Breheimen National Park (Norwegian: Breheimen nasjonalpark) (meaning "Home of the Glaciers") is a national park created in 2009. It is located in Skjåk Municipality and Lom Municipality in Innlandet county, as well as Luster Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The park covers an area of 1,671 square kilometers (645 square miles) within the Breheimen mountain range. The park includes some of the wettest and driest areas in Norway, with landscapes formed over hundreds of thousands of years by glaciers, avalanches, and other natural processes. Visitors can see a variety of landscapes, including green valleys used for farming with seasonal animal movement, empty plateaus, tall mountains, and moving glaciers.

History

Breheimen was first suggested as a national park in the Government's Second National Park Plan, which was a report published in 1986. This plan was approved by the Storting in 1992. Planning for the park did not begin until 2005, when the Directorate for Nature Management asked the County Governors of Sogn og Fjordane and Oppland to create an official proposal. In 1999, the government said local people should have more say in decisions. This led to many groups, such as landowners, local governments, and environmental organizations, being involved in the planning from 2005 to 2009. During this time, a proposal was made to build an information center near Mørkridsdalen. The park was officially created by a royal decision in August 2009.

When the park was created in August 2009, Skjåk Municipality, where most of the park is located, changed its plans to focus more on protecting nature. The municipality started a marketing campaign called "Skjåk 79 – a pure experience!" to highlight that 79% of its area is protected. It also opened a center to help manage the environment near the park's administration.

Archaeology

Archaeological findings show that people have used these mountains since the last Ice Age ended. In the summer of 2011, a well-preserved man’s coat from around 300 AD was found in a melting glacier bed. This coat is now the oldest garment still existing in Norway. Remains of medieval sælehus shelters and ancient reindeer-hunting traps can also be seen.

Visitor use

In the summer of 2016, a survey was conducted to learn about visitors to Breheimen National Park. Twelve self-registration boxes were placed at the park’s main entrances, and an online follow-up study was also used. The on-site survey collected responses from 2,836 people, and 364 online responses were received (a response rate of 50.7%). Most respondents were 44 years old on average, and 79% had a university or college education. Of the people surveyed on-site, 58% were from Norway, and 42% were from other countries. Half of all visitors (54%) were visiting the park for the first time.

Hiking was the most common activity (83% of respondents), followed by climbing peaks (8%) and exercise-focused walks (7%). Most visits were day trips (74%), with an average length of 4.6 hours. Multi-day trips lasted an average of 4.9 days. Visitors most wanted to experience wilderness, see dramatic mountain landscapes, and feel a sense of freedom. They also valued clearly marked trails and easy-to-follow signs for safety. The internet was the main source of information before their trips, and guidebooks and tourist centers were also used.