Jotunheimen, “the home of the giants”, is the roof of Norway. Every one of the country’s 29 highest mountains stands here, including Galdhøpiggen, at 2,469 metres the highest peak in Northern Europe, along with glaciers, deep green lakes and the famous Besseggen ridge.
Jotunheimen, the home of the giants
Jotunheimen covers about 3,500 square kilometres of the Scandinavian Mountains in southern Norway, and around 250 of its peaks rise above 1,900 metres. Its name comes from the jötnar, the giants of Norse mythology. The geologist Baltazar Keilhau called the range Jotunfjeldene in 1820, and the poet Aasmund Olavsson Vinje gave it its present name in 1862.
The heart of the region has been protected as Jotunheimen National Park since 1980. The park covers 1,151 square kilometres and includes the Hurrungane range, whose sharp, alpine summits are the most dramatic in the area.
Galdhøpiggen, Glittertind and the highest peaks
Galdhøpiggen (2,469 m) and its neighbour Glittertind are the two highest mountains in Northern Europe. Both are popular summer summits, and both carry glaciers, so the classic routes are best done with a guide or as part of an organised group.
The mountains also guard surprising history. In 2006 melting ice in Jotunheimen revealed a leather shoe dated to around 1800–1100 BC, and in 2020 a roughly 1,500-year-old arrowhead was found in a retreating glacier. Modern mountaineering here began in the late 19th century, led by British climbers such as Slingsby, whose 1904 book spread the fame of the range, and Norwegian pioneers.
Besseggen, Norway’s most famous ridge walk
About 30,000 people a year hike Besseggen, the ridge that separates the lakes Gjende and Bessvatnet. The classic route starts at Gjendesheim, climbs over Veslfjellet (1,743 m) and follows the ridge down to the Memurubu lodge. Allow five to seven hours of walking without breaks. A scheduled boat on Gjende links Gjendesheim and Memurubu, so most hikers ride one way and walk back.
From the ridge you see why it is so photographed. Gjende sits almost 400 metres below Bessvatnet and is a milky green, coloured by glacial rock flour carried in by meltwater, while Bessvatnet is a deep blue. In Act 1 of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, Peer boasts of riding along this ridge on the back of a reindeer buck.
Cabins, trails and the best season
The Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT) runs a network of mountain lodges linked by more than 50 marked trails, from short walks to multi-day traverses. Many cabins date back to the 1800s, when tourism grew alongside mountain dairy farming. Common bases include Gjendesheim, Spiterstulen, Leirvassbu, Krossbu, Turtagrø and Eidsbugarden/Fondsbu.
The official national-park guide names July and August as the peak hiking season. Snow lingers on high ground well into summer, and in winter Jotunheimen becomes a ski-touring destination for experienced, well-equipped groups.
How to get to Jotunheimen
The park is a drive of four to five hours from Oslo, Bergen or Trondheim. Two scenic roads frame it: the Sognefjell Road (Rv55), a National Tourist Route between Lom and Skjolden, crosses the western mountains, and Rv51 over Valdresflya links Gol and Vågåmo and passes Gjendesheim. Summer bus services connect the main trailheads.
Compare Mount Robson Park for another great mountain park, and read our hiking-and-wellbeing feature before you lace up your boots.
Related reading
- Trolltunga, Norway: The View and the Walk Behind It
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- The Arctic Light: Lofoten’s Long Spring Twilight
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