Sognefjellet & Tindevegen — Norway's Highest Mountain Roads

Sognefjellet–Tindevegen is not a loop in the ordinary sense. It's a reckoning. Starting and finishing in Skjolden at the inner end of Lustrafjorden, this route forces you to climb from sea level to high alpine terrain — twice — before you're done.

The first climb follows RV55, Northern Europe's highest mountain pass road, winding past Fortun and up through sharp hairpins toward Turtagrø. Above the tree line the road flattens across a stark alpine plateau to Sognefjellshytta at 1,434 metres. Sognefjellet is the gateway to Jotunheimen National Park — "Home of the Giants," with Galdhøpiggen, Norway's highest peak at 2 469m, visible to the east. Trek Travel ranks the climb as #8 on their Great Rides list. When I rode this in August 2020, we arrived in shorts and jerseys, sweating in the heat — and found cross-country skiers gliding past on the snowfields above us. In mid-August. That contrast never leaves you.

From Turtagrø, the road climbs once more to the top of Tindevegen before plunging almost vertically into Øvre Årdal with the fjord visible far below. At the bottom, stop at Tya Bakeri — fresh baguettes and pastries that taste better than anything after four hours of climbing. This stop is not optional.

Then comes the sting in the tail. Tindevegen must be climbed back up — from near sea level to over 1,200 metres, with Sognefjellet already in your legs. At its steepest I found myself zigzagging across the full width of the road just to keep the pedals turning. By the top, the three of us were completely cooked.

Once back at Turtagrø for the final time, only the long descent to Fortun and the flat return along the river to Skjolden remain. Back in Skjolden, we went straight into Lustrafjorden. Cold, clear water after seven hours in the saddle — the only fitting way to end a day like this.

Check your brakes before you leave. The descents to both Årdal and Skjolden are long, steep and unforgiving.