Espedal Road

From Vestre Gausdal a winding road runs southwest to Fagernes (84km/52mi) through beautiful and varied scenery (many viewpoints), climbing to 1,000m/3,280ft.

From Fagernes the Espedal Road follows the Svatsumdal for 22km/14mi to Svatsum, with an octagonal wooden church built in 1860. In another 13km/8mi, at the southern tip of the Espedalsvatn, it passes on the left the remarkable cave system known as Helvete ("Hell"), the largest chamber in which measures 100m/330ft by 40m/130ft. Nearby (2km/1.25mi) is the abandoned nickel mine of Vassenden.

3km/2mi from Vassenden is the Strand Fjellstue (alt. 730m/2,395ft), with a fine view of the lake, and 5km/3mi beyond this the Megrund Gård, the oldest farm in the Espedal (ca. 1785).

From Megrund Gård it is 4km/2.5mi to the Espedalen Fjellstue, where good fishing is available, with a church built in 1974. There was a nickel mine in the town until 1874.

At Dalseter (4km/2.5mi) the road from Vollsdammen on the Peer Gynt Trail comes in. To the right there is a view of Ruten (1,513m/4,964ft). 3km/2miles beyond this is the highest point on the road (972m/3,189ft). To the west can be seen the summits of the Sikkildalshø (1,783m/5,850ft) and Heimdalshø (1,848m/6,063ft), to the north the Gråhø (1,156m/3,793ft). To the left of the road is the artificial lake of Olstappen.

At Kamfoss is a dam on which, when the water level is high, the overflow forms a beautiful waterfall.

10km/6mi beyond Dalseter the Espedal Road joins Road 255 at Skåbu, where the Jotunheim Road (a private road; toll) goes off on the left to Bygdin. Road 255 continues, with numerous bends, to Kvikne (church of 1764) and Vinstra (26km/16mi).