Hidden Cycling Routes in Valdres — Local Favourites
Five secret cycling routes in Valdres that tourists never find — Etnedal, Sør-Aurdal and Leira. Quiet gravel roads, silent valleys and ridgelines without crowds.
Hidden Cycling Routes in Valdres — The Favourites Locals Keep to Themselves
Most cyclists in Valdres know Mjølkevegen, Valdresflya and Beitostølen. With good reason — they are outstanding routes. But Valdres is bigger than the tourist brochures suggest. In the quiet valleys south and east of Fagernes, along river courses and over forested ridges, lie routes with barely any traffic — neither cars nor cyclists.
Are there hidden cycling routes in Valdres?
Yes. Valdres has over 350 documented cycling routes, and many of the best lie outside the classic tourist areas. Etnedal, Sør-Aurdal and Leira have quiet gravel roads, silent forest trails and roads with minimal traffic. These routes suit cyclists who want the experience without the crowds.
Why Explore the Unknown?
The classic routes in Valdres — Mjølkevegen, Valdresflya, Stølsvidda — are high-mountain routes that require the snow to have melted. The routes in this guide lie lower, between 200 and 800 m a.s.l. That gives you two advantages: a longer season (May to October in good years) and an entirely different landscape. Here you find birch forest, spruce forest, quiet lakes and riverbanks instead of plateaus and wind.
1. Etnedal–Tønsen Ridge — Gravel with Views over the Valley
Etnedal–Tønsen høydedrag is a 28 km gravel loop that takes you up from Etnedal village to the ridge towards Tønsen. From here you look down over the entire Etnedal — a long, green valley with the Dokka river at its floor and forested hillsides on both sides.
What makes it special: The climb is even and predictable. The gravel road is well maintained because local farmers use it. At the top it is quiet enough to hear the river far below in the valley. No refreshments along the way, but that is precisely the point — you are completely alone.
Practical: 28 km, 480 hm elevation gain, moderate difficulty. Start from Etnedal village. Bring enough water and packed lunch. The road is passable but narrow — basic gravel, some rocky sections.
→ See the route: Etnedal–Tønsen Ridge
2. Hedalen–Vassfaret — Into the Wilderness
Hedalen–Vassfaret gravel takes you into one of Southern Norway's last great wilderness areas. Vassfaret is known as "the last wolf forest" — and even though the wolves are gone, the landscape is just as wild. 38 km on gravel roads through dense forest, past silent tarns and along waterways that are barely mentioned on the map.
What makes it special: The feeling of wilderness. After the first 10 km your phone signal disappears, and the next 20 km it is you, the forest and the gravel road. This is not a route for people who want café stops and Instagram shots. It is a route for people who want silence.
Practical: 38 km, 520 hm, moderate difficulty. Start from Hedalen in Sør-Aurdal. Gravel varies from hardpacked to slightly loose — 35 mm tyres or wider recommended. No refreshments. Bring everything you need.
→ See the route: Hedalen–Vassfaret gravel
3. Leira–Skurdalen High Route — Panorama Without Tourists
Leira–Skurdalen høyderute is 32 km of gravel from Leira up to Skurdalen and back. The route climbs gradually from the valley floor (350 m a.s.l.) to a plateau with wide views over Nord-Aurdal and Randsfjorden.
What makes it special: The contrast. You start in agricultural landscape with farms and pasture, and end up on a forested ridge with views in every direction. The descent back to Leira is long and rewarding — 15 km of downhill on gravel with a steady gradient.
Practical: 32 km, 550 hm, moderate–challenging. Start from Leira village. The gravel road is narrow but firm. Best with a gravel or mountain bike. No organised refreshments, but you are never far from Leira if you need to resupply.
→ See the route: Leira–Skurdalen High Route
4. Bjødalsrunden — Challenging Gravel in Sør-Aurdal
Bjødalsrunden is the route local gravel enthusiasts in Sør-Aurdal recommend to others who like to earn their views. 36 km with 720 hm of climbing — there are no shortcuts here. The route takes you through Bjødalen, a narrow valley with steep sides and a gravel road that climbs steadily upwards.
