JOSTEDALSBREEN

JOSTEDALSBREEN
Moulded by ice and water
2°
Jostedalsbreen National Park
Jostedalsbreen National Park
3°
Beneath the glacier (GDB)
Landscape moulded by
ice and water
Early purple orchids above the glacier (TD)
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. The natural assets linked with
­glaciers, glacial rivers, moraines and vegetation
are important protection qualities. 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;
over time immemorial, ice and water have
­moulded a constantly changing landscape.
Bubbling becks, streams, rivers and waterfalls
on mountainsides and in valleys characterise
the area. An abundance of water provides good
­conditions for plant life and gives the valleys in
the area unusually lush vegetation.
Looking down on the Tunsbergdal glacier (AR)
4°
Jostedalsbreen National Park
Hiking at Sunndalssætra (AR)
Jostedalsbreen National Park
5°
Skiing on Snøsnipa (AR)
E NJ O Y B EAU TIFU L SCENER Y
Easy walks or demanding treks on glaciers
The Jostedalsbreen district has been an attractive hiking
area for very many years, especially for glacier trekking
and climbing peaks. Recently, particularly taxing trips
like skiing the length of the ice cap in spring, preferably
making a detour to Lodalskåpa, the highest peak, have
become popular. Glacier trekking, however, is hazardous
without proper knowledge and appropriate equipment.
Guided treks are offered.
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.
The ancient tracks linking the valleys around the ice
cap, such as through the passes of Oldeskaret and
Supphelleskaret, offer thrilling walks. The Jostedal Ice
Cap, particularly its outlet glaciers stretching down to
Briksdalen and Fjærland, as well as the Nigard glacier,
has been a cherished goal for ordinary tourists for
many years. Paths can be followed along the valleys
of Krundalen, Kjenndalen and Austerdalen right up
Bøya glacier (GDB)
6°
Jostedalsbreen National Park
Jostedalsbreen National Park
7°
Recent research indicates that Jostedalsbreen had melted
completely about 8000 years and began to form again
some 5000 years ago to reach a new maximum in the
Little Ice Age around 1750, when farms were overwhelmed by advancing glacier arms. The Brenndal glacier
calved as far down as Tungøyane farm in the Oldedalen
valley, and Nigard farm was overrun by the Nigard
­glacier.
Waterfall on Tverrelvi in Sunndalen (AR)
Some of the highest waterfalls in the world cascade from
the Jostedal Ice Cap and its tributary glaciers. Strupen in
Myklebustdalen (Gloppen) and Utigard (or Ramnefjell)
in Lodalen, with their total drops of more than 800 m, are
nos. 10 and 11 on the list of the highest waterfalls in the
world. Other well-known waterfalls in the national park
are Våle and Kjøta, both in Oldedalen.
LA NDSCAP E
The largest glacier in mainland Europe
Jostedalsbreen is a plateau glacier with many branches
extending from about 300 to 2000 m a.s.l. When several
smaller glaciers are included, about half of the national
park is covered by glaciers. Much of the national value of
the area for nature conservation and outdoor ­recreation
stems from it being one of the largest, continuous
areas of undisturbed countryside remaining in southern
Norway.
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 up 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.
