Sognefjellsvegen

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Fylkesvei 55.svg

Sognefjellsvegen
Bokmål: Fylkesvei 55
Nynorsk: Fylkesveg 55
A view from Riksveg 55 at Sognefjellet.jpg
Route information
Maintained by Norwegian Public Roads Administration
Length110 km (70 mi)
Existed16 July 1938–present
Major junctions
South end Gaupne, Luster, Vestland
North endLom, Lom, Innlandet
Highway system
County Roads in Norway

The Sognefjellsvegen or Sognefjellsveien is the highest mountain pass road in Northern Europe. Part of County Road 55, it is located in Innlandet and Vestland counties in Norway. It is a national tourist road and starts in the village of Lom in the municipality of Lom, it then travels over the Sognefjell mountain area, and it ends in the village of Gaupne in the municipality of Luster. The road was opened on 16 July 1938. The road passes through the Jotunheimen, Hurrungane, and Breheimen mountains. The highest point is Fantesteinen at 1,434 metres (4,705 ft). During the winters there is a lot of snow, and so the road is closed from November through May. The road passes between Jotunheimen National Park and Breheimen National Park. [1]

Contents

Route

The road passes the villages of Galdesanden, Spiterstulen, and Elveseter, then the mountain Galdhøpiggen, lake Bøvertunvatnet, and then the Bøvertun rest area. The rest areas of Krossbu and Sognefjellshytta are located beside the road high up in the mountains. Upon entering Luster, the road passes the lakes Prestesteinsvatnet and Hervavatnet with the mountain Fannaråki, just south of the road. Descending into the valley, the road passes the hotel Turtagrø, the villages of Skjolden, Luster, Høyheimsvik, and Nes before finally reaching Gaupne which is along the Sognefjord.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Sogn og Fjordane was up to 1 January 2020 a county in western Norway, when it was merged to become part of Vestland county. Bordering previous counties Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland, the county administration was in the village of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality. The largest town in the county was Førde.

Luster, Norway Municipality in Vestland, Norway

Luster is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located at the end of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative centre is the village of Gaupne. Other villages in Luster include Fortun, Hafslo, Indre Hafslo, Jostedal, Luster, Nes, Ornes, Skjolden, Solvorn, and Veitastrond.

Jotunheimen mountain range

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Lom, Norway Municipality in Innlandet, Norway

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Jotunheimen National Park national park

JotunheimenNational Park is a national park in Norway, recognized as one of the country's premier hiking and fishing regions. The national park covers 1,151 square kilometres (444 sq mi) and is part of the larger area Jotunheimen. More than 250 peaks rise above an elevation of 1,900 metres (6,200 ft), including Northern Europe's two highest peaks: Galdhøpiggen at 2,469 metres (8,100 ft), and Glittertind at 2,465 metres (8,087 ft).

Øvre Årdal Village in Western Norway, Norway

Øvre Årdal is a village in the municipality of Årdal in Vestland county, Norway. It is the larger of the two primary villages in Årdal. The village is situated at the northern end of the 9-kilometre (5.6 mi) long lake Årdalsvatnet, with the village of Årdalstangen at the southern end. The 1.87-square-kilometre (460-acre) village has a population (2013) of 3,206; giving the village a population density of 1,714 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,440/sq mi). Farnes Church is located in this village. The road Tindevegen goes from Øvre Årdal, through the Fardalen valley to Turtagrø in Luster municipality. It's one of the highest elevation roads in Norway. There is also a road which goes south past the lake Tyin to the European route E16 highway which goes through Valdres to Oslo.

Gaupne Village in Western Norway, Norway

Gaupne is the administrative center of the municipality of Luster in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located along the Gaupnefjorden, an arm of the Lustrafjorden, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of the village of Hafslo. The village of Veitastrond is located across the mountains 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the northwest. The Sognefjellsvegen road passes through here on its way to the village of Skjolden and beyond.

Ottadalen

The Otta Valley is a valley in the municipalities of Skjåk, Lom, Vågå, and Sel in the county of Oppland, Norway.

