Day excursions by car from Geilo
Suggestions for excursions in and around our district. There are plenty of beautiful spots to visit, and many places of cultural interest.
Two short excursions in the Geilo area:
Geilo – Budalen
Tour and return 20 km, drive; 1 hour.
About 2 km east of the centre of Geilo you’ll see the road to Budalen on the left hand side, passing the axe and tool factory, Brødrene Øyo. Toll road to the right taking you trough woody hillside to Budalsvatnet. Beautiful open scenery with fine view of Hallingskarvet. Excellent starting point for walks and cycle rides. At the end of this road you’ll find the path to Hivjudalen.
Geilo – Prestholt
Tour and return 24 km, drive; 1 hour.
Turn left after Sports Ground, drive past Bardøla Hotel towards Havsdalen. Turn right at crossing toll road. The road passes the alpine centre and the mountain farm Hamarsbøen, where it is possible to by milk and cream. A path from here along the ridge will take you to the eastern end of Hallingskarvet and down to Prestholt. The road also goes to Prestholtseter where it is possible to buy refreshments. There is also a goat farm at Prestholt. Excellent starting point for walks.
Road 40 Geilo – Tuva
Tour and return 48 km, drive; 1,5 hour.
First drive to Skurdalen. Turn off main road towards Nord Skurdalen. Cross road at Nedrestølen. Drive on toll road towards Tuva about 16 km. Tuva Turisthytte sells refreshments and is an excellent starting point for walks on the Hardangervidda plateau.
Road 40 Geilo – Langedrag
Tour and return 100 km, drive; 2 hours.
Drive towards Skurdalen where you can stop to visit Skurdalen Church on the way. Open June – August. Drive trough Skurdalen and turn left towards Tunhovd. The drive takes you along Pålsbufjorden which is the reservoir for the hydro electrical plant in Nore. The mountain village of Tunhovd lies 850 metres above sea level. Drive towards Rødberg at cross road. After about 2 km turn to the left up towards the Langedrag Mountain Farm and School which lies 1000 metres above sea level, and has a wildlife park with such animals as wolves, reindeer, wild boars as well as many domestic animals and riding centre. Cafè with traditional fare.
Alternative route back to Geilo:
Drive down to the centre of Rødberg where you’ll see Nore Power Station. Return to Geilo via Uvdal. A short trip on the village road will take you up to the Uvdal Stave Church which may be of interest before returning to Geilo.
Road 40 Geilo – Dagali
Tour and return 50 km, drive; 1 hour.
Drive trough Skurdalen towards Dagali. The highest point along the road is 1063 metres above sea level. In Dagali turn left towards Dagali Hotel. Various places of interest: Dagali Museum with buildings from 18- and 19- century, Dagali Church or the old burial ground, Leggsta’n in use until 1850. In addition it is possible to try rafting, visit the motorsport centre, fish or visit Hallandtunet, a private museum with old houses.
If you have time: Drive westwards trough Seterdalen towards Orsjøen, a beautiful area rich in cultural monuments and an ideal starting point for walking on the Hardangervidda Plateau.
Road 7 and road 40 Geilo – Nesbyen – Tunhovd – Geilo
Roundtrip 138 km, drive; 3 hours.
Take road 7 eastwards trough Hallingdal passing Torpo, where Torpo Stave Church can be visited. A newly erected replica of the Gol Stave Church can be seen along road 7 at Gol. In Nesbyen you can visit Hallingdal Folk Museum, wander trough the old part of Nesbyen, or visit the Nystugu art Gallery. The Gardnos Meteorit Crater, a 600 million year old meteorite site, can be reached by driving towards Garnås, about 4 km north of Nesbyen. From Nesbyen the hilly road takes you trough Rukkedalen past picturesque mountain landscape at Myking and Tunhovd. From Tunhovd see previous route Geilo – Langedrag.
Road 7 and road 50 Geilo – Hol – Sudndalen – Raggsteindalen
Tour and return 90 km, drive; 2,5 hours.