Austerdal glacier (AR)
LEGEND
Nordfjordeid
Hellesylt
County border
National Park
Grotli
Geiranger
Faleide
Loen
NORDFJORD
Protected Landscape
Nature Reserve
Tystigbreen
Oppstryn
Stryn
Skålatårnet
Sunndalssetra
1775
Parkering
Accommodation
Innvik
National Park Information Center
Camping Utvik
t
tne
va
Lo
Cafè/restaurant
Havald-trede
Olden
Skardsteinfjellet
Vetledalssetra Sognskardsbreen
Er
da
Bødalssetra
Tourist Cabin, self service
n
br
ee
1930
Bergsetbreen
lsb
n
berg
e
re
Tungestølen
n
sfjo
rde
n
Lunde
Brevasshytta
Vigdalen
LVO
Supphelle
nipa 1731
Vigdalstøl
Tunsbergdalsvatnet
Høgebru
n
Grovabreen 1635
1757
bree
1551
Vongsen
dals
Førde
NATIONAL PARK
Spørteggbreen
s
Tun
a
rd
te
Bings
gryte
Flatbrehytta
Breheimen NP
Gjerde
s
Au
Befringstølen
Mjølver
Ramnane
Befring
Fåberg
Nigardsbreen NR
Breakulen
Kvitekoll
Haugen
e
abre
Bøy
Fivla
Leirdal
Veitastrond
Svardalsbreen
Skjolden
Grøneng
Balestrand
N
DE
Nes
0 km
Sogndal
Sogndal
2
OR
Marifjøra
FJ
Ånestølen
RA
Berge
Luster
Gaupne
ST
fjorde
Førde
Gaularfjellet
1613
LU
Steindalsbreen
n
1615
Veita
stron
dv
Fjærland
atnet
Navarsete
Jostefonn
Fjær
lands
Digital cartography: Gåsvatn kart-tjenester, www.kart-tjenester.no Digital map data: Statens kartverk N250. Order no. MAD12002-R125240
1957
Briksdalsbreen
Fåbergstølen
Nigardsbreen
Høgste
1844
sne
Sprongdalshytta
Fåbergstølsbreen
Kj
en
Brenndalsbreen
Briksdal
Dvergsdalsstølen
net
JOSTEDALSBREEN
nd
als
Snønipa
1827
Kjø
gge
vat
breen
Flatsteinbu
Bjørga
Sty
Kjenndalskruna
Myklebustbreen
Skei
lt
Stegho
Byrkjelo
t
tne
sva
im
Bre
Breim
een
lsbr
Brenibba
a
Lod
Sandane
et
re
e
n
Lodalskåpa
Tourist Cabin, unstaffed
Karistova
atn
Jølstrav
Slæom
Kupvatnet
lsb
4
6
M = 1:340.000
8
10
10°
Jostedalsbreen National Park
Jostedalsbreen National Park
11°
Ptarmigan on the glacier (TD)
Trailing azalea (ABH)
Foxglove(AR)
PLA NT L IFE
From lush, transhumance valleys to glaciers and
barren peaks
The enormous range of habitats over short distances is
caused by great variations 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 like
broad-leaved helleborine and spring pea are found in the
lowlands, while 1500 m above is alpine vegetation with,
for example, glacier buttercups and trailing azaleas.
In front of the glacier snouts in the lowlands, pioneer
plants like purple saxifrage and starwort mouse-ear put
colour into the grey landscape. The natural immigration
of these plants when the glaciers retreat up the valleys
was 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
­shifting course of the rivers, and form a ­particularly outstanding quality in the national park. Fåbergstølsgrandane
is the largest active fluvioglacial plain in Norway.
Snow bunting (AL)
Red deer in Bøyadalen (GDB)
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 lynxes, brown bears and
wolverines occasionally roam over the ice cap. The
handsome snow bunting may be seen on the peaks
­surrounding the ice cap. Wild reindeer live furthest north
in the park. You may also be lucky enough to see large
birds of prey like golden eagles and rough-legged buzzards in the nearby mountains and valleys.
Many red deer live in the valleys surrounding
Jostedalsbreen, and birdlife is rich in the lush, deciduous
woodland and on farmland. You may also see and hear
the rare white-backed woodpecker. There is a potential
for recording undiscovered species, too. 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 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 on the whole not good in the park.
12°
Jostedalsbreen National Park
Jostedalsbreen National Park
13°
H I S T O RY
Jostedalsbreen – an important artery in the old days
The Jostedal Ice Cap used to be an important route
for 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 by the glaciers for many centuries. Farming
is carried on in the settlements around the national park,
and a few transhumance summer dairy farms are still
being worked in the traditional manner.
