Jostedalsbreen and Briksdal Glacier

Jostedalsbreen, Mainland Europe'S Largest Glacier, Inside Jostedalsbreen National Park; Briksdalsbreen Is Its Most Visited Arm · Olden, Vestland

Jostedalsbreen is the largest glacier on mainland Europe, an ice cap of roughly 470 square km that caps the mountains between Stryn, Luster and Fjaerland in Vestland, most of it protected in Jostedalsbreen National Park. Around fifty glacier arms spill from it into green valleys, and Briksdalsbreen, at the head of the Oldedalen valley south of Olden, is the most visited: a walk of about 3 km each way from Briksdalsbre Fjellstove leads past a thundering waterfall to a lake with the blue ice tongue above it. Other arms are just as rewarding - Nigardsbreen in Jostedalen for guided walks on the ice, and Boyabreen and Supphellebreen by Fjaerland, where the Norwegian Glacier Museum explains the ice. People come because you can reach a glacier front with no climbing at all. The honest caveat: the ice has retreated sharply since around 2000, so at Briksdal you look at the tongue across its lake rather than touch it, and walking on any glacier is only safe with a certified guide.

Briksdalsbre Fjellstove at the end of the Oldedalen valley road, about 23 km south of Olden, Stryn municipality, Olden, Vestland, Norway

The trails and viewpoints are open all year without gates, but the season for services is roughly May to October: Briksdalsbre Fjellstove, its cafe and the troll cars operate roughly May to October, and guided Nigardsbreen walks run roughly June to early September. Reach Briksdal by car from Olden, about 23 km up Oldedalen (paid parking), or by summer excursion bus from Olden, Loen and Stryn, often timed with cruise calls. Book guided glacier walks and troll-car seats ahead in July and on cruise days. In winter the valley roads stay open but the trail can be icy and services close.

Jostedalsbreen and Briksdal Glacier on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos