The Sognefjellsvegen or Sognefjellsveien is the highest mountain pass road in
Northern Europe. Part of
County Road 55, it is located in
Innlandet
Innlandet is a county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (the municipalities of Jevnaker and Lunner were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken on the same date). The n ...
and
Vestland
Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, whe ...
counties in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. It is a national tourist road and starts in the village of Lom in the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality ...
of
Lom, it then travels over the
Sognefjell mountain area, and it ends in the village of
Gaupne
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 north of the village of Hafslo. The village of Veitastrond is loc ...
in the municipality of
Luster. The road was opened on 16 July 1938. The road passes through the
Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen (; "the home of the Jötunn") is a mountainous area of roughly in southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all located in the Jotunheimen mountains, i ...
,
Hurrungane, and
Breheimen mountains. The highest point is Fantesteinen at . 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
Jotunheimen National Park ( no, Jotunheimen nasjonalpark, "Home of the Giants") is a national park in Norway, recognized as one of the country's premier hiking and fishing regions. The national park covers and is part of the larger area Jotunh ...
and
Breheimen National Park.
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
Fannaråki (or ''Fannaråken'') is a mountain in the municipality of Luster in Vestland county, Norway. The tall mountain is located in the Jotunheimen National Park, just south of the lake Prestesteinsvatnet and the Sognefjellsvegen road. This ...
, 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
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 north of the village of Hafslo. The village of Veitastrond is loc ...
which is along the
Sognefjord.
See also
*
List of highest paved roads in Europe
*
List of mountain passes
This is a list of mountain passes.
Africa
Egypt
* Halfaya Pass (near Libya)
Lesotho
* Moteng Pass
* Mahlasela pass
* Sani Pass
Morocco
* Tizi n'Tichka
South Africa
* Eastern Cape Passes
* Western Cape Passes
* Northern Cape Passes
* Kwa ...
References
External links
Sognefjellsvegen informationSognefjellsvegenPictures of the route
{{Coord, 61.5666, 08.0053, display=title, region:NO, format=dms
Landforms of Vestland
Landforms of Innlandet
Luster, Norway
Lom, Norway
Mountain passes of Norway
National Tourist Routes in Norway