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Approaches and villages

All the approaches have waymarked trails that lead into Stølsheimen Protected Landscape. Each village also has its special characteristics and experiences that are worth exploring. Remember to respect the privacy of those who live in the villages, and make sure to park your car in the designated parking lots. Show consideration towards grazing livestock by closing gates and keeping your dog on a leash.
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Stølsheimen verneområdestyre
Statsforvaltaren i Vestland
Njøsavegen 2
6863 Leikanger, Norway
E: sfvlpost@statsforvalteren.no

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Title Address Description
Ortnevik
Ortnevik, Norge
Arnafjorden
Arnafjord, Norge
Modalen
Mo sentrum, Mo, Norge
Eksingedalen
Fv344 14, 5728 Eidslandet, Norge

Ortnevik

If you exit the E39 at Oppedal and drive eastwards for one hour along the fjord, you will arrive at Ortnevik. The small village has rental cabins and a shop. The village’s population, which is approximately 60 people during the winter months, explodes during the summer. The Dragon Style church is definitely worth a visit. We also recommend the world’s smallest stave church, built by a man from the village. The area around the stave church is decorated with creative wooden figurines that have been shaped with a chainsaw. Ortnevik is also home to the world’s largest land-based halibut fish farm. Ortnevik has ferry connections to Vik in the east and to Måren and Nordeide on the north side of the fjord.

Ortnevik Community Group has waymarked many hiking trails around the village. Hiking maps and booklets with an overview of the trails can be purchased at the convenience store. Ortnevik Community Group has waymarked many hiking trails around the village, and they have created hiking maps with an overview of these trails. There are trails to many of the summer mountain farms in the area. Solrenningen is the most famous and largest summer mountain farm in Stølsheimen. It takes approximately 8 hours to walk there. Brydalen is a nice mountain farm that can be reached in just a couple of hours. Visitors can also follow the old road from Ortnevik along the fjord to Sylvarnes and continue on to Vollavik in Vik Municipality. The old road passes all the isolated farms along the fjord.

Ortnevik.
Persons hiking.

Arnafjorden

Arnafjorden is just a short 30 minute drive from Vik at the end of county road 5600. Arnafjorden is an fjord arm of Sognefjorden and is surrounded by rugged mountains. The many waterfalls that plunge down the mountainsides are an impressive sight, especially when the snow melts during the spring. There are three small hamlets located at the end of the fjord: Nese, Indrefjorden and Framfjorden. There are several rental cabins in Arnafjorden. Framfjorden has a shop and an information point. Visitors will find many historical memorials at Nese, such as Skredstova; a building erected in memory of the great avalanche that took 45 lives in 1811. The church was built in 1880 and is listed as a building of historical value, and just below the church is the well-maintained and venerable youth center from 1919. The quay is home to an authentic group of buildings from the early 1900s and is well worth a visit.

In addition to being an agricultural village, Arnafjorden has a long industrial history. The presence of talc-rich soapstone and large water power resources laid the foundation for the establishment of a mine and a talc mill in Framfjorden in 1907. This was one of the first major industrial initiatives in Sogn, and it provided work to approximately 100 people at its peak. The mill was in operation until 2002. Today, a large salmon smolt fish farm at Tenne is an important industrial initiative in the area.

There are many summer mountain farms on the mountainsides and in mountains around Arnafjorden. Old cattle roads lead far into Stølsheimen from all three hamlets. Visitors can choose between relatively easy day trips and demanding hikes that take several days to complete.

Modalen

Modalen is located at the innermost point of Osterfjorden, approximately one hour by car from Bergen. Mo is the municipal center and offers a sea promenade with a shop, a post office, a café/restaurant and an activity center. There is a sandy beach and the area has been adapted for boat tourism.

Modalen is Norway’s second smallest municipality in terms of population. The farms are located on ancient, fertile sea and river beds between Mofjorden and Steinslandsvatnet lake. At Mostraumen, visitors can experience the Bronze Age petroglyphs carved into the rocks. In more recent times, the vast mountainous areas and lots of precipitation have been utilized for electricity production. The municipality is also a major exporter of sand.

From Modalen, Stølsdammen is a much used approach to Stølsheimen. A trail leaves Stølsdammen and leads to the famous mountain farming areas of Solrenningen and Åsedalen. The trail to Solrenningen and Åsedalen runs through wet marshland. Stones and wooden planks have been laid across large parts of the trail to Solrenningen. Both Solrenningen and Åsedalen have Norwegian Trekking Association cabins where visitors can stay the night.

Colourful houses by the fjord.
Persons paddling kayak.

Eksingedalen

Eksingedalen is a valley in Vaksdal Municipality. The beautiful valley stretches northeast from Eidsfjorden to the uppermost habitation at Gullbrå. There are many small villages in the valley that offer both shops and rental cabins. The valley comprises of magnificent landscapes that vary between fertile alluvial plains and narrow, steep mountainsides with dramatic waterfalls.

Furthest north in Eksingedalen valley, there are several great starting points where visitors can go hiking in Stølsheimen. Visitors can follow the t-marked trails from Trefall to Selhamar, and Torvedalshytta cabin can be reached from Gullbrå. It is also possible to drive along the temporary road to Askjelldalsvatnet lake. It is a just a short distance from Askjelldalsvatnet lake to Selhamar and further on to Stølsheimen.