Very Difficult
Reinheimen, the Reindeer Home, is one of Norway's largest national parks at 1,969 square kilometres. Established in 2006, it protects a vast mountain wilderness between Romsdalen and Ottadalen in central Norway. The park is the core range for the Ottadalen wild reindeer population, one of the largest remaining herds in Europe.
Like Breheimen, this park was born from a power struggle. The area was long earmarked for hydropower development, and the decision to protect it instead was one of the biggest conservation victories in recent Norwegian history. The rivers here still run free, cutting through deep valleys flanked by alpine plateaus.
Despite its size, Reinheimen gets remarkably few visitors. There is no road through the park and only a handful of DNT cabins. Most hikers enter from Tafjord in the west or Lesja in the east, and multi-day crossings require proper equipment and experience. The park's remoteness is its defining feature: this is wild Norway as it was before the roads came.
Like Breheimen, this park was born from a power struggle. The area was long earmarked for hydropower development, and the decision to protect it instead was one of the biggest conservation victories in recent Norwegian history. The rivers here still run free, cutting through deep valleys flanked by alpine plateaus.
Despite its size, Reinheimen gets remarkably few visitors. There is no road through the park and only a handful of DNT cabins. Most hikers enter from Tafjord in the west or Lesja in the east, and multi-day crossings require proper equipment and experience. The park's remoteness is its defining feature: this is wild Norway as it was before the roads came.