Very Easy
Tronåsen is a section of the old Vestlandske hovedvei, the main road connecting eastern and western Norway. The track started as a horse and mail route in the 1600s. Proper road construction began in 1791 and was completed in 1844. For the next century, until 1945, this was the main road between Stavanger and Kristiansand, and its steepest stretch: a gradient of up to 1:3 (33%) through 11 sharp turns, making it one of the steepest former main roads in the world.
The road is only 2.5 to 3.5 metres wide and climbs from sea level to 285 metres. Early motorists had a terrible time: Model T Fords crawled up the slopes, some cars had to reverse uphill because the reverse gear was lower, and passengers regularly got out to push. Buses could not make the tight turns in one go and had to reverse with stones wedged behind the wheels. Some drivers tied tree branches to their vehicles as makeshift brakes for the descent.
In 1931, Tronåsen featured as one of the most dangerous stages of the Monte Carlo Rally, with several cars damaged on the bends. Today a popular vintage car race, Tronåsen Grand Prix, is held here every five years, and the annual Tronåsmarsjen draws walkers to the old cobblestones.
The road is one-way from Tronevik on the Rogaland side for cars and minibuses, open from 1 May to 1 September. No large vehicles, heavy motorhomes, caravans or trailers allowed. At the bottom stands Bakke Bro, built in 1844, Norway's oldest suspension bridge for road traffic. The road was designated a protected cultural monument in 2009 and is part of the Magma UNESCO Global Geopark.
The road is only 2.5 to 3.5 metres wide and climbs from sea level to 285 metres. Early motorists had a terrible time: Model T Fords crawled up the slopes, some cars had to reverse uphill because the reverse gear was lower, and passengers regularly got out to push. Buses could not make the tight turns in one go and had to reverse with stones wedged behind the wheels. Some drivers tied tree branches to their vehicles as makeshift brakes for the descent.
In 1931, Tronåsen featured as one of the most dangerous stages of the Monte Carlo Rally, with several cars damaged on the bends. Today a popular vintage car race, Tronåsen Grand Prix, is held here every five years, and the annual Tronåsmarsjen draws walkers to the old cobblestones.
The road is one-way from Tronevik on the Rogaland side for cars and minibuses, open from 1 May to 1 September. No large vehicles, heavy motorhomes, caravans or trailers allowed. At the bottom stands Bakke Bro, built in 1844, Norway's oldest suspension bridge for road traffic. The road was designated a protected cultural monument in 2009 and is part of the Magma UNESCO Global Geopark.
