
On historical trails
The ravages of time have long since worn away many of our ancient routes. But there are still many visible roads and diverse cultural monuments in our landscape. You will find some of them along our Historical Hiking Routes.
Over turquoise glaciers, majestic mountain plateaus, on the wild sea and along lush green stretches of forest. As long as there has been people living here, there has been traffic in our extensive country – both on land and at sea. Between villages, hamlets, towns and farms. From southern Norway to western Norway. Over Jotunheimen, through Finnskogen and down into the Aurlandsdalen valley.

See an overview of all the historical hiking routes on UT.no
Historical hiking routes can be found all over the country. The selected routes give you great outdoor experiences in combination with exciting cultural heritage.
These are hiking routes that go along old paths or roads, where there has been traffic in previous times. It can be in a high mountain landscape with traces of previous hunting or along refugee routes from the war. Louise Brunborg-Næss, advisor for cultural heritage and projects at DNT, believes that the Historical Hiking Routes project can give people new hiking experiences, with new insights.
"When you know something about how people who lived before you have used the landscape, it has an impact on how you view the path and the surroundings. Hikers may also become more aware of not destroying important cultural monuments," she says.
Knowing the history of the trails you walk on and the cultural monuments you see adds an added dimension to the trip.
Known and forgotten stories
A trip along a Historical Hiking Route lasts from one to five days, and it is possible to spend the night in DNT cabins or other accommodations along the way. The routes are well marked and signposted, and are always linked to a specific historical theme.
In the work on the routes, both known and forgotten stories and cultural monuments have been collected, and made available on information boards along the routes. In this way, hikers can learn about the origins and history of the route, both before and during the trip.

DNT and the Directorate for Cultural Heritage
Historical Hiking Routes is a collaboration between the Norwegian Trekking Association and the Directorate for Cultural Heritage. A good collaboration between two organizations that are concerned with the same things.
"Knowing the history of the trails you walk on and the cultural monuments you see adds an increased dimension to the trip," says Senior Adviser to the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, Åse Bitustøl.

The trail itself can tell a story, including a time with a completely different use of natural resources than the one we have today. There are traces of the people who have lived before us everywhere, and there are remnants of their lives that we can wonder about.

These are the Historical Hiking Routes:
Aurlandsdalen
Aurlandsdalen consist of hilly mountain landscape and lush valleys along the old road between Eastern and Western Norway. Welcome to the fabled Aurlandsdalen Valley.
The Refugee Route
Combine green forests and moss-covered land with important and exciting cultural history. The Refugee Route is an approximately 12-mile long route that was used by couriers and refugees during World War II, to get to the freedom that lured in Sweden.
The Telegraph Route
Used by tourists, fishermen and navvies, the Telegraph Route is a beautiful and easy hiking route that follows the Telegraph Line over Saltfjellet. As a hike, the route is about six miles long, in nice and easy-to-walk mountain terrain in the summer.
Historical Jotunheimen
Put on your hiking shoes and step in the footsteps of a number of pioneers in outdoor life, mountain sports and literature in the cradle of mountain tourism, Jotunheimen.
The Jacobin Route
Jacobineruta is a combined walking and rowing tour in Drøbaksundet, in the Oslo Fjord. The ferrywoman Jacobine has named the route.
The Reisa Valley
For thousands of years, people have moved through the landscape of the upper Reisa Valley, both on foot and on the river. Follow our Historical Hiking Route, and walk in their memorable footsteps.
The Bridal Route
The Bridal Route is an old traffic road between Sirdal and Kvinesdal. The route goes through a beautiful moor landscape, with many interesting cultural-historical traces that give the trip an extra dimension.
Finnskogrunden
Experience Finnskogen's distinctive Forest Finnish history and culture along this Historical Hiking Route.
The road over Kamperhamrane
Walk the Historical Hiking Route Traffic Road over Kamperhamrane, over steep mountain sections and up bricked stone stairs, to meet large sighted cairns that have shown the way for many hundreds of years.
The Scenic Route over the Folgefonna Glacier
Folgefonna is located between two arms of the fjord in Hardanger – an attractive tourist destination for over 200 years.
The Stølsruta
In the vibrant cultural landscape of Valdres, with snow-capped mountains and beautiful nature, people and livestock have lived together summer after summer. They are the ones who have created the cultural landscape we see there today.
Hallingskeidvegen
Hallingskeidvegen from Osa and up in the high mountains, in Ulvik herad, is an exciting and somewhat demanding trip. The road has been used for traffic in ancient times.
Driftavegen through Viglesdalen
Viglesdalen is a valley in Hjelmeland municipality in Rogaland, which follows the valley inwards towards the tourist cabin Stakken and on to Nilsebuvatnet and Nilsebu. The entire trip goes on a fascinating drift road that was built by Swedish workers in the years 1907-1912.
Malmveien
On the hike through the distinctive landscape, you can see the historical traces of the area's mining, ore transport and timber floating, but also reindeer herding and mountain farming.
The Fieldfare Route
Based on the movements of the resistance fighters Joachim Rønneberg, Birger Strømsheim and Olav Aarsæther during the latter part of World War 2 when they were to carry out a sabotage operation against the Germans' communication lines in Tafjordfjella. Along the route there are also a large number of cultural monuments from earlier times, settlements, stone arches and trapping pits.
Hallevägen
Hallevägen is a term that has been used for the Swedes' road to Halden for several hundred years. For many, also on the Swedish side of the border, Halden was the only place to buy and sell goods. There were therefore several trade routes that led here.
Alta to Karasjok mail route
In 1663, the mail route between Trondheim and Vadsø was established, much of the route went by sea, but in some places you had to resort to walking, and in 1813 the mail route between Alta and Karasjok was officially established.
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