Big 5 Travel

The road makes its way between fjord and valley, over a high mountain pass between blue ice, jagged peaks and emerald green mountain lakes. The road marks the highest mountain pass in Northern Europe, and the highest point is at Fantesteinen, 1,434 metres above sealevel.

The road is part of Country Road 55, RV55, and is located in Vestland and Innlandet counties. It starts in the village of Lom, it then travels over the Sognefjell mountain area, and it ends in the village of Gaupne in the municipality of Luster. The road was opened on 16 July 1938.

MAIN ATTRACTIONS:

• Lusterfjorden
• Turtagrø
• Melfjellet
• Smørstabbtindan – mountain range
• Fantesteinen – “The Tramp Rock” – highest point along the route
• Elveseter Hotel
• Lom

Last time we travelled this route was this summer 2020. We startet the other way around – from Gaupne by Lusterfjorden and ended in Lom.

LUSTERFJORDEN

The weather was great when we were driving along Lusterfjord, the scenery was impressive! This picturesque fjord arm which is the innermost arm of the Sognefjord, is surrounded by the glaciers and high mountains of the Jotunheimen National Park and the Jostedalsbreen National Park. It is meltwater from the glaciers that flows into the fjord that gives its bright green colour.

Skjolden – the village in the end of Lusterfjord:

TURTAGRØ

On your way up from Fortun you reach Turtagrø ( 884 m) – which was a central meeting place for the pioneers of mountaineering in Jotunheimen from the late 1800s. I 1888 the first hotel was built here, and Sognefjellsvegen which now passes Turtagrø, was finished in 1938.
A new hotel was opened in 2002:

Part of the mountain range – Hurrungane – which is southwest in the larger mountain range Jotunheimen. Several of the peaks are only accessible through climbing or glacier crossing. The starting point for hiking is the village of Turtagrø.
The highest peak is Store Skagastølstind (also known as Storen) –
2405 m -and is the third highest peak in Norway.

MELFJELLET

At the Melfjellet rest area, in the centre of the mountain plateau, you will find Knut Wold´s stone sculpture .
The sculpture is a massive concrete block standing in the centre of the high-altitude scenery! It is a favorite motif for photographers!
This is from our tour in October 2015 – a misty day where we did not see all all beautiful mountains peaks around.

Nicer weather- summer 2020:

SMØRSTABBTINDAN

An impressive view of the the mountain range Smørstabbtindane – with its sharp and special peaks! All these peaks are surrounded by glaciers except Store Smørstabbtind. The tops are used for climbing, hikes, and skiing.

The highest peak of the Smørstabbtindan is Storebjørn (2.222 moh).
then – Store Smørstabbtinden (2.208 moh).
Other peaks in the photos:
Skeie (2.118 moh), Kniven (2.133 moh) og Sokse/Saksa (2.159 moh).
Veslebjørn (2105 m), Kalven (2034 m) and Geite (2002 m)

Fantesteinen – “the Tramp Rock”

Fantesteinen ( “The Tramp rock”) is the highest point along this scenic route – 1,434 meters above sea level.
Fantesteinen is named after vagrants who in the 1600s – 1700s lived here,
using this large boulder as a hiding place for robbing travelers passing by.

From Fantesteinen we drove further northeast, the road evolved into some turns near Krossmo as the road slowly descents to the valleys of Breisæterdalen and Leirdalen. In the end of Leirdalen, just before entering Bøverdalen, we came to our stop for the night:

ELVESETER (640 m)

We stayed over at Elveseter Hotel which is about 24 km southwest of Lom. The Elveseter family has welcomed guests for nearly 150 years.
In the last century the estate has been gradually transformed into a beautiful hotel with modern facilities.

The Art Gallery at Elveseter

The Elveseter Family has accumulated a significant art collection and farming antiques from the 1800’s. The hotel features art by Adolph Tiedemand, Anders Monsen, Oscar Arnold Wergeland and Nils Gustav Wentzel. The hotel also contains a collection of older traditional crafts, including cupboards made by the woodcutter Skjak-Ola.

Nice view from the restaurant:

THE SAGA COLUMN

At Elveseter Hotel you will find Sagasoylen. At 34 meters it is one of the highest columns in the world..

The  history of The Saga Column
The column has a long and peculiar history. It was intended to become the new national monument for Norway, with place of honor outside the national parliament. The sculptor Wilhelm Rasmussen won the commission issued by the Norwegian government in 1926, competing against amongst others Gustav Vigeland.

At the end of World War II in 1945, the column had not been completed. Its installation was canceled given that the sculptor had expressed sympathies with the German occupation forces. It would not be possible to erect a national monument created by a man who served a jail sentence for treason.

In the 1980, the previous generation owner of Elveseter Hotel, Amund Elveseter, discovered elements of the column in a storage shed at Skøyen in Oslo. As an art collector, and also a member of the Norwegian resistance during the war, he felt that the column deserved a better fate.

He took matters into his own hands, arranged for the column to be restored and finalised, and had it raised at Elveseter in 1992. It has since become a popular tourist attraction.

LOM

Lom – in the heart of Norways most spectacular mountain scenery – marks the end of our Sognefjellet Scenic Route. Many start this route here, and beside being a gateway to Sognefjellet Scenic Route and Jotunheim National Park, is also a gateway the national parks Breheimen and Reinheimen, and to the Geiranger area.
This nice little mountain village has a cosy center with one of Norway´s most famous bakeries. Master baker Morten Schakenda makes all his breads using only natural ingredients and wood-fired ovens. You can buy freshly baked baguettes, cinnamon twists and rustic loaves by the score, but there are also delicious pastries and sandwiches – and crispy pizzas.
The bakery is specially known for its fluffy and tasty cinnamon buns – which we bought being there – and there were long queues outside the doors as it uses to be in the summer season.

You always have a stop at the bakery when i LOM – and this is from our tour autumn 2015. No queue that time, even got seated inside the cafe:

Lom is also known for its stave church – it is one of the biggest and most beautiful stave churches in Norway.

In the Middle Ages it was the main church in the northern Gudbrandsdal district. Lom was also an important stopover for pilgrims at that time.
In 1634 the church was extended to the west, and in 1663 the crossarms were added in framework construction to the north and south. The tower was built at the same time. Most of the furnishing is from the 18th century.