Fossbergom

Fossbergom is the administrative centre of Lom municipality, Innlandet county, Norway. Its population is 837. Fossbergom is a modern community, in which most people work in tourism, commerce and the service sector.

Skjolden Village in Western Norway, Norway

Skjolden is a village in the municipality of Luster in Vestland county, Norway. It is located at the end of the Lustrafjorden, a branch of the Sognefjorden. Skjolden is located at the innermost point of the Sognefjorden, Norway's longest fjord, and the length of the Sognefjorden is measured from Skjolden to the island of Ytre Sula where the fjord meets the ocean—over 200 km. The valleys of Mørkridsdal and Fortunsdal meet at Skjolden, just west of the Hurrungane mountains. Skjolden is home to about 200 people.

Jostedal Former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway

Jostedal is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county in Norway. The 533-square-kilometre (206 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1963. It was located in the Jostedalen valley in the northern part of the present-day municipality of Luster, north of the village of Gaupne. The administrative centre was located near the Jostedal Church in the central part of the valley.

Fannaråki mountain in Norway

Fannaråki is a mountain in the municipality of Luster in Vestland county, Norway. The 2,068-metre (6,785 ft) tall mountain is located in the Jotunheimen National Park, just south of the lake Prestesteinsvatnet and the Sognefjellsvegen road. This mountain is located about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north of the Skagastølstindane mountains.

Prestesteinsvatnet lake in Norway

Prestesteinsvatnet is a lake in Luster Municipality in Vestland county, Norway, with a small part of the lake crossing over into the neighboring Lom Municipality in Innlandet county. The 4.12-square-kilometre (1,020-acre) lake sits at an elevation of 1,357 metres (4,452 ft) above sea level. It lies along the south side of the Sognefjellsvegen road, just to the north of the mountain Fannaråki and the Fannaråkbreen glacier. The lake sits just outside the borders of Jotunheimen National Park. The village of Skjolden lies about 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the southwest of the lake.

Hurrungane mountain range in Norway

Hurrungane is a mountain range in the municipalities Luster and Årdal in Vestland county, Norway. The area is southwest in the larger mountain range Jotunheimen and is also part of Jotunheimen National Park.

Breheimen mountain range in Norway

Breheimen is a mountain range in the Vestland and Innlandet counties in Norway. The area lies west of the Jotunheimen mountain range. The mountain range lies to the northwest of the Sognefjellsvegen road, north of the Sognefjorden, south of the Nordfjorden and Norwegian National Road 15, and east of Norwegian National Road 5 and European route E39. The mountain range includes Jostedalsbreen National Park and Breheimen National Park.

Breheimen National Park national park in Norway

Breheimen National Park is a national park that was established in 2009. The park is located in the municipalities of Skjåk and Lom in Innlandet county and in Luster in Vestland county, Norway. The park covers 1,671 square kilometres (645 sq mi) of the Breheimen mountain range.

Turtagrø

Turtagrø is a hotel in the municipality of Luster in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway, near Hurrungane in Jotunheimen. The hotel has been a central meeting place for mountaineers from the late 1800s.

Sognefjellet mountain in Oppland, Norway

Sognefjellet is a mountain pass which connects Lustrafjorden with Ottadalen through Jotunheimen area. The pass is located in Luster and Lom, Norway. Sognefjellsvegen, part of County Road 55, runs through the pass.

Juvasshytta is a mountain tourist station with restaurant and accommodation, located in Jotunheimen, in Lom municipality, Norway.

Jostedalen valley in Luster, Norway

Jostedalen is a river valley in Luster Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The 60-kilometre (37 mi) long valley runs from the Lustrafjorden at the village of Gaupne, to the north along the river Jostedøla and along the eastern side of the Jostedal Glacier. The valley is deep, but the valley floor lies over long stretches of flat river plains interrupted by steep steps. In the north, the landscape gets pretty wild. The Jostedalsbreen National Park surrounds the valley, which brings a lot of tourism to the area. The Nigardsbreen glacier is also accessible from the valley.

References

  1. Store norske leksikon. "Sognefjellsveien" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2010-09-11.

Coordinates: 61°34′00″N8°00′19″E / 61.5666°N 08.0053°E / 61.5666; 08.0053