Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
JOSTEDALSBREEN
For years mighty Jostedalsbreen, mainland Europe's largest icecap, crept countercurrent,
slowly advancing while most glaciers elsewhere in the world were retreating. Now Joste-
dalsbreen itself has succumbed and is also withdrawing.
It's still a powerful player, though, eroding an estimated 400,000 tonnes of rock each
year. With an area of 487 sq km and in places 600m thick, Jostedalsbreen rules over the
highlands of Sogn og Fjordane county. The main icecap and several outliers are protected
as the Jostedalsbreen National Park.
The best hiking map for the region is Statens Kartverk's
Jostedalsbreen Turkart
at
1:100,000. The free
Jostedalsbreen Glacier Walks
brochure, available at tourist offices
and many other venues, gives a comprehensive list of glacier walks, their levels and guid-
ing companies.
For more details on the gateway towns of Stryn, Olden and Loen, see (
Click here
)
