Dovre muncipality has approximately 2.800 inhabitants and covers a area of 1.363,8 km2. The village of Dombås lies in the Dovre municipality and serves as an administrative center in the upper Gudbrandsdalen. It lies at an important junction of roads: south leading to Oslo, west via Lesja leading to Åndalsnes on the sea and north to Trondheim.
The musk-ox, which is also depicted in the community´s coat of arms, is a unifying symbol to the people of Dovre. It represents strength, pride and a good portion stubbornness, qualities which we like to think aptly describe the locals. Dovre stands for quality, and as a visitor you will soon discover the pride and pleasure the people of Dovre take in being a good host. Situated between the Dovrefjell and Rondane National Parks, the Dovre area offers beautiful vistas and an invigorating climate good for body and soul.
Summers provide an excellent opportunity to experience Dovre´s many facets. With the broad range of activities available you are sure to find something that interests you. Offerings include musk-oxen safaris, moose safaris with or without canoe, rafting, mountain climbing, summit tours, canyoning, ornithological tours, etc. You will find a wide assortment of hiking trails and ancient pathways such as the old Kings’ Road and Pilgrim´s Route (the route followed by pilgrims to the Shrine of St. Olaf in Trondheim) on the Dovrefjell and in the Rondane Mountains, and close by the centre of Dombås.
Horseback riding is a great way to explore the outdoors and there are organized rides on the Dovrefjell. Hunting and fishing opportunities are also available. With Dovre as your base, you can take day-trips by car in all directions. Dovrefjell National Park is both special and vulnerable. This area contains the last virtually intact high mountain ecosystem in Europe, with a habitat that supports wild reindeer, wolverine, and arctic fox. Dovrefjell is known for its rich and diverse flora, with the Spring PasqueRower (Pulsatilla vernalis) among the best known. A number of plant species are rare, and are only found in the Dovrefjell region. Consequently, a number of plants, such as the Dovre poppy, derive their name from here. The main landmark and highest peak in the national park is Snøhetta (2,286 metres), a popular destination for many hikers.
Located right above the centre of Dombås is a down hill ski slope that is well suited to families. Dovre has some of Norway’s best snowboarders, and the slope is equipped with a half-pipe. This area is known for its excellent cross-country skiing, and boasts 100 km of groomed trails which reach almost all the way down to centre of town. There are also ample opportunities for off-piste skiing on the Dovrefjell or in the Rondane Mountains. Dogsledding is a fun experience out of the ordinary, and organized tours are offered in which you can choose between being a passenger or driving your own team.
Gudbrandsdalen valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake Mjøsa, extending 230 kilometers toward Romsdalen. The river of Gudbrandsdalslågen (Lågen) flows through the valley, starting from Lesjaskogsvatnet and ending at Mjøsa. The Otta river flowing through Otta valley is a major tributary to Gudbrandsdalslågen.
Together with Glomma river and Østerdalen, Gudbrandsdalslågen and Gudbrandsdalen forms Norway´s largest river / valley system. Gudbrandsdalen is home to Dovre Line and the E6 road, and is the main land transport corridor through South Norway, from Oslo and central eastern lowlands to Trondheim and Møre & Romsdal.
MUSK-OX
Fossil finds show that musk-oxen (Ovibos moschatus) lived in Europe during the last ice age. The population died out, however, due to a combination of climate changes and intense hunting. The first placement of musk-oxen on the Dovrefjell, a mountainous plateau in south central Norway, was done in 1931, when 10 animals from Greenland were released by Hjerkinn. In 1938, they were joined by two more animals. The herd multiplied, but all disappeared during the Second World War.
In 1947 – 53, altogether 23 musk-ox calves were transported from Greenland to the Dovrefjell, where the herd has now grown to approx. 80 animals. Musk-oxen are not aggressive, as long as you don’t get too close. Out of consideration for your personal safety and the well-being of these magnificent animals, you should maintain a distance of at least 200 m (650 ft). The musk-ox has a top speed of 60 km (37 miles) per hour, and weighs between 225 – 445 kg (500-1,000 Ib.), so it’s plain that these animals deserve your respect. If you would like to see musk-oxen in the wild, we recommend that you go on an organized musk-oxen safari.