What makes it special: The reward. After the tough climb the landscape opens up, and you look out over the Valdres valley from an angle most people never experience. The descent is technical enough to keep you focused, but never dangerous.
Practical: 36 km, 720 hm, challenging. Start from Bagn. Requires good fitness and a bike with low gearing. Some steep sections over 10% gradient. Surface varies — hardpacked gravel to looser sections.
→ See the route: Bjødalsrunden
5. Bruflat–Dokka Valley Route — Easy Road Riding Along the River
Not everything needs to be demanding. Bruflat–Dokka dalrute is a 35 km road route that follows the Dokka river through a flat, lush valley from Etnedal southwards. Tarmac all the way, minimal traffic, and a pace that suits everyone.
What makes it special: That it exists at all. Most people think "mountains" when they think of Valdres, but the valleys have their own qualities. Here you cycle along a gently flowing river, past farms, through small villages and under large deciduous trees. The route is flat enough for children and beginners, but long enough to make a proper day trip.
Practical: 35 km, 300 hm, easy. Tarmac throughout. Suitable for all bike types. Fagernes is 30 minutes by car from the starting point. Café in Dokka town centre for a well-earned break.
→ See the route: Bruflat–Dokka Valley Route
Tips for Those Who Want to Explore
Planning: Download map data in advance. Several of these routes have poor mobile coverage. Komoot and ut.no have GPS tracks for most gravel roads in Valdres.
Season: The lowland routes (Bruflat–Dokka, Leira routes) are rideable from May. Higher routes (Tønsen, Bjødalen) from June. Check local conditions — snowmelt can make gravel roads soft in May.
Equipment: A gravel bike with 35–40 mm tyres handles everything here. For Bjødalsrunden and Hedalen–Vassfaret, 40 mm+ is an advantage. Bring a spare tube, pump and enough food — shops are few and far between.
Accommodation: Use Fagernes as a base for all five routes. Alternatively: Etnedal village for the northern routes, Bagn for the Sør-Aurdal routes.
Combine: Ride two routes in one day — a morning ride in Etnedal, an afternoon ride from Leira. Or plan a 3-day mini-holiday trying all five. See our guide to choosing a cycling base for more.
Find Your Own Hidden Routes — Here's How
You don't need to wait for someone to write a guide. Valdres has hundreds of kilometres of gravel roads that never appear in any app. Here is how to find them yourself:
Norgeskart (kartverket.no): Turn on the "Roads" layer and zoom in on Valdres. Gravel roads are marked with thinner lines than tarmac roads. See a gravel road running from valley to valley over a ridge? That is probably a route worth trying.
Historical aerial imagery: Kartverket has aerial photographs from the 1950s onwards. Old mountain dairy tracks no longer in use show up here — some of them are still rideable with wide enough tyres.
Local farmers: Ask if you meet anyone. The mountain dairy tracks are often privately owned but open to the public. A friendly greeting and a question about the road ahead gives you better beta than any app.
Strava heatmap: Turn on the heatmap and see where people actually cycle in Valdres. The thin, faint lines — where nobody rides — are often the most interesting routes. Thick lines mean Mjølkevegen and Valdresflya. Thin lines mean adventure.
Early Season — The Advantage of Lowland Routes
While Valdresflya and Mjølkevegen lie under snow until June, several of the routes in this guide are rideable as early as May. The valley floor along Begna and Dokka lies between 200 and 400 m a.s.l. — the snow disappears early and the gravel roads dry out quickly after the spring thaw.
Suffering from cycling withdrawal in May? Start with Bruflat–Dokka or the Leira routes. They give you the first proper ride of the season without throwing yourself into muddy forest tracks. When June arrives and higher routes open, you already have some good rides in your legs.
Late autumn — September and October — is just as good. The leaf colours along the Dokka river and in Sør-Aurdal are dramatic, traffic is non-existent, and the temperature is perfect for cycling. Bring a wind jacket and lights — the days are shorter, but the evening light through the foliage is worth it.
