Aurlandsfjellet National Scenic Route
The 'Snow Road' that climbs from the edge of Aurland Fjord to a 1,306 m plateau, famous for the Stegastein viewpoint and early-summer snow walls.
The Aurlandsfjellet National Scenic Route is County Road 243, known as the 'Snow Road'. It runs from Aurland, on the Aurlandsfjord branch of the Sognefjord, over the plateau to Lærdal. It is about 47 km long, with a highest point of around 1,306 m. Leaving Aurland, the road climbs quickly to the famous Stegastein viewpoint at about 650 m, a wooden platform projecting out over the cliff with the Aurlandsfjord 600 m below. The road continues up onto the sparsely vegetated plateau, with glacier-polished rock, small lakes and snowfields. In June and July, snow walls several metres high often line the road. At the Flatbrekka viewpoint on the plateau, there is an architect-designed sound installation. After descending, you reach Lærdal, where the old street of Lærdalsøyri preserves 18th- and 19th-century wooden houses. Since the 24.5 km Lærdal Tunnel opened, this road has become a purely scenic route. It can be combined with the tunnel as a one-day loop, and it is easy to reach from Flåm. The road is narrow with limited passing places. Mountain weather changes quickly. In winter it is completely closed, and at that time only the tunnel is available.