The place
Bessheim is located in Sjodalen, in the Jotunheimen mountains.
At the upper end of Sjodalen, you are 970 metres above sea level, right by the tree line. Here, you have plenty of hiking options – from short walks to challenging routes up some of Norway’s highest peaks. It takes only 10 minutes to drive up to Valdresflya, which sits at 1,400 metres above sea level. If you hike from Bessheim up to Bessvatnet, you will reach the boundary of Jotunheimen National Park. From here, you can see the majestic Besshø, rising to 2,258 metres. Across Øvre Sjodalsvatn, you’ll find Sikkildalshø and Heimdalshø, also great hiking destinations.
Centrally located along County Road 51, we have been hosting and serving mountain hikers and travellers on the National Tourist Route over Valdresflya since 1890. At Bessheim, we offer rooms, rental cabins, apartments and dining.
Our winter season runs from early February until around May 10th each year. The hiking season starts in early June and lasts until early October. During this period, the Gjende boat runs almost daily, transporting passengers across Lake Gjende – many of them heading for the famous Besseggen ridge.
We offer a total of 180 beds, divided between 27 rooms and 27 cabins and apartments. Inside the main lodge, we have 64 of these beds. The rooms are not hotel-standard but have made-up beds, and most have showers and toilets. The cabins vary in size and standard, with space for 2 to 10 guests.
Our restaurant serves breakfast, a daytime à la carte menu, and a delicious three-course dinner in the evening. At the breakfast buffet, you can prepare a packed lunch and fill your thermos for the day’s hike.
The café is open daily from 11:00 to 20:00. From 13:30 onwards, we serve dishes from the à la carte menu. If you wish to reserve a table for the three-course dinner, we recommend booking a day in advance.
The hosts
Experieces
Summer/fall
Besseggen
Besseggen is one of the most popular mountain hikes in Norway. Most hikers take the Gjende boat to Memurubu and walk back along the ridge. The hike usually takes 7–8 hours and offers breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, the emerald-green Lake Gjende, and the deep blue Lake Bessvatnet.
Rafting in Sjoa
It takes about 45 minutes to drive down to Heidal for rafting on the Sjoa River. The river flows right past Bessheim, through Øvre Sjodalsvatn, before becoming wilder further down in Heidal – making it one of the best rafting rivers in the country. After your trip, you can visit Ysteriet in Heidal to try their local baked goods, waffles, and traditional red cheese!
Spring Skiing
April and May are the perfect months for spring skiing. With long, bright days, you can enjoy summiting 2,000-metre peaks in Jotunheimen and on Valdresflya. Great destinations include Rasletind, Høgdebrotet, Besshø, and Nautgardstind. Heimdalshø is also an ideal peak for ski touring.
Glittertinden
Many visitors to Jotunheimen want to experience the three most famous hikes: Besseggen, Galdhøpiggen, and Glittertinden. You can stay at Bessheim and do all three if you don’t mind some driving to reach the trailheads.
For Glittertinden, drive 30 km north to Randsverk, then turn left towards Glitterheim. Follow the gravel road for 27 km until you reach the gate. There is parking here, and you’ll need to leave your car. You are now at the boundary of Jotunheimen National Park. The gravel road beyond the gate leads to Glitterheim – you can either walk the 7 km or rent a bike. From Glitterheim, the hike to Glittertinden takes about three hours each way, following a marked trail the entire route.
Another option is to hike from Bessheim to Glitterheim along the T-marked trail, stay overnight there, and climb Glittertinden the next day.
Winter
Cross-country skiing
From the time we open in February until Easter, we will be building ski trails here in Sjodalen. The ski trails run between the companies and are built with snowmobiles and track layers. The trails are groomed and you can find an overview of them at www.skisporet.no. Some trails higher up in the mountains will also be groomed, including around Brurskarsknappen, over Besstrondfjellet and into Leirungsdalen. Around Easter, the Vågå Red Cross is making a big effort to go into Jotunheimen to, among other places, Memurubu, Glitterheim and Gjendebu.
Trails will also be built up on Valdresflya in May.
Access:
Bessheim is beautifully situated on the mountain pass between Valdres and Gudbrandsdalen, next to county road 51 over Valdresflya. It is 340 km to Oslo through Gudbrandsdalen, and 250 km to Oslo via Fagernes and Beitostølen. From Trondheim it is 310 km, and from Bergen it is almost 360 km, via Lærdal and Beitostølen. We have paved roads up here all year round from Sjoa and Vågå.
Bessheim is 75 km from both Lom, Fagernes and Otta.
Please note that every winter, between approximately 15 December and 31 March, county road 51 Valdresflye is closed between Beitostølen and Maurvangen. If you are visiting us during this period, you must drive E6 to Sjoa. Sjoa is 10 km south of Otta. From Sjoa up here to Bessheim it is 62 km. The road goes up through Heidal. After 32 you come to Randsverk. Here you enter county road 51, and at the intersection here you turn left. Then you drive further into Sjodalen to Bessheim.
During the period from Valdresflye opens on March 31st until May 17th, the road is closed at night between 8pm and 8am. The same often applies in late November and early December.
It is inevitable that the easiest way to get to us is by car. The public transport offer is not very extensive.