Brekkedalen & Jordalen Valleys

This hike starts and ends at the hotel’s front door takes and from 6 to 8 hours. Even thought some might find the hike quite exhausting because of its length it is not consider a difficult hike as it follows a good dirt road all the way.

For this hike you need a pair of good walking shoes, in good weather sneakers are quite all right, furthermore bring a good jacket and a cap (the weather in Western Norway changes fast.) You also need a flashlight for the tunnels, and a map always makes the tour safer and more interesting.  Remember also to bring a solid lunch packet and something to drink.

The tour first takes you through charming Brekkedal valley with all its beautiful mountain pastures.  From the hotel take the road up to Brekke, through the gate, and up to Vetlestølen ( the first little mountain cabin on you left.)  Continue on the road, and cross the river on the Storestølen bridge and continue up to Kinnabakken.  After a short brake at Kinnabakken continue to climb up the valley to Tverrhalsskaret - about 1000 metres above sea level and the hights point on the hike.       

The Brekkedal valley ends in Tverrhalsskaret and the pass that you see leads into Jordalen. Jordalen is a high-lying, but very fertile farming valley with about 7 dairy farms.  The Jordalen Valley did not get any proper road before the 1950 and even if the farmers are among our most industrious and their farms are harvested with the most modern and effective of machines you still get this feeling of entering a peaceful valley where time do not move as fast as in other places. 

The Jordal valley has its own little school with only 3 to 4 pupils. School authorities has for economical reason several times tried to close the school and transfer the 4 kids to a larger school, but the many snow avalanches that blocks road to Jordalen during the long Norwegian winter makes it to dangerous to send the kids out of the valley, and against all odds the Jordal valley still has its own school.     

Once yet get to the tunnels and the road that leads down to the main road – about 30 minutes walk after the school you will – you will understand why people in Jordal are reluctant to send small children to school on this road.  Between the two tunnels avalanches are frequent during winter, and this part of the road has correctly been named “Little Hell”.     

At the main road ( E -16 ) you will see the hotel on the top of the cliff, and within one hour you