Hallingskarvet National Park

Hallingskarvet National Park Photo: Vegard Breie Map and information Welcome inside Norway’s National Parks Welcome to Hallingskarvet The mountain massif Hallingskarvet rises from the surrounding moorland, with steep cliffs towards the north and south and Folarskardnuten towering on top at 1,933 metres above sea level. Between the barren high mountain plateau and the fertile area around lies the characteristic steep cliff edge, which has given it the name Hallingskarvet. Skarv means bare mountain or rock. If you visit Hallingskarvet you can find It’s a hard life in the mountains. Some jumping hares or follow the sound of have learned to tackle the conditions the wind whistling down from the bare however. The wild reindeer wander mountain. You can follow paths others around the mountain all year round, have walked before you, or you can looking for pastures, and the glacier wander around without anyone showing buttercup turns her face towards the the way. In wintertime you can follow sun to gather light and warmth. miles of marked or prepared ski trails keeping you on the right path, or you A marked path from Prestholtseter can make your own tracks in the snow. leads you upwards, up to the plateau In the summertime the marked paths with views across Hallingdal and take you from cabin to cabin through Hardangervidda. mountain passes and fertile hillsides. Hallingskarvet is also easily accessible The cliffs, several hundred metres for families with children. Use an high, that characterise Hallingskarvet environmentally friendly mode of are almost inaccessible , but the high transport when you visit Hallingskarvet: mountain plateau shows the signs of The Bergen Line railway almost brushes some harsh years. The deep hollows the boundary of the National park. cutting inn from the north reveal the wear and tear of time. The erosion has left the hard gneiss of Hallingskarvet on its own, towering above the surrounding plains. Photo: Vegard Breie Vegard Photo: Hallingskarvet towering above the plains. Photo: Vegard Breie Vegard Photo: Experience nature on your own. Activities There is a lot to choose from in Hallingskarvet. It is easy to gain access to the great moorland, where fish are biting and the marked tracks lead you through the landscape of the high mountain plateau in both summer and winter. When you finally stand up there on the high Hallingskarvet, the reward is the wide view – in clear weather you can see for miles and miles. Walking Glacier walking From the road, the railway or the cycle Even though some parts of path you can take to your feet and Hallingskarvet are covered by ice let miles of marked tracks lead you and snow all the year round, it is through the National Park. The view of Hardangerjøkulen south west of the high mountain plateau will be with Hallingskarvet that you need to go to if you all the way. you want to get closer to the glacier. Winter trips Prestholtrunden walk Miles of marked ski tracks lead you From Prestholt you can take a 6.5 through Hallingskarvet during the kilometre long track that leads you to winter, if you want untouched mother the viewpoint 1,705 metres above sea nature as a companion. Outside the level. Sherpas from Nepal have laid the National Park a large network of stones on part of the track and seeing prepared ski trails keeps you on track the stonework is an experience in itself. around Myrland, Haugastøl, Ustaoset and Geilo. Finse Finse is a springboard for activities Fishing and walks in the National Park. This is Most lakes and waterways are well Norway’s highest railway station. Take stocked with trout. No need to leave the the train to Finse. fishing rod at home. Fishing permits can be purchased at inatur.no. Rallarvegen This road was made around the end of Skarverennet the 19th century as a service road when During the public festival of the building the Bergen line. Bring your Skarverennet race, more than 12,000 own bike or rent one and cycle the 80 people have a start number on their kilometres between Haugastøl and Flåm, back. Join in – whether you are just from the high mountain down to the exercising or have a well-developed fjord. The trip along Rallarvegen is well competitive nature. suited for families. Photo: Vegard Breie Vegard Photo: Photo: Emile Holba Photo: Discover the National Park in winter. Stone covered track at Prestholtrunden. Photo: Magne Ove Furuseth Magne Ove Photo: Cycling along Rallarvegen. Facts & information Hallingskarvet National Park was established in 2006 and is 450 km2. Where is Hol in the county of Buskerud, Ulvik in Hallingskarvet? the county of Hordaland and Aurland in the county of Sogn og Fjordane. How do I Train: Take the Bergen Line to Geilo, get there? Ustaoset, Haugastøl, Finse or Hallingskeid. Bus: Oslo-Drammen-Gol-Geilo. National Tourist Route Rv 7 Hardangervidda