Jostedalsbreen 2° Jostedalsbreen National Park

Early-purple orchid above the Nigard glacier

The braided fluvioglacial river at Fåbergstølsgrandane 3° Jostedalsbreen National Park

A landscape shaped by ice and water

The Jostedalsbreen National Park has an enormous variety of habitats, ranging from lush, broad-leaved deciduous woodland in the lowlands to glaciers and towering peaks with an Arctic climate. The Jostedalsbreen ice cap extends unbroken for more than 60 kilometres. Covering an area of 487 km2, it comprises about 2/5 of the national park. Assets of special importance for the national park are glaciers, glacial rivers and moraines. The cultural landscape in valleys where transhumance summer dairy farms are located is also highly valuable.

U-shaped valleys, moraines, glacially smoothed mountainsides, fluvioglacial plains and screes can all be found here. Over time immemorial, ice and water have shaped the landscape. An abundance of water provides good conditions for plant life and gives the valleys in the area unusually lush vegetation. 4° Jostedalsbreen National Park

TrekkingStraumdalen on the Nigard glacier Melkevoll glacier

EXPERIENCE NATURE

Easy walks or demanding treks on glaciers The Jostedalsbreen district has been an attractive hiking area for many years, in particular for glacier trekking and climbing peaks. Recently, particularly strenuous trips such as skiing the length of the ice cap in spring, prefera- bly making a detour underway to Lodalskåpa, the highest peak, have become popular. Glacier trekking, however, is hazardous without proper knowledge and appropriate equipment. There are various guided treks offered on the ice cap and the glaciers radiating from it.

The ancient trackways linking the valleys around the ice cap, such as through the passes of Oldeskaret and Supphelleskaret, offer thrilling walks. The Jostedalsbreen Ice Cap, particularly its outlet glaciers stretching down to Briksdalen and Fjærland, as well as the Nigard glacier, has been a cherished destination for ordinary tourists for many years. Footpaths can be followed along the valleys of Krundalen, Kjenndalen and Austerdalen right 5° Jostedalsbreen National Park

View of Fjærlandsfjord

up to the glacier, fairly easy walks with plenty to enjoy. The ascent of Lodalskåpa (2083 m a.s.l.), also called Vestlandsdronninga (the Queen of West Norway), is a long day’s trek and requires glacier-trekking equipment and a high level of fitness.

Sunndalssetra, a summer dairy farm 6° Jostedalsbreen National Park

Jostedalsbreen ice cap

LANDSCAPE

The largest glacier in mainland Europe Jostedalsbreen is a plateau glacier with many branches extending from about 300 to 2000 m a.s.l. including the various smaller glaciers, about half of the national park is covered by glaciers. Being one of the largest, continuous areas of undisturbed countryside remaining in southern Norway, this national park has high national value for nature conservation and outdoor recreation.

Glaciers form as a result of a surplus of snow falling in winter relative to its thawing in summer. It may be cold, cloudy and windy on the glacier at the same time as it is warm, sunny and calm in the valleys. Frost and snowfall may occur on the glacier throughout the year. 7° Jostedalsbreen National Park

Recent research indicates that Jostedalsbreen melted completely about 8000 years ago and began to form again some 5000 years ago to reach a new maximum in the Little Ice Age around 1750, at which time farms were overwhelmed by the advancing glacier arms. The Brenndalsbreen glacier calved as far down as Tungøyane farm in the Oldedalen valley, and Nigard farm was over- run by the Nigard glacier.

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fjellet Erdalsbreen Slæom Utvik Bødalssetra Kupvatnet

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Karistova Lodalskåpa gholtbreen Lodalsbreen Styg Sandane g evatnet Brenibba

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Karistova Lodalskåpa gholtbreen Lodalsbreen Styg Sandane g evatnet Brenibba

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eitastr R V Marifjøra Berge Ånestølen O Nes J F Gaularfjellet A Førde R T Fjærlandsfjor S U Balestrand Sogndal Sogndal L 10° Jostedalsbreen National Park

Glacier buttercups Foliose lichen

PLANT LIFE

From lush, transhumance valleys to glaciers and barren peaks The enormous range of habitats over short distances is caused by large gradients in local climate, sharp differences in altitude and the influence of the glaciers. Lush broad-leaved deciduous woodland with wych elm and small-leaved lime, and warmth-demanding plants such as the broad-leaved helleborine and spring pea are found in the lowlands, while 1500 m ”directly above” one can find alpine vegetation with, for example, glacier buttercups and trailing azalea.

