Rondane National Park

Rondane National Park was established in 1962 and is in all 572 km². Its basis is the mountain range of Rondane- by many regarded as the finest and most beautiful in Norway. Rondane National Park is the second most frequently visited mountain area in Norway, only beaten by Hardangervidda.

Preservation and protection means no building of roads, new hotels or other ways of interference are prohibited. Every inch of vegetation is preserved- even dead trees, as they provide lodging for birds. 

Rondane National Park has a unique mountain landscape. A large proportion of the park lies over 1445 metres above sea level, and there are 10 peaks of more than 2000 m.a.s.l. Rondeslottet (2178m) and Storronden (2138m) are the highest.

All over Rondane you'll find numerous traces of the last ice age. Narrow canyons, basins and great rock terraces are all clear reminders of an ancient, colder age.

A total of 124 different varieties of birds and 28 types of small mammals have been observed in Rondane- 20 of these are native to the area. There are also 240 types of plants and 300 different mosses and algi to be found.

The herd of wild reindeer living in Rondane is the last purely wild reindeer herd in Norway. The reindeer have been in Rondane for thousands of years, and todays herd is the last of the original European wild reindeer herd. There are many traces of ancient trapping activities in Rondane. Several places you can see old trapping pits for reindeer as well as remains of ancient burial mounds and habitations. The oldest trapping sites have been dated to the year 0, and the most recent have been in use up into the 19th century. Nearby Rondvassbu and Smuksjøseter there are trapping sites beside the path. The reindeer's migration routes and grazing sites are the same today as they have always been.

The preservation order on Rondane National Park provides you as a visitor with a certain guarantee as to the condition of the park, but it also demands responsibility from you as our guest in your treatment of this natural treasure.