Rondane National Park (Norwegian: Rondane nasjonalpark) is the first national park in Norway, created on December 21, 1962. It is located in Innlandet county, within the municipalities of Dovre, Folldal, Sel, Nord-Fron, Sør-Fron, Stor-Elvdal, and Ringebu. The park includes ten mountains higher than 2,000 meters (6,560 feet), with the tallest being Rondeslottet at a height of 2,178 meters (7,146 feet). The park provides an important home for groups of wild reindeer.

The park was expanded in 2003 and now covers an area of 963 square kilometers (372 square miles). Rondane is located just east of the Gudbrandsdalen valley and near two other mountain regions, Dovre and Jotunheimen. Dovre National Park is located just north of this park.

Geography

Rondane is a high mountain area with large flat areas and ten peaks that are more than 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) high. The highest point is called Rondeslottet ("The Rondane Castle") and is 2,178 metres (7,146 ft) above sea level. The lowest point is just below the tree line, which is about 1,000 to 1,100 metres (3,300 to 3,600 ft) high. The climate is mild but not very wet. In the lower areas, white birch trees grow, but the soil and rocks are mostly covered by heather and lichen because the soil lacks nutrients. The largest mountains have very little plant life; above 1,500 metres (4,900 ft), only the toughest lichens grow on the rocks.

The mountains are separated by valleys. The deepest valley contains Rondvatnet, a narrow lake located between the large Storronden–Rondeslottet mountain group and Smiubelgen ("The blacksmith's bellows"). The central mountain area is also divided by "botns," which are flat, lifeless valleys below the steep mountain walls. Generally, Rondane does not get enough rain to form glaciers, but snow piles that look like glaciers can be found in the flat valleys behind the mountains.

At the center of the park is Rondvatnet, from which all the peaks higher than 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) can be reached in less than one day’s walk. The central and northern parts of the park are higher than the flatter southern plateaus. Rondane has ten peaks over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), including:

In many parts of the park, there are scattered holes called "kettle holes" left by small pieces of ice age glaciers, and small hills called "eskers" formed by material left behind as glaciers melted.

History

The history of life in the park area began at the end of the last ice age. Big changes in the weather let reindeer move across Scandinavia, but later, they were forced to live in a much smaller area, including the Rondane mountain region, hundreds of years later. Scientists have found that forests grew quickly at high altitudes; birch trees found at 1,030 meters (3,380 feet) were 8,500 years old.

On the mountain plateau, there are signs that people who moved around and hunted for food lived by catching reindeer. Large traps to catch reindeer are found at Gravhø and Bløyvangen and are spread throughout the park. These traps were made of stone to create holes or large enclosed areas where reindeer could be lured or guided.

Alongside these traps, smaller arched stone structures are thought to have been used to hide archers waiting to shoot their targets. Dating methods show the oldest traps are about 3,500 years old. Most of the discoveries, including homes, are from the time between 500 and 700 AD.

We know for sure that the large traps and walls were used from the 600s until the Black Death started in the 1300s.

After almost 10 years of planning, Rondane was created as Norway’s first national park on December 21, 1962. It was first set up as a nature protection area and later named a national park. The main reasons for protecting the park were to preserve the natural environment, including plants, animals, and cultural history, and to provide a place for future generations to enjoy nature.

Efforts to protect nature in Norway began in 1954 with the passing of a nature protection law. Soon after, in 1955, community meetings were held near Rondane, and a commission was formed. Norman Heitkøtter led the commission and helped establish Rondane National Park through a royal decision. When it was created, the park covered 580 square kilometers (224 square miles), later nearly doubling in size.

Although Rondane was the first national park in Norway, many others were created afterward. These parks are managed by the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management.

To better protect wild reindeer, the park was greatly expanded in 2003, increasing its area from 580 square kilometers (220 square miles) to 963 square kilometers (372 square miles).

The expansion mainly happened toward the northwest, with smaller increases in the east and south. Areas with less strict protection, including parts of the landscape and nature conservation zones, were also added to the park.

