Knutshols Tjønnhols Massif

Scandinavian Mountains over 2000 metres - James Baxter

AreasKnutshols Tjønnhols Massif › Access

The mountains of the Knutshols-Tjønnhols Massif lie in the south of Jotunheimen and access is from Fondsbu lodge or from Torfinnsbu or Gjendebu lodges. The later two being accessible by boat or a good days walk.

Fondsbu Lodge

This classic boat operates from late June to mid September. The timetable is here www.jvb.no/bitihorn/index.htm. Bygdin is served by bus from Oslo and Bergen via the town of Fagernes.

Gjendebu Lodge

The easiest route to Gjendebu in the summer is to take the twice daily boat from Gjendesheim lodge on the road at the east end of the lake. This boat runs from mid June until mid September. The boat is operated by Gjendebåtene and they have a comprehensive website with an English link giving times, prices etc. The website address is www.gjende.no. When the boat is not running then the only alternative is to walk. The walk to Gjendesheim lodge is a long days walk and takes about 9 hours via Memurubu lodge. It is however only 5 hours to walk to Fondsbu lodge. During the winter and spring season the lake freezes over making it easy to ski down the lake in about 2-4 hours depending on conditions.

Gjendesheim Lodge

To reach Gjendesheim lodge you can drive from Oslo or Bergen via Fagernes in the summer. During the winter (usually from late October to mid April) however, this road is closed at Valdresflya, just south of Gjendesheim. There is all year access to Gjendesheim from the north via the town of Otta passing through the village of Randsverk. Buses go twice a day from Otta to Gjendesheim via Vågå during the Easter and Summer. The service is operated by Fjord1 Nordfjord-Ottadalen. For details Tel: +47 6123 4455. Email: nordfjord-ottadalen@fjord1.no. More details are on their website which has an English link. It is at www.fjord1.no/nordfjord-ottadalen.

Torfinnsbu Lodge

It is also possible to get to Torfinnsbu lodge in the summer time by a boat twice daily from Bygdin at the east end of Lake Bygdin, or Eidsbugården/Fondsbu lodges at the west end of Lake Bygdin. This classic boat operates from late June to mid September. The timetable is here www.jvb.no/bitihorn/index.htm. Bygdin is served by bus from Oslo and Bergen via the town of Fagernes.