In front of the glacier snouts in the lowlands, pioneer plants such as purple saxifrage and starwort mouse-ear put colour into the grey landscape. The natural immi- gration of these plants as the glaciers retreat up the valleys is an important reason for protecting the area as a national park.

Swamp woodlands on the gently sloping fluvioglacial plains are adapted to the changeable discharge and the shifting course of the rivers, and form a particularly outstanding quality in the national park. Fåbergstølsgrandane is actually the largest active fluvioglacial plain in Norway. 11° Jostedalsbreen National Park

Snow bunting Ptarmigan on the glacier

ANIMAL LIFE

The great variation in the plant life is reflected in the animal life. The glaciers have little animal life, just red deer and large predators like lynx and wolverine spora- dically roam there. The handsome snow bunting may be seen on the peaks surrounding the ice cap. Wild reindeer can be found furthest north in the national park. You may also be lucky enough to see large birds of prey such as golden eagles and rough-legged buzzards in the nearby mountains and valleys.

Many red deer live in the valleys surrounding Joste dalsbreen, and the birdlife is rich in the lush deciduous woodland and on farmland. You may also be lucky to see and hear the white-backed woodpecker. There is also still the possibility of undiscovered species turning up. In the 1970s, two new species of non-biting midges (chironomids), not known anywhere else in the world, were found in a lake (Vivavatnet) in Sprongdalen (Jostedalen), just outside the national park.

Few lakes in the national park offer good fishing, and the high content of mud in the rivers means that conditions for fish are not good. 12° Jostedalsbreen National Park

HISTORY

Jostedalsbreen – an important artery in the old days The Jostedalsbreen ice cap used to be an important route used by travellers and livestock drovers journeying from the western valleys and fjord districts to inner Sognefjord and southeast Norway. Cattle and horses were led over the glacier to be sold at markets in southeast Norway, a long, hazardous journey. Nowadays, it would be diffi cult to use the ice cap and glaciers for such a purpose because they have shrunk and thus become steeper and more crevassed.

The cultural landscape, with its farms, transhumance farms, birch groves and so on, shows that man has been eking a living around the glaciers for many centuries. Farming is practiced in the settlements around the national park, and a few transhumance summer dairy farms are still operated in the traditional way.

Modern tourism came to the Jostedalsbreen area in the latter half of the 19th century when the fjord landscape and glaciers in Norway were “discovered” by people from other European countries. The tourists particularly came to Fjærland and Olden with cruise ships. From the quays there, they were mostly taken by horse and trap to two glaciers, Bøyabreen or Briksdalsbreen. Today, the outlet glaciers from the ice cap are among the most visited

Tourists by the glacier snout 13° Jostedalsbreen National Park

- Breheim Center tourist destinations in Norway, and more than 250 000 people visit the Briksdal glacier each year. Other glaciers that are popular among tourists include Nigardsbreen, Bøyabreen and Kjenndalsbreen.

Research Glaciers can provide information on past changes in climate, and their movements reveal trends in the present- day climate. Glaciological research on the Jostedalsbreen ice cap goes back as far as the mid-19th century, and both foreign and Norwegian teams have worked here for many years. Since the glaciers are able to reveal a great deal about the history of the climate, Jostedalsbreen is a particularly valuable climate archive.

Norwegian universities and the Norwegian Polar Institute have undertaken a number of studies that particularly aim to trace the retreat and advance of the outlet glaciers. In the early-1960s, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate began detailed, long-term investi- gations of mass balance and various glacial processes at several sites on the glacier. The Norwegian Glacier Museum and a number of other Norwegian and foreign research institutions are also undertaking smaller studies at several sites on and around the ice cap. 14° Jostedalsbreen National Park

You are a guest of nature in a national park

• You may go wherever you like, on foot or ski, but the basic rule is that anything with an engine is prohibited. • You can stop wherever you like and pitch a tent. Always tidy up after yourself and don’t leave litter. • You can light a fire, but remember the general ban on lighting fires in forests from 15 April to 15 September. Be considerate when collecting firewood. • You can pick berries, mushrooms and com- mon plants for your own use. Be considerate of cultural relics, vegetation and fauna. Be extra careful during the breeding and nesting season. • Make use of the hunting and fishing oppor tunities. Remember a hunting/fishing licence. Never use live fish as bait, or transfer live fish from one watercourse to another. • You can take your dog with you, but remember to keep it on a lead from 1 April to 20 August. 15° Jostedalsbreen National Park

Jostedalsbreen National Park in brief

Where: Luster, Sogndal, Balestrand, Førde, Jølster, Gloppen and Stryn municipalities in the county of Sogn & Fjordane. Foremost characteristics: Extremely varied and spectacular scenery, ranging from lush U-shaped valleys to glacial alpine landscape; Jostedalsbreen is the largest ice cap on the European mainland, surrounded by peaks reaching above 2000 m. Outdoor recreation: Marked footpaths follow the valleys leading to the ice cap and cross some passes between the valleys. Glacier trekking and spring skiing trips. Walking or skiing on or near the glaciers may however be dangerous. Glaciers are continuously on the move and there is a constant risk of falling ice and flash floods at their snouts. Never go near steep glaciers or beneath a glacier. Do not venture onto a glacier without a guide who knows the local conditions. You can take part in organised glacier treks, or hire a guide from Jostedalen, Fjærland, Briksdal or Stryn, for example. How to reach Jostedalsbreen National Park: Rv 604 Jostedalen. E 5 Fjærland. E 39 Jølster. Rv 60 to Oldedalen and Lodalen. E 15 to Erdalen Branch roads continue some way along many of the valleys leading towards the national park, such as Jostedalen, Veitastrond, Fjærland, Stardalen, Oldedalen, Lodalen and Erdalen. Information on overnight accommodation and other services: Every municipality has a local tourist information office. Two large, informative websites are: www.nordfjord.no and www.sognefjord.no Maps: Jostedalsbreen (1:100 000) Ten maps in the 1:50 000 scale series Breheimen (1:100 000) Glacier treks, published by the Norwegian Glacier Museum (shows routes for which guiding is available on Jostedalsbreen) Designated in: 1991, extended in 1998 Area: 1315 km2 Adjacent protected area: Nigardsbreen Nature Reserve National Park Information Centers: Breheim Center, N-6871 Jostedal, phone +47 57 68 32 50, www.jostedal.com Jostedalsbreen National Park Information Center, N-6799 Oppstryn, phone +47 57 87 72 00, www.jostedalsbre.no Norwegian Glacier Museum, N-6848 Fjærland, phone +47 57 69 32 88, www.bre.museum.no Management and supervision: County Governor of Sogn & Fjordane, Njøsavegen 2, N-6863 Leikanger, phone +47 57 65 50 00 Norwegian Nature Inspectorate, Sogndal, PO Box 88, N-6851 Sogndal, phone +47 57 67 56 30 More information: www.norgesnasjonalparker.no TE1237 Guri Jermstad AS. Grøset™ Photo: Tom Dybwad, Arild Lindgaard og Finn Loftesnes

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Norway’s national parks are the laws of nature. Nature regulateddecides both how by and when to do things. National parks established in are order to protect large natural This mountains. the to coast the from – areas is done for the benefit of nature itself, for our sake and for generations to come. The national parks offer opportunities a and wide experiences. The range natural of surroundings are beautiful and varied. There is hunting, fishing, plants, birds, animals and cultural monuments. Accept our invitation – become acquainted with nature and our national parks. Norway’s national parks – nature as it was meant to be