The mountain Snøhetta is the crown on the roof of norway. Wide and majestetic it shows itself for the travellers. With its 2.286 meters above the sea, its the highest mountain in Norway beside the tops of Jotunheimen. The Snøhetta has several alpine neighbours, such as Svånåtindane, Larstind, Drugshø and Skredahø. The view from Snøhetta is magnifficent. The west-top is the lowest of the four peaks of Snøhetta, where all are above 2.200 metres. There are two alternate routes to get to the top of Snøhetta the West-top and the Big-top. There has been found remains of hunting-sites for reindeer, that shows that reindeer-hunters have been here long before Esmark.
Fokstumyra nature reserve is a very special area, and is particularly important as a nesting ground for a large number of rare and more common bird species. At the last registered count, approx. 140 bird species were recorded, whereof approx. 60 were registered as nesting. One distinctive species is the Ruff (Philomachus pugnax). The designation of Fokstumyra as a nature reserve in 1923 was the first such act involving the protection of a large wilderness area in Norway. Hiking etc. in the nature reserve is subject to certain rules.
Rondane was established as Norway s first national park in 1962. The park contains 10 peaks over 2.000 metres The massifs in the central parts of the national park bear many traces of the Ice Age, with deep cirques and narrow gorses. Although certain areas are quite rugged and rocky, Rondane is for the most part an easily accessible hiking area suitable for short and longer backpacking trips. Rondane also has a vulnerable population of wild reindeer which originates from the same stock as the population on the Dovrefjell.
Due to the construction of roads and the railway, the habitat of the wild reindeer became constricted, migratory routes were disrupted and the large population was divided. Reindeer are sensitive to disturbances, and for this reason it is necessary to show consideration. Grimsdalen is one of the richest and longest valleys in Norway when it comes to ancient hunting and mountain dairying traditions. Throughout the valley you will find visible signs of old Norwegian culture such as alpine meadows and traces of ancient reindeer traps. We recommend a trip through Grimsdalen and Dørålen, where you will be able to see and experience beautiful and interesting scenery without too much exertion.
BUILDING PARK
A Historical Buildings Park where old building customs are preserved is located in Dovre. The major attraction is a reconstructed, operational sash saw from the 1700s. In addition, you can see tar made in a tar stack. Tours, demonstrations and courses are offered to groups.
Budsjord is a protected farm located along the Old Kings’ Road passing through Dovre. In the 1400s, Budsjord was an episcopal farm under Nidaros Bishopric. The stable, which is one of 17 buildings on the farm, is from this period. Tours and home made traditional foods are offered. There is also an antique and collectibles shop.
TROLL PARK
In the middle of Dombås is Troll Park, an interpretative centre where young and old can learn more about the distinctive features of this part of Norway. The centre takes visitors on a journey through nature and culture, with nymphs and trolls popping up behind every rock. In the movie theatre you can watch a film about the changing seasons on the Dovrefjell.
GALLERI DOVREGUBBEN
A gallery honouring the Norwegian artist Rakel Onsum Berg and her long life as a tapestry weaver, is situated by Dovregubbens Hall (Hall of the Mountain King) on the Dovrefjell. Tours of the gallery are offered to give visitors a thorough introduction to Rakel Onsum Berg’s life as an artist and the historical surroundings in which the gallery is placed.
ARNFINNSBRUA BRIDGE
Arnfinnsbrua at Dovrefjell is a beautiful and protected rock-bridge from 1825. Located by Dovregubbens Hall (Hall of the Mountain King) on the Dovrefjell. An old saying tells us that the convict Arnfinn worked his way to a free man by building this bridge. The truth is that the bridge was built by local contractors from Dovre, lead by Pål Tofte. In total 28 men worked 779 days to build the bridge.
VESLE-HJERKINN
Lies by Gautåseter, a mountain dairy on the Dovrefjell. The area is known for its archaeological finds dating back to the 700s. A floor and part of the walls have now been built on the site of the inn that stood there before the time of Eystein I Magnusson, king of Norway from 1103 to 1122.
