Jotunheimen National Park
Park Norwegian national park with Norway's highest mountains
Jotunheimen National Park in Innlandet contains Norway’s highest peaks, including Galdhøpiggen, and classic trails like Besseggen. Hikers and mountaineers come for multi-day treks, glacier routes, and alpine lakes.
Jotunheimen National Park is a high-mountain national park in southern Norway, established to protect a core area of Norway’s highest mountains and alpine landscape. The park includes peaks, glaciers and long mountain valleys and is a major center for mountain recreation.
The area contains Norway’s highest summit, Galdhøpiggen (2,469 m), extensive glacier remnants and long hiking routes. Popular routes include the ridge walk at Besseggen beside lake Gjende and multi-day traverses between mountain huts; trail distances and elevation gains vary by route but many day hikes involve 500-1,000 m of ascent. Mountain huts and summer boat services at Gjende support long-distance hiking and reduce walk-back distances on several routes.
The protected area was established to conserve the unique alpine environment and traditional mountain grazing and has been managed to balance outdoor recreation and nature protection since its founding. Over time mountain tourism infrastructure - marked trails, staffed DNT mountain huts and boat services on Gjende - has developed to support recreational use.
The park sits in inland southern Norway, spanning high plateaus and valleys within the Jotunheimen mountain range. Nearest local service towns include Lom and Vågå, with access from main roads that connect to larger cities to the southeast.
- Hiking season: Best hiking season runs through July and August when most trails are snow-free and mountain huts operate on regular schedules.
- Terrain and scale: The park covers a high-mountain area of alpine terrain with glaciers, permanent snowfields and many lakes; many summits exceed 2,000 m.
What to See #
- Galdhøpiggen: Norway's highest peak at 2,469 m, forming the park's highest point and a popular summit for guided climbs and marked routes.
- Besseggen and Lake Gjende: A well-known ridge walk along the pale-green lake **Gjende**, with boat links at Gjendesheim and Memurubu that shorten the 14 km round-trip on some itineraries.
- Glittertind: A neighbouring high peak often mentioned with Galdhøpiggen, reaching similar elevations and visible from many park routes.
How to Get to Jotunheimen National Park #
Jotunheimen National Park is best reached by car via Norway’s main roads: drive from Oslo on the E6 north to Otta, then follow Rv15/Rv51 (Valdresflye) or Rv55 (Sognefjellet) into the park area. The drive from Oslo typically takes about 4-5 hours (several hundred kilometres) depending on your exact destination in the park.
By public transport take the Dovre Line train from Oslo to Otta, then transfer to regional buses that serve Lom, Gjendesheim and other Jotunheimen trailheads; bus stops are usually at village centres and most popular trailheads require a short walk (0-2 km) from the bus stop.
Tips for Visiting Jotunheimen National Park #
- For the Besseggen ridge and other popular routes, visit early in the morning (start before sunrise) to beat the day-trip crowds and catch the best light; alternatively choose late August-September for fewer hikers but still largely snow-free trails.
- Use Gjendesheim as the main eastern access point for the classic Besseggen hike and take the Gjendebåten ferry between Gjendesheim and Memurubu to turn the route into a one-way walk-book ferry tickets in advance on busy summer days.
- Many visitors focus only on the famous ridge; to avoid crowds and experience quieter mountain terrain, explore lesser-known approaches and valleys to the north and west of the main trailheads or hike shorter routes from Sognefjell/Leirvassbu.
Best Time to Visit Jotunheimen National Park #
Visit in summer (June-August) for the best access to trails and milder conditions at high elevations.
Weather & Climate near Jotunheimen National Park #
Jotunheimen National Park's climate is classified as Tundra - Tundra climate with cold summers (peaking in July) and freezing winters (coldest in January). Temperatures range from -14°C to 11°C. Moderate rainfall (992 mm/year).
January
January is the coldest month with highs of -7°C and lows of -14°C. Regular rainfall (98 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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February
February is freezing with highs of -6°C and lows of -13°C. Moderate rainfall (72 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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March
March is freezing with highs of -5°C and lows of -12°C. Moderate rainfall (74 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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April
April is freezing with highs of -1°C and lows of -8°C. Moderate rainfall (44 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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May
May is cold with highs of 4°C and lows of -3°C. Moderate rainfall (42 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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June
June is cold with highs of 8°C and lows of 1°C. Regular rainfall (82 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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July
July is cold with highs of 11°C and lows of 3°C. Regular rainfall (90 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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August
August is cold with highs of 10°C and lows of 3°C. Regular rainfall (92 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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September
September is cold with highs of 5°C and lows of -1°C. The wettest month with heavy rain (103 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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October
October is freezing with highs of 0°C and lows of -5°C. Regular rainfall (99 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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November
November is freezing with highs of -4°C and lows of -10°C. Regular rainfall (97 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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December
December is freezing with highs of -6°C and lows of -13°C. Regular rainfall (99 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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