Hardangervidda National Park

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Hardangervidda
Hardangervidda
Hardangervidda National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Location Buskerud, Hordaland, and Telemark, Norway
Nearest city Bergen
Coordinates 60°3′″N 7°25′″E / <span class="geo-dec geo" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for Expression error: Unexpected / operator Expression error: Unexpected / operator">Expression error: Unexpected / operator, Expression error: Unexpected / operator
Area 3,422 km² (1,321 sq mi)
Established 1981
Governing body Directorate for Nature Management

Hardangervidda National Park, at 3,422 square kilometers, is Norway's largest national park. It spans from Numedal and Uvdal in the east and Røvelseggi and Ullensvang in the west across the Hardanger mountain plateau (Hardangervidda). Designated as a national park in 1981, today it serves as a popular tourist destination for activities such as hiking, climbing, fishing, and cross-country skiing. The Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (DNT) maintains a comprehensive network of huts and paths across Hardangervidda. The Bergensbanen railway line and the main Highway 7 cross the plateau.

It has the southernmost stock of several arctic animals and plants, including arctic fox, Snowy Owl, and others. Its wild reindeer flocks are among the largest in the world.

Several hundred nomadic stone age settlements have been found in the area, most likely related to the migration of the reindeer. Ancient trails cross the plateau, linking western and eastern Norway; one example is the Nordmannsslepa linking Eidfjord and Veggli in the Numedal valley with Hol and Uvdal.

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