nasjonaleturistveger.no National Park village Geilo Viewpoint Prestholt Plan the trip inatur.no ut.no outtt.com/geilo Conservation Hardangerjøkulen glacier landscape areas nearby conservation area Hardangervidda National Park Management and Hallingskarvet National Park Board supervision nasjonalparkstyre.no/hallingskarvet Norwegian Nature Inspectorate Phone (SMS) + 47 950 01 881, naturoppsyn.no Tourist Information geilo.com Print: Skipnes Kommunikasjon Print: Skipnes Kommunikasjon Wildlife and plants Hallingskarvet needs to be taken seriously. When the wind really blows over the Hallingskarv plateau, it sometimes gets up to hurricane force. So not everything is able to survive here. Arctic fox Birds of the mountains The Arctic fox does not make much The large moorland areas around of itself, as it is very small, but it is Hallingskarvet are teeming with extremely good at tackling the hard bird life in the summer. The wader; conditions of the mountains. The Arctic Eurasian dotterel is a fearless master of fox was also the first to inhabit camouflage. It lies on the nest in such a Scandinavia after the last ice age. protective manner that there is a risk of Following years of hunting to near stepping on the bird before you see it. extinction, it became a protected There are three mustard coloured eggs species in Norway in 1930. Despite this with dark brown flecks lying in the nest. there are very few Arctic foxes left in The Arctic species snow bunting has Norway and the species is currently settled well in Hallingskarvet. It is easy critically threatened. Changes to the life to spot the male bird in the spring with cycle of the lemming and the arrival of its black and white plumage. A plumage the red fox in the high mountains have of contrasts and lots of singing make the made conditions for survival hard for the male attractive to the females. Arctic fox. Several research projects are attempting to strengthen the species in Plants Norway. Hallingskarvet is not just a barren plateau. Mineral rich soil with lime Wild reindeer and phyllite provides good growing Wild reindeer, the wanderer. Large conditions for lush vegetation. The twin herds need large amounts of food leaf saxifrage is hardy and withstands and the reindeer wander across large the wind and the weather. The twin leaf areas throughout the year looking for saxifrage flowers just a few days after grazing. The wild reindeer that live in the snow has melted. The twin leaf Hallingskarvet mostly use the moorland saxifrage thrives best in lime soil, and below the plateau. In the autumn herds grows in both running water and dry of male reindeer mix with the herds of wind-blown places. The moss campion calves, females and young reindeer. or cushion pink grows in cushions and The male reindeer have developed is found on moist rocky ground and in large antlers, providing status when the short grass. It flowers first on southerly mating season starts in the autumn. The slopes and can therefore be used to find male reindeer lose their antlers when the the cardinal points. mating season is over. The calves are born early in the springtime and grow up amongst the snow and bare fields. Photo: Bjørn Furuseth Photo: The Arctic fox is returning to Hallingskarvet. Photo: Bjørn Furuseth Photo: The Eurasian dotterel builds its nest on dry, bare scrapes of ground. Photo: Bjørn Furuseth Photo: Photo: Bjørn Furuseth Photo: The twin leaf saxifrage grows in You can hear the bluethroat singing at cushions. dusk. History and culture Used for a long time rock or an alleyway. Bjødnabulægret The reindeer has been important to (Bjødnabu shelter) and Lengjedals- people for a long time - as far back as lægret (Lengjedals shelter) are names the time when the ice retreated from the still shown on the map. south towards the north. The reindeer followed when the ice disappeared Lordehytta and man also followed. Hunter’s pits, (The cabin for lords) stone age dwelling sites and names From the middle of the 1800s foreigners like Simlenutane (female reindeer) and started visiting the Norwegian Bukkehallin (male reindeer) are signs mountains. In Folarskardet, Lars Lein of dwellings and hunting areas in the built what is now called Lordehytta in terrain that are closely connected to 1880 for Lord Garvagh jr. The cabin bear the reindeer. witness to the time when the English came on a journey of discovery to the Between east and west Norwegian mountains. Today this is a Slepene, the old trading routes in the lovely hiking destination. The Lordehytta mountains, carried people from east can also be used for emergency shelter. to west, to markets where goods and animals were exchanged. The land of Arne Næss The trade in cattle became big business The philosopher and climber Arne in the 17th to 19th centuries.

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