Norwegian County Road 55
Norway · Europe
About Norwegian County Road 55
Road 55 is a 140-km regional route between Sogndal at Sognefjord and Lom in Oppland. The route runs through Sognefjellet mountain pass and the drive is simply called Sognefjellet by locals. The Sognefjellet is a mountain pass in central Norway, joining the Sognefjorden in the west with the Ottadalen branch of Gudbrandsdalen in the east. The route has been named one of 18 national scenic routes because of the varied landscape and fine scenery. Route 55 runs between the great western fjords and the wide eastern valleys, and runs through the steep slopes between fjords and high mountains, passed glaciers and alpine peaks, and along big valleys with powerful rivers. The route offers a shortcut between inner Sognefjord and eastern valleys in an area where overland transport is blocked by glaciers and wild mountains. Alternative drives are through Valdres or E39 through Stryn.
From west to east the road runs from Sogndal village passed Hafslo lake then along Lustrafjorden to Skjolden village at the far end. After a few kilometers passed Fortun in the deep valley the road climbs steeply and through several hairpins to the mountain pass, Turtagrø hotel is about half way to the highest point. For some kilometers at the highest the road runs across a small plateau surrounded by glaciers, lakes and alpine summits. Just east of Sognefjellshytta lodge the road descends steeply along a deep
Norwegian County Road 55 travel guide
Understand
At 1,434 metres above sea level the Sognefjellet is the highest mountain pass in Northern Europe, and it is only accessible in the summer with a varying opening time. Sognefjellet lies on the northern edge of Jotunheimen and south of Breheimen mountain range.
At Lom in Ottadalen branch of Gudbrandsdalen valley route 55 connects to route 15 (Otta-Stryn). Ottadalen valley runs along the south edge of Reinheimen national park, a wide mountain range and plateau. About 1 hour upstream from Lom road 15 connects to Geiranger road which is part of Road 63 (Norway). Work on the road through the mountain pass began in 1936 when the ministry of social affairs wanted to create jobs for unemployed young people. Some 100 from Sognefjord area and 100 from Oppland county joined and the road was completed in 1938.
Getting there
Despite being one of the most remote and rugged roads in Europe, the Sognefjellet is easily accessed by public transport, with two buses daily in the summer leaving Sogndal on the South-West side, and Lom in the North-East side, connecting with buses to Otta (route information on Fjord1 [1]).
See
The Lustrafjorden arm of the Sognefjorden, the longest fjord in Norway and the second longest fjord in the world. Norway's largest glacier, the Jostedalsbreen Glacier.
Sleep
There are a couple of hostels up on the plateaux, bustling with skiers and hikers.DNT [3] and Sognefjellet [4]. Sogndal village has a handful standard hotels.
1 Turtagrø hotel. Turtagrø hotel is halfway to the highest point and a popular starting point for western Jotunheimen summits. The first building was erected in 1888 and became the favorite hangout for Norwegian and British climbing pioneers including Slingsby and Patchell. The main building burned down in January 2001 and just one year later a new building was in place. An annex from 1888 is still standing. (updated Oct 2021) 2 Sognefjellshytta. Sognefjellshytta on the plateau is a privately owned mountain lodge that began operation in 1947. Expanded several times and some sections have standard hotel rooms. (updated Oct 2021)
Go next
Road 63 (Norway) (via road 15) E6 through Sweden and Norway (at Otta) European route E39 (at Skei near Sogndal)
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.