Waking up at Gjevilvasshytta in Trollheimen you have multiple hiking and running options on your doorstep. I had decided on a run to Blåhøa, peaking at 1671 meter about 12 km from Gjevilvasshytta. You can take the car to a parking 1-2 km from the cabin if you want to avoid running the hard sufaced road. The path is surprisingly runable and not too technical, except for the last couple of km. The view from the summit is amazing on a sunny day!
Make time for a coffee and a cinnamon bun outside Gjevilvasshytta and, if you didn’t the evening before, a stroll along Gjevilvatnet, before you hit the road.
The Drive, 245 km/3 h 40 min
In Oppdal, about 25 minutes from Gjevilvasshytta, Bakeriet Sprø is worth a stop for loading up on sandwiches and coffee for the road. Unless you want to make a stop in Trondheim, in another three hours or so driving the route E6, you reach Inderøya. Inderøya has created its own concept, The Golden Road, catering for tourist on the road, or as a destination in itself.
Accomodation & Restaurant
At Inderøya you have several unique accomocation alternatives. This time I stayed at Husfrua, a country farm hotel situated on a hill top with great views of the fjord. Husfrua offers rooms in historic surroundings as well as modern free-standing small external houses in the farm yard. The highlight of my stay was the home made breakfast served on the sunny terrace of the main building. Another option would be Jegtvolden Fjordhotell.
Husfrua
A few hundred meters away from Husfrua you find Øyna, a truly fantastic place offering local food and magnificient views of the fjord. Remember to make a reservation in advance, and if the weather is good, ask to be seated outside.
I don’t know about you, but I have already started planning my travels for 2019. Last year I did a spectacular road trip to the north of Norway. I spent months planning it to make sure I could secure my preferred accommodation options, explore the trails I had made notes of when browsing Ute and other magazines, blogs and websites over the last years, and don’t miss out on any of the remarkable sites created along the scenic routes I had decided to explore. The planning of this road trip and the experiences I had during my travel inspired this website and thus I have been looking forward to take you through the trip I made, and inspire you to plan your own.
I started my journey from Øyer in Gudbrandsdalen, where I have a place in the mountain, but you may start of from Oslo, Gardermoen (airport), or anywhere you like of course.
Beautiful surrounding for running/roller skiing/biking
Let’s go!
Day 1: Øyer/Lillehammer – Trollheimen
Sohlbergplassen
The Drive, 220 km/3 h 10 min
For a long time I have been a big fan of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration’s project “Norwegian Scenic Routes“, which to a great extent inspires my travel in Norway. The destination for the first leg of my road trip was Gjevilvasshytta in Trollheimen, not far away from Oppdal. Instead of driving the “highway”, E6 I chose to drive county road 27, which makes out the Rondane Scenic Route from Ringebu to Hjerkinn.
Venabygdsfjellet
When reaching the mountain plateau Venabygdsfjellet the scenery is absolutely amazing, with the mountain Muen as the natural focal point. Continuing through Folldal towards Hjerkinn, there are a few attractions along the road. My favorite was Sohlbergplassen, a view point at Atnsjøen lake. The platform frames the view towards the lake and the rounded peaks of the Rondane massif almost exactly as they appear in Harald Sohlberg’s famous painting “Winter’s Night in Rondane”. I also made a stop in Folldal to load up on waffles.
At Hjerkinn I made a short detour to Viewpoint Snøhetta. The viewpoint is a short hike from the parking, providing an excellent opportunity to stretch your legs.
Snøhetta ViewpointFrom inside the viewpoint looking towards the mountain Snøhetta
From Hjerkinn there is another hour drive to Gjevilvasshytta, my suggested accommodation for the night.
Today’s Activity
Mount Muen
My planned activity for this first day of driving was to go roller skiing on Venabygdsfjellet. Due to heavy winds and a recent rib fracture I had to skip it for this time. If you bring your bike I would highly recommend that you make a stop for biking over Venabygdsfjellet, see feature in the cycle magazine Landevei (I went back to do that later in the summer). This time I did a beautiful evening trail run from Gjevilvasshytta, finishing of with some nice stretching at the nearby lake.
My choice of accommodation was Gjevilvasshytta. Built in 1819, it is the oldest building being used for accommodation by Turistforeningen (the Norwegian Trekking Association), and is situated 710 meters above sea level at Gjevilvatnet, offering a great starting point for hiking and trail running in Trollheimen. The cabin is very popular and its atmosphere and location are amazing, however the sleeping comfort rather basic with shared bathrooms in the hall and thin walls.
Day 1 Highlight
The view of the lake, Gjevilvatnet, when arriving at Gjevilvasshytta. Google it!
Trailspotting 