A new national park, Dovre National Park, was created between Rondane and Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park. After the expansion, the distance between the northern border of Rondane and the southern border of Dovre National Park is now about 1 kilometer (0.62 miles). Large areas of nearby mountain regions are now protected by the three parks.

Geology

The bedrock in Rondane formed from a shallow sea floor that existed 500 to 600 million years ago. Changes in the Earth's crust later created a mountain area made of metamorphic rock and quartz. No fossils have been found in Rondane today, so scientists believe the sea where the rock came from had no animal life.

The current landscape was mainly shaped by the last ice age, which happened about 9,000 to 10,000 years ago. During this time, large amounts of ice built up, and scientists believe this ice melted slowly in cycles of freezing and thawing.

The melting happened quickly in some areas, carving deep river valleys. Rondane has a few small canyons formed by the fast melting of ice. The most famous ones are Jutulhogget and Vesle-Ula.

Biology

Rondane is one of the few places in Scandinavia and Europe where wild reindeer (instead of the ones that people raise) live. The Directorate for Nature Management considers Rondane an important habitat for the native reindeer. It is estimated that about 2,000 to 4,000 reindeer live in Rondane and the nearby Dovre area. To protect the reindeer in their main area over the last ten years, hiking trails were moved. In 2003, the park was expanded to give the reindeer more protection.

Other large animals, such as roe deer and elk (also called moose), are often found near the edges of the park. Occasionally, musk ox from Dovre can be seen. Wolverines, lynxes, and a small number of bears also live in the area, though wolves are very rare.

Reindeer mainly eat lichen and reindeer moss, which grow with heather and hardy grass on dry, rocky plateaus that have little nutrients. The lichen provide food for reindeer and help plants grow by adding nutrients to the soil, which supports mice, lemmings, and other plants. One plant that grows well in this area is the Glacier Crowfoot, which can be found at elevations up to 1,700 meters (5,600 feet).

Tourism

Visitors to Rondane National Park are allowed to hike and camp anywhere in the park, except near areas where cabins are located.

The park does not allow motor vehicles, and it has few special rules. People with proper permits may fish or hunt inside the park.

The Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (DNT) owns and manages a group of mountain cabins for hikers. In Rondane, there is a main cabin near the southern end of Lake Rondvatnet called Rondvassbu. Two other cabins, Dørålseter and Bjørnhollia, are located on the northern and eastern edges of the park. These three cabins have staff, offer food, and provide limited lodging that can be reserved in advance. Other cabins in the park, such as Eldåbu, are not staffed and require a key to enter.

DNT marks hiking trails with red T-shaped signs that are easy to see. These trails connect the cabins and lead to some peaks near Lake Rondvatnet. Recently, some trails have been slightly changed to avoid areas where wild reindeer live.

The service cabins remain open during winter, though they may only offer self-service options during off-season months. Ski trails are marked and sometimes prepared by DNT or nearby hotels and ski resorts.

Rondane in literature

The landscapes of Rondane have inspired many Norwegian writers. Probably the most well-known work is Peer Gynt (1867), a play by Henrik Ibsen, which is partly set in Rondane. In this scene, Ibsen included Rondane in one of the 19th century’s most famous plays, making Rondane a symbol of Norway.

Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, a writer and collector of Norwegian folk tales in the mid-19th century, gathered many stories connected to Rondane, including the tale of Peer Gynt, which inspired Ibsen.

Another writer who set one of his famous works in Rondane is the poet Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, who wrote the poem Ved Rundarne.

Name

Rondane is the plural form of the word "rond." Several mountains in the area have the ending "-ronden" (Digerronden, Høgronden, Midtronden, Storronden, and Vinjeronden), and this is the singular form of the same word. The word "rond" was probably the name of the long and narrow lake Rondvatnet ("Rond water/lake"). The mountains around the lake were named after it. For more information about the meaning, see Randsfjorden.