Hidden Routes on an E-Bike — Making the Most of the Lowlands
An e-bike opens these routes to far more people. Bjødalsrunden's 720 hm — tough on a regular bike — becomes a very manageable day ride with a motor. But there is one important difference from the mountain routes: there are almost no charging stations along these routes. No mountain lodges, no cafés with a power socket.
Strategy: Charge fully at home or at your hotel in Fagernes. With a 500 Wh battery and eco mode you can complete all five routes in this guide without charging en route. Bruflat–Dokka (35 km, 300 hm) uses only 30–40 % of the battery. Bjødalsrunden (36 km, 720 hm) requires 60–75 %, depending on weight and assistance level.
Tips for gravel: Loose surface draws more battery than tarmac. Use eco mode on flat sections and save turbo for the steep parts. Hedalen–Vassfaret with its 38 km on gravel is the most battery-intensive route — expect 70–85 % consumption.
Week Plan — Combine Hidden Gems with the Classics
Six days, three hidden routes and three classics. Start with the lesser-known ones to warm up, finish with Valdres' most iconic.
Logistics: Use Fagernes as your base for days 1–4. Move to Beitostølen on day 5 for Mjølkevegen and Valdresflya. Alternatively: drive to the starting point and cycle back — Valdres is compact enough that nothing is more than 45 minutes away.
Who is this for? Cyclists with a gravel or mountain bike and reasonable fitness. A total of 210 km and 3490 hm over six days — an average of 35 km and 580 hm per riding day. Manageable for most people who cycle regularly.
Season: June–September. Days 1–4 work from May, but Mjølkevegen and Valdresflya require the snow to have melted (usually mid-June).
After Rain — Which Routes Can Handle It?
A Norwegian summer means rain. The question is not whether it will rain, but which routes you can ride the day after. The surface is everything — hardpacked gravel drains in hours, while forest soil can remain muddy for days.
Rule of thumb: Tarmac and hardpacked farm gravel handle anything. Forest tracks in dense spruce forest need the longest time. Roads crossing open ridges with wind dry faster than roads in the shade of trees.
After heavy rain (over 15 mm): Avoid Hedalen–Vassfaret entirely for 48 hours. Bjødalsrunden's steepest section may have loose stones washed down. Bruflat–Dokka and Etnedal–Tønsen are safe choices — always.
Pro tip: Check yr.no for rainfall in the past 24 hours. Under 5 mm? All routes work. 5–15 mm? Stick to Bruflat–Dokka and Etnedal–Tønsen. Over 15 mm? The tarmac route or a rest day.
Combine Two Routes in One Day — Double the Experience
Valdres is compact. The distances between the starting points of the hidden gems are short enough to ride two routes in one long day. Here are three tried-and-tested combinations:
Logistics for a double day: Drive to starting point #1, cycle back, drive to starting point #2. Alternatively: start both from Fagernes and add transfer legs. Combination #1 and #2 involve 15–20 minutes of driving between routes. Combination #3 starts both from Bagn, zero driving between.
Food plan: Pack lunch for between the routes. No refreshments along any of the hidden gems — that is part of the charm, but you need to plan. Rema 1000 in Fagernes or Coop in Bagn on the way out. A thermos of coffee in the car makes a big difference between routes.
Timing: Start the morning route at 07–08 to have a lunch break and transfer to route #2 around 12. Summer in Valdres gives you daylight until 22:00 — you have plenty of time.
More to Explore
Valdres has over 350 cycling routes spread across 13 areas. The five routes in this guide are just the beginning. For the complete overview:
- All cycling routes in Valdres — filter by type, difficulty and area
- Etnedal cycling guide — everything about cycling in Etnedal
- Sør-Aurdal cycling guide — Bagn, Hedalen and surroundings
- Cycling in Valdres on a budget — tips for low-cost cycling
- Bikepacking in Valdres — for those who want to sleep outdoors