respect and care for other people using nature. Everybody is also obliged to leave the nature as clean as you yourself found it. You shall not throw garbage around or in any other way pollute nature.
It is legal to camp everywhere in nature. In the national parks there are special regulations for camping outdoor. Camping at agricultural land has to be permitted by the owner. In the high mountains you can camp as long as you want, where you want.
The right to roam for everybody includes the following:
•　to move by feet or by ski
•　to use canoes, kayaks or sail boats in lakes and rivers
•　to camp outdoor
•　to ride a horse or a bike on paths or mountain roads
•　to bath or use a boat in lakes, rivers and waterways.

This right also corresponds with obligations no to:
•　enter cultivated fields
•　break off or pick plants or trees
•　disturb wild life and birds
•　break down or destroy fences

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