TOLLEVSHAUGEN
“Kyrkja” ved Tollevshaugen is a special rock-formation, that recembles a church. Every summer mass is held here.
BJØRNSGARDSETER
Bjørnsgardseter at Grimsdalen is a collection of 7 mountain-fams. You can also see a hunting-area for wild reindeer, old burial-places and living-quarters from the viking-era. This area is the centre of the valley Grimsdalen, with possibilities for camping and fishing.
TVERRLISETER
In Grimsdalen a bridge of old construction crossing the river Grimsa. The bridge was used by the Tverrliseters to get the cattle across the river. The bridge is built in a special manner, using long logs balanced to perfection, meating in the middle of the river. The bridge was rebuilt in 1997.
STAKSTO
In Grimsdalen a bridge crossing the river Grimsa, reconstructed in 1997. The bridge was used to get people and animals across the river. Long logs are laid from each side, meating each other in perfect balance in the middle of the river.
DOMBÅSHAUGEN
A great area for walks, with 2.5 km of marked trails. You will also find one of norways smalles museums here, in rememberance of the famous astronomer Sigurd Einbu (1866-1946), originally from Dombås. There is also an out-door stage here, used during the summer.
EINBUSTUGU
Einbustugu is a small museum, situated in the area of Dombåshaugen. You can see the equipment that the astronomer Sigurd Einbu used in his work. The museum is open a few days a week during the summer. You can also contact the tourist-office and borrow the key.
DOVRE CHURCH
The Dovre Church was built in 1736, and is a classical cross-church built with lumber. The church has a very special apperance, due to its slated walls. This was done to protect the church from the weather. The altarpiece and the baptismal font is from the old stave church, which stood at Bergsjordet. A new organ came in 1992. Tours during the summer months.
THE KRISTOFFER CAVE
Situated beneath the mountain Sjøberget in Dovre. This is where Kristoffer Flågåstad from Lesja lived. He killed a man with an axe, and lived in this cave as an outlaw. The cave is not far from Tofte, where his sister lived. She supplied him with food. He was later capturen, executed and burried outside the chirch-fence in Dovre – the custom for outlaws at the time.
THE LIFTING ROCK
An old test of strength was to lift this rock from the ground, and place it in the branch of the tree next to it. The rock is situated by the old road to Folldalen crossing Hjerkinnholen to the south of Hjerkinn Fjellstue.
DOMBÅS CHURCH
Dombås Church was built in 1936. It is a cross-church, where stone (sparagmitt) from the Jøndal in Dovre is used. The church has a monumental altarpiece, where paintings of biblical stories is placed in Norwegian nature. The altarpiece is made in wood, from a drawing by Magnus Poulsson. The ten images of the life of Christ is painted on wooden wallboards and later attached to the altarpiece itself. “The believing Christ” is painted with backgrounds from the local nature. Tours during the summer-season.
EYSTEIN´S CHURCH
The church Eysteinskyrkja in Hjerkinn was built in 1969, in a very special concrete construction. The church is built by the old kings road and the pilegrim-road crossing Dovrefjell at the base of an old church. The church acts as a gathering-point for the people from all areas surrounding Dovrefjell. Tours during the summer-season.
MOUNTAINEERING
Snøhetta 2.286 metres, Rondeslottet 2.178 metres, Høgronden 2.114 metres, Larstind 2.106 metres and Trolltind / Sagtinden 2.018 metres.
SKIING
Dombås Skiheiser consists of two lifts, 1200 and 1600 metres. You will find varied slopes, where the main-slope is 1200 metres, with lighting and artificial snow. The slopes are internationally approved for slalom and giant slalom. The longest slope is 2700 metres, and the difference in altitude is 250 metres. You will also find a good ski-school. Own snowboard-park with bigjump, artificial snow and lighting. Season starts medio November! We have skis for hire, and equipment for both downhill, snowboard, telemark and cross-country skiing.
GOLF
Dovre Golfclub is a golf course with 6 holes and a variation of difficulties. The course lies close to the pilegrim-road.