Summer mountain farming was an important part of traditional, pre-industrial agriculture in Norway and was widespread. Most of the farms around Stølsheimen were small, located on steep slopes and had limited resources. In the mountains, on the other hand, rich grazing pastures could be found. Therefore, it was important to keep the animals in the mountains for as long as possible so that what was produced on cultivated land and in the hayfields near the farm could be used as a winter fodder. In order to utilize the uncultivated land as much as possible, it was normal for farms to have both a ‘homestead farm’ at moderate elevations above sea level, for use during spring and fall, and a mountain summer farm located on the tree line to utilize the actual mountain pastures during the summer. Some farms also had a homestead farm down by the fjord. At Nese in Arnafjorden, the farms had the Tenne homestead farm by the fjord, intermediate farms at Fossesete and Rosete, and summer mountain farms at Vatnane, Hest and Dunevollen.

Long and steep farm roads set an effective limit on how much the people could develop their mountain farms. Therefore, the farmhouses were often small and spartan, and often built of materials and stone that were found on site. It was normally the women who tended to the farm. They milked the cows and goats and made butter, cheese and other dairy products.

We know little about how old the summer mountain farms in Stølsheimen are, but it is likely that some of them may be almost two thousand years old. Currently, there is no longer any active dairy farming in Stølsheimen, but many of the summer pastures are still used as grazing areas, and the mountain farmhouses are important regarding the supervision of grazing livestock. Many of the mountain farmhouses are also used for recreational purposes. Stølsheimen offers some great experiences in the places where mountain farmhouses are well maintained.

In Stølsheimen, it is common to find either single pitfall traps placed on their own in the landscape, or just a few together. They are often placed in narrow corridors between lakes on the one side and steep cliffs/mountainsides on the other. Pitfall traps can be found both to the south and northeast of Holskardvatnet lake, and close to Øksevatnet lake in the north. The terrain, created by the special geology, steers the animals’ migratory routes. The pitfall traps have been placed in order to take advantage of the terrain formations. The pitfall traps located east and south of Kvilesteinsvatnet lake are good examples of how the terrain has been used to catch wild reindeer.

As the glaciers melt and retreat, many cultural monuments are revealed that are associated with hunting and trapping in the mountains. If you are out hiking and find any objects that could be cultural monuments, you must not touch them. Instead, you should notify the county authority’s archaeologist. When cultural monuments are moved, they can be easily damaged and cultural history will be lost.