The itinerary is to give you an idea of some of the walks – walks will be finalised depending on weather and at the discretion of the guides. A more detailed choice of walks will be available in your information pack and you will have a briefing each day to help you choose the walk right for you.
Day 1 Arrival and settle in
16.00 Welcome and an introduction to your week.
19.00 Dinner served.
Some of the walks of varying levels to be offered…all will be discussed with you at the night before briefings and you can choose what feels right for you…
BINGSBU 1.179 m & LOHAUGEN
Ca. 11-12 km – 250 m ascent and descent.
This hike takes you to one of the winter warming huts the hotel runs together with their neighbor Ruten Mountain Lodge. We walk through the forest and cross small streams as we make our way up to the open mountain terrain before we reach the warming hut right next to the beautiful scenic Bingstjønna lake and the peak of Sprenpiggen. On our way down we pass by a viewpoint with an amazing view over the Espedalen valley with lakes at the bottom and mountains as the background.
ESPEFOSSEN WATERFALL CIRCUIT with the MOOSE TOWER
Ca. 8 km – 250m ascent/descent
Did you know that the Espedalen valley is the area where one of Europe’s largest and most unique moose migrations take place every year? That is why we have a very unique tower where you sleep for a night. It is of course called the Moose Tower. On this hike we pass by the neighbor Ruten Mountain lodge right before we take a turn into a small path down through the forest and gets to the Moose Tower. We take a look at the tower before we move on towards the Olstappen lake and walk next to the Espa river where we will find our way to the beautiful waterfall Espefossen. To get back to Dalseter we walk through the forest before we cross the lake and begin our ascent to reach the hotel. (This hike can also be done the other way around)
BREIDSJØEN CIRCUIT
Historical walk 13 km total, 300 m ascent and descent
This day we mostly stay in the lower areas and hike around Breidsjøen the lake below from the hotel. Unlikely of what you might think now this hike starts with a little ascent from where we continue down through dense forest. We get closer to local history as we take a look at Verksodden, where we see Espedalen mountain church (1974), the unique graveyard and the remains from the mining period (1850 – 1870’s). As we move on to the other side of the lake Breidsjøen we can begin to spot the hotel on the opposite side. This is a funny new perspective. To get back to Dalseter we walk through the forest before we cross the lake and begin our ascent to reach the hotel.
LANGTJØNNA + HØGSTJØNNA
Ca. 8,5 km – 130m ascent/descent
This is an easy beautiful route through the forest with a minimum of elevation. At first, we walk by the Øvre Dalseter summer farm and as we move on, we will pass another warming hut Hulderbu which is a very popular warming hut for families with small children especially during the ski season. If you look inside you will find various guest books filled with drawings and greetings from previous visitors. This is a tradition and you should definitely write a greeting yourself. Outside Hulderbu you will also have a good view to the Heidalsmuen mountain. From here we continue forward to the Langtjønna lake which we go around anti-clockwise and continuing around the neighbor lake Høgstjønna. Two beautiful lakes in lower area surrounded by calm forest. Same way back or pass Ruten Mountain Lodge.
ELDBJØRGSHAUGEN 959 m
Ca. 5 km – 100m ascent/descent
To prevent too much walking on the car road we will start this hike with a 5-minute drive. From where we are dropped off, we go into the airy forest as we begin the ascent to the peak of Eldbjørgshaugen. At first, it’s an easy walk through forest and a few open areas and then right before the top it gets steep but only for a few hundred meters before reaching the top. From here you can see the hotel and has an amazing view over the lakes and mountains in the valley. Heading home partly via the car road and a trail in the forest passing the neighbor Mountain Lodge before reaching Dalseter again. An easy way to an amazing view and a short day of hiking.
VINSTERFOSSEN
Ca. 9 km – 300m ascent/descent
Today starts with a 30-minute drive from Dalseter. We will be dropped off close to the Vinsterfossen waterfall and hike our way home. From the drop-off point we enter the forest and cross the Vinstra river and turn right to get to the trail. We walk along the river through coniferous forest on an easy trail. Right before the waterfall there’s a little steep ascent but after that we reach the point from where you have a spectacular view to the waterfall. After seeing this wonder, we continue through the forest until we come to the Olstappen lake which we will go along for some time. On our way we will pass various small wild campsites right next to the shore where you can set up a tent or hang a hammock and lit a bonfire. In Norway, the right to roam – known as allemannsretten – is a long-established and legally protected right that gives everyone the freedom to enjoy the outdoors regardless of land ownership. As we head back to Dalseter we pass the unique Moose Tower.
SKARDFJELLET
Ca. 3,5 km – 150m ascent/descent
Skardfjellet is an easy-to-reach peak with amazing views. From the top, you can see mountains in Jotunheimen, Rondane and Langsua national parks, as well as local peaks like Heidalsmuen, Saukampen, Ruten and Skag. A large cairn on top shows the names and directions of the surrounding mountains. The terrain is gentle and it taks just about 30 minutes to hike from Holslåseter summer farm – or around an hour from the center of Skåbu.
The peak of Rundho at 1268m 6-7 km total, 300m ascent and descent . A gentle introduction through birch forest and easy mountain terrain.
Storhøliseter (970 m) 11 km total, 200 – 400 m ascent.
We will walk down to the Lake Breidsjøenhike and through the forest up to the old Fredrikseter summer farm. Beautiful scenic views as we pass the small lake at the top and head down to where we are collected with a minibus and transported back to the hotel (appr 45 minutes drive)
Historical walk 13 km total, 200 m ascent and descent
This day we mostly stay in the lower areas and hike around the lake Breidsjøen. We get closer to local history as we look at Verksodden, where we see Espedalen mountain church (1974), the unique graveyard and the remains from the mining period. (1850 – 1870’s). Before returning to Dalseter we will have a short visit to the “Elgtårn” – a unique accommodation tower in Espedalen.
Ruten (1 517 m) massif 13 km total, 600 m ascent and descent located between Espedalen and Gudbrandsdalen, and is a popular peak hike – a great trip in summer as well as in autumn.
Beautiful views of 360 degrees when we reach the cairn at the top. We take another path back in beautiful landscape down to Bingsbu. Familiar hike from Bingsbu back to Dalseter as this is where we walked up on day 2.
Heidalsmuen (1 745 m ) 1 hour drive from Dalseter. A gentle walk through forests and open mountain.
Day 7 departure after approx 9am for the 3.5 hour transfer to Oslo Gardermoen Airport.