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 in
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, Bøya and Briksdal. Today, the outlet glaciers
from the ice cap are the most visited tourist desti­nations
in Norway, and more than 250 000 people visit the
Briksdal glacier each year. Other glaciers that are popular
among tourists include Nigard, Bøya and Kjenndal.
Skåla Tower (AR)
Research
Glaciers can provide information on past changes in
­climate, and their movements reveal trends in the
­present-day climate. Glaciological research on the
Jostedal Ice Cap goes back as far as the mid-19th
­century, and both foreign and Norwegian teams have put
in a great deal of effort here. 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 programmes 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, longterm investigations 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 more minor programmes at several sites on
and around the ice cap.
Bødalseter (AR)
14°
Jostedalsbreen National Park
Jostedalsbreen National Park
15°
Jostedalsbreen
National Park in brief
Camping on the ice cap (AR)
In a national park, you are one
of Nature’s guests
• You may go wherever you like, on foot or on
skis, but anything with an engine is basically
prohibited.
• You can stop wherever you like and pitch a tent.
Always tidy up afterwards and take your rubbish
with you.
• You can light a fire, but remember the general
ban on fires in woodland from 15 April to
15 September. Show consideration when
­collecting firewood.
• You can pick berries, mushrooms and common
plants for your own use. Show consideration for
cultural heritage sites, vegetation and animal
life. Take extra care in the breeding season.
• Hunting and fishing are permitted. Remember
to buy hunting and fishing licences. Never use
live fish as bait, or transfer live fish from one
river or lake to another.
• You can take your dog with you, but remember
to keep it on a lead from 1 April to 20 August.
M217/2014
Layout: Guri Jermstad AS. Photo: Anne Rudsengen (AR), Tom Dybwad (TD), Pål Gran Kielland (PGK),
Arnt Flatmo (AF), Gaute Dvergsdal Bøyum (GDB), Astrid Bakke Havik (ABH) og Arild Lindgaard (AL)
Front cover: Towers of ice on Supphellebreen (GDB), The diversity of Nature (AF).
Back cover: Walking beneath the glacier (PGK)
Print: GRØSET™
Where
The boroughs of Luster, Sogndal, Balestrand, Førde, Jølster,
Gloppen and Stryn 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 paths 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 be dangerous.
Glaciers are always 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 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 park, such as
Jostedalen, Veitastrond, Fjærland, Stardalen, Oldedalen, Lodalen
and Erdalen.
Information on accommodation and other services
Every borough 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 series,
Breheimen (1:100 000).
The glacier trek map, available free at information offices, shows
routes for which guiding is available and where you can find
­accommodation, and so on.
Designated in 1991, extended in 1998
Area 1315 km2
Adjacent protected areas
Breheimen National Park and Nigardsbreen Nature Reserve
National Park Centres
Breheim Centre, NO-6871 Jostedal, phone +47 57 68 32 50
Jostedalsbreen National Park Centre, NO-6799 Oppstryn,
phone +47 57 87 72 00
Norwegian Glacier Museum, NO-6848 Fjærland,
phone +47 57 69 32 88
Management and supervision
Jostedalsbreen National Park Board, Jostedalsbreen@fylkesmannen.
no, phone +47 57 64 30 00, www.nasjonalparkstyre.no
Norwegian Nature Inspectorate, Sogndal, PO Box 88, NO-6851
Sogndal, phone +47 57 67 56 30
More information
www.norgesnasjonalparker.no
NORWAY’S
NATIONAL PARKS
Norwegian National Parks are our common
natural heritage
We set up national parks to safeguard large
areas of countryside – from the seashore to the
mountaintops. For Nature’s own sake, ourselves
and future generations. National parks boast
magnificent scenery with varied animal and
plant life, waterfalls, glaciers, lofty mountains,
endless plateaus, deep forests and lush woodlands, and beautiful fjords and coasts. You will
also find cultural heritage remains showing how
the areas were used in the past. The national
parks offer a multitude of opportunities for
­thrilling encounters with natural history.
Make use of our magnificent nature – on its
own terms.
Welcome to Norwegian national parks.
www.environmentagency.no