The Hol Folk Museum lies opposite the church at Hagafoss and has a number of buildings from the 18th and 19th century. Exhibition Hall with large collection of furniture, utensils, costumes etc. Next to the museum you find Hol Church, built in 1924 and the largest of the churches in the municipality with space for 500. After about 4 km you’ll see the ancient church in Hol built in the 13th century. A path up to the Hivjufoss waterfalls is about 500 metres after Grytebrua Bridge (15 km from Hagafoss). Onward along road 50 beside Hallingskarvet Høyfjellshotell you’ll see Dokken, a farm from the 18th century, now owned by the Council. Along the large Strandavatn Lake you can experience a beautiful mountain scenery with mountain farms here and there, run in the traditional Norwegian way. Worth visiting is Raggsteindalen Høyfjellstue. Turn left at crossword, 2 km past the Myrland Turist- og Servicesenter. Enjoy the beautiful scenery at the foot of Hallingskarvet. Raggsteindalen is an excellent starting point for walks. If you, however, would like to climb Hallingskarvet, the path starts at Nordrestølen on the way to Raggsteindalen. A steep climb, about 13 km.
Road 7 and road 50 Geilo – Hovet – Fagerdalen – Ål – Geilo
Roundtrip 120 km, drive; 3,5 km.
Drive from Hagafoss along road 50 about 15 km to Grytebrue Bridge. Follow the signpost to Vats, passing the birthplace of the internationally known photographer Knut Bry. Up the rugged Urundlia about 14 km until you come to Kleppestølen. Turn right and drive towards the southern end of Stolsvatn, which lies at an altitude of 1090 metres and is the reservoir for the hydro-electrical plant in Hovet. Take a break at Fagerdalen mountain farm. The road follows Tvistvatnet (lake), Rødungen Lake and down towards Vats in Ål. Road 7 back to Geilo.
Road 7 and road 50 Geilo – Holsåsen – Vats – Ål – Geilo
Roundtrip 82 km, drive; 2,5 hour.
Drive eastwards along road 7 to Hagafoss. Turn left at the church onto road 50. Turn right towards Slåtto after about 1 km. Steep drive up hillside. Toll road which goes to Vats, about 22 km. High up on the hillside is the birthplace of the author Olav Sletto. A path from here takes you up to a boulder “Bergstolen”, where he would often sit and write. A fantastic view of Hallingskarvet and Hol can be seen from here. The mountain road takes you trough a relatively flat open mountain landscape with lakes and mountain farms. The mountain farm Nedremyrstølen is worth visiting (check the opening hours.) From Vats it is 23 km down to the centre of Ål where there are, among other things, a museum and art exhibition to be seen.
Alternative route back to Geilo via Hemsedal:
Instead of driving down to Ål, take the turning to Hemsedal either at Vats or Leveld. This will take you trough picturesque mountain landscape with Lauvdalsbrea to the right and majestic Reineskarvet with its 1770 metre high summit on the other side. After passing Flævatn (lake) the road descends between the alpine slopes in Hemsedal onto road 52 which will take you to Gol and on to Geilo on road 7.
Road 7 Geilo – Eidfjord
Tour and return 180 km, drive; 3 hours.
Take road 7 westwards over the Hardangervidda plateau. Between Geilo and Haugastøl you will see the majestic Hallingskarvet with its 1933 metre high summit. The Hardangervidda plateau offers magnificent walking experiences. A lapp camp can be seen, about 500 metres past Fagerheim Fjellstue, sale of souvenirs. To the north you will be able to see the Hardangerjøkulen Glacier.
A toll road on the western side takes you to the Tinnhølen Lake. Before you decent to Eidfjord stop for a breathtaking view of Vøringsfossen waterfall and Måbødalen valley.
The Troll train runs down to Måbø on the outside of the tunnels giving you a magnificent view as you descend, (takes about 20 minutes). There is also a Landscape Muesum at the Måbø Farm. Once down in Øvre Eidfjord drivers with strong nerves might be tempted to drive up the dramatic and extremely steep Hjølmodalen which is a narrow road without railings and meeting places! The Sima Power Station is open to visitors and is the largest power plant in Europe.
Further on to Kjeåsen Mountain farm:
Lies 6 km along Simadalen valley. This road also takes you up to the Kjeåsen Mountain farm which lies 600 metres up the mountainside above Simadalsfjord. People have lived here since the 14th century.