Drive it Yourself: The Hemsedalsfjellet Mountains (Rv52)
Drive it Yourself: The Rv52 on Hemsedalsfjellet
The Rv52 goes between Borlaug (the E16) and Gol. It is a relatively short national highway at only 79km long. Historically this was the shortest connection between East and West Norway over the Hemsedalsfjellet mountains. There has been a road here for hundreds of years, but a modern car road was completed shortly after Gol became a traffic hub in 1909 thanks to the construction of the Bergen Railway. The road opened in the 1940s and was kept open with snow ploughs. From the 1950s, the road was open all through the winter.
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Online Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the neighbourhood
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Information about facilities along the way
Downloadable Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the region & towns
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Facilities including supermarkets, toilets, petrol, hotels, cafes, restaurants with addresses.
- Interactive Google Map for easier navigation
The drive: the Rv52 on the Hemsedalsfjellet Mountains
Gol
Gol is the administrative centre of the municipality. It is also an important transport hub. In Gol you’ll find the Hallingdal Museum, which is part of the Hallingdal Folk High School. As you drive through Gol, you’ll see the replica of the stave church on your right side (if coming from Hønefoss). It’s part of a kids park called Gordarike.
Hemsedal Municipality
Hemsedal municipality is a mountainous municipality with a rich cultural heritage. Charcoal dating back to 200AD has been found here, and there was probably a large tribe of reindeer here in old times. This indicates that hunter-gatherers were the first peoples to come to the area. It is possible to spot wild reindeer in the mountains. A stave church has been in Hemsedal since the 13th century, though it was demolished in 1882 to be replaced with the current church. One photograph exists of the old stave church.
The tallest peak in Hemsedal is Høgeloft (1921m above sea level), and Hemsedal is home to the highest inhabited hamlet in Europe called Lykkja, which is 930m above sea level.
Hemsedal has a reputation around Norway for being a ski centre. The first hotel was built here in 1900 after there had been a lot of optimism following the upgrade of the historic postal road just a couple decades earlier. Many people started to construct cabins in the area, and in the 1950s the idea of being a ski lift came. Today Hemsedal is one of the most popular ski resorts in the country and has been nicknamed ‘Scandinavia’s Alps’ because of the good ski conditions.
Hemsedal
Town
Hemsedal town, also known as Trøym, is a small town with a population of 944. Hemsedal Church is a small church from 1882. It has space for 420 people.
Hemsedal Ski Centre
Ski Centre
Hemsedal Ski Centre is one of the largest in Norway, with 20 ski lifts and 53 runs of varying difficulty. The ski centre also has facilities for snowboarding and various accommodation types. The Hemsedal Ski Centre has been used for several World Cup races.
As you drive through Hemsedal, you will see the Ski Centre on the southbound side of the road (it’s easier to see it if you are travelling north)
Rjukeandfossen
Waterfall
Rjukande Waterfall is located north of Hemsedal on the southbound side of the road. There is a parking place and you can walk to the waterfall – the walk takes only 10-15 minutes. Rjukeandfossen is a double waterfall with a height of approximately 18 metres. A suspension bridge is located about 50-100 metres after the waterfall and can be used to cross the river.
Lærdal Municipality
Lærdal is a municipality in western Norway. It has a relatively dry climate, with around 600mm of rain a year. Agriculture is one of the biggest industries here. The lower part of the valley has one of the country’s best climactic conditions for growing vegetables.
The river running through Lærdal is called the Lærdal River and is known as the ‘Queen of the Salmon rivers’ because it is one of Norway’s most famous salmon rivers. In the valley, you can hunt deer, reindeer, and elk.
Breistølen Fjellstue
Hotel
Breistølen Fjellstue opened in 1843 and was formally established as a public transport station in 1891. It is located on the Norwegian Trekking Associations classic trip from Jotunheimen through Skarvheimen to Finse.
Borlaug
Town
The Rv52 ends at Borlaug. There is a small collection of wooden houses by the road that makes up an open-air museum. From here, you can take the E16 towards Bergen (via Borgund and Flåm) or towards Oslo (via Fagernes).
If you liked this drive, or if you have any travel tips, please leave a comment in the section below!