Norway’s first national park.

The Rondane massif towers impressively over wide, lichen-covered mountain plateaus. In the south, the visitor is met by a tranquil landscape of gently rounded peaks. But these mountains also conceal deep valleys and precipitous mountainsides, especiallyin the north and in the east. The high mountain terrain is sparse and rocky, and dominated by lichen and heather. Here, wild reindeer have lived for thousands of years. You can find traces of traps, settlements and other cultural relics associated with hunting wild reindeer throughout Rondane. Nowadays the national park is one of Europe’s last remaining refuges of the original wild reindeer.

Rondane became Norway’s first national park in 1962 and it was extended in 2003. Its purpose is to preserve a unique natural area for posterity. Here the countryside, cultural relics, animals and plants are left in peace and hill-walkers can experience the countryside in peace and quiet.

From Directorate for Nature Management.

Rondane National Park is the oldest national park in Norway, established on 21 December 1962. The park contains ten peaks above 2,000 metres (6,560 ft), with the highest being Rondeslottet at an altitude of 2,178 m (7,146 ft). The park is an important habitat for herds of wild reindeer.

The park was extended in 2003, and now covers an area of 963 km2 (372 sq mi) in the counties Oppland and Hedmark. Rondane lies just to the east of Gudbrandsdal and two other mountain areas, Dovre and Jotunheimen are nearby.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.