Rødungen is a mountain lake in the Skravheimen region, in the municipality of Ål. Skravheimen is the area between Hardangervidda, Hallingdal, and Jotunheimen; it did not even have a name until 1995, when one was chosen in a poll on NRK. That tells you something about how under the radar it is. The area is mainly visited by Norwegians with cottages here, and foreign tourists are essentially absent.
The main walk is Rødungen Rundt, a 15-kilometre circuit around the lake that takes about six hours with breaks. It is mostly flat and not technically demanding, though the trail passes through a swamp section that can leave you with wet feet for the remaining 13 kilometres if you are unlucky. The lake is dammed for hydropower. Along the way you pass the small settlement of Smattan, where sheep have been known to take an unusual interest in hikers, and the small lake Steintjørne before returning via Osestølen and the road back to the hotel. There is also a shorter walk of about an hour from Rødungen Høyfjellshotell up the hill behind the hotel and down to Bergsjø. The nature is not dramatically different from other mountain areas in southern Norway. The appeal is the solitude.
The main walk is Rødungen Rundt, a 15-kilometre circuit around the lake that takes about six hours with breaks. It is mostly flat and not technically demanding, though the trail passes through a swamp section that can leave you with wet feet for the remaining 13 kilometres if you are unlucky. The lake is dammed for hydropower. Along the way you pass the small settlement of Smattan, where sheep have been known to take an unusual interest in hikers, and the small lake Steintjørne before returning via Osestølen and the road back to the hotel. There is also a shorter walk of about an hour from Rødungen Høyfjellshotell up the hill behind the hotel and down to Bergsjø. The nature is not dramatically different from other mountain areas in southern Norway. The appeal is the solitude.