Norway · Jotunheimen · Premium route guide
Sognefjellet and Valdresflye - Jotunheimen High Roads
Northern Europe's highest mountain pass, glaciers on both sides and snow walls into June.
Lom, Bøverdalen, the Sognefjellet summit, Turtagrø, Skjolden and Gaupne, back over Sognefjellet to Lom, then Vågå, Valdresflye, Bygdin, Beitostølen and Fagernes. Built from our own track.
- Distance
- 375.9 km
- Peak elevation
- 1,439 m
- Elevation gain
- 5,311 m
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Norway · Innlandet · Vestland
- Multi-day
- 100% paved
- Seasonal closure
The route
Two official National Tourist Routes in one ride. Sognefjellet is ridden both ways, down to the head of the Sognefjord at Skjolden and Gaupne and back up to Lom. From Vågå, road 51 climbs over Valdresflye and drops past Bygdin to Beitostølen and Fagernes. Best split over two days, with a night in Lom.
1 verified stay within 30 km of the route. Click a stay pin to see details. Know one that should be here?
Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route, how to load this into your GPS
What you are downloading is a GPX track, a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It is not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zumo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner, new trip from track) if you want turn by turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive, it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it does not re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour, Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these do not read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line, pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~0 m at the base to 1,439 m at the top, 5,311 m of total climbing across the route.
Our track is 376 km with about 5,300 m of climbing, roughly 11 to 12 hours of riding, so plan two days. Heading south on road 51 you reach the Valdresflye plateau before Bygdin, so our track follows the road in that order.
Why ride it
The highest mountain road in Northern Europe at about 1,434 m, glaciers and peaks of Jotunheimen on both sides, the Sognefjord at the bottom and the wide, empty Valdresflye plateau.
Hazards
Cold temperatures and wind at the top even in summer, snow walls and meltwater on the road in June, sheep and reindeer, cyclists and coaches on the narrow sections.
Fuel
Fuel in Lom, Gaupne, Vågå, Beitostølen and Fagernes. There is no fuel on the high plateaus.
Best months and difficulty
June to September. Difficulty: moderate.
What to see along the way
- Lom - Stave church and start of Sognefjellet.
- Bøverdalen - Valley climbing to the pass.
- Sognefjellet summit - About 1,434 m, highest pass in Northern Europe.
- Turtagrø - Historic mountain hotel.
- Skjolden - Head of the Sognefjord.
- Gaupne - Turnaround on the fjord.
- Vågå - Old village with stave church.
- Valdresflye - High plateau on road 51.
- Bygdin - Lake and mountain hotel.
- Beitostølen - Mountain resort, fuel and food.
- Fagernes - End of the route.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Sognefjellet and Valdresflye - Jotunheimen High Roads
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Lom - change it if you're basing elsewhere.
Rentals powered by BikesBooking. StayToRide may earn a small commission - no extra cost to you.
Verified stays within 30 km
Automatically selected by proximity to the traced route, no editorial cherry-picking. Sorted by how close they are to the road.
Ridden this road and stayed somewhere great?
This whole directory grows one rider recommendation at a time. Add a stay and it will appear on this guide automatically if it is within 30 km of the route.
Suggest a stay