Beitostølen is a ski resort with a long summer afterlife, sitting high on the edge of the Valdres valley at the point where farmland gives way to open mountain. The village is a collection of hotels, chalets, shops and lifts, and in summer it serves as the gateway to the Valdresflye, the high plateau road that crosses toward Jotunheimen, Norway's highest mountains. Heggenes and the rest of Øystre Slidre lie further down the valley, among farms, lakes and forests.
Valdres is one of Norway's most traditional valleys, known for its folk music, its old farms and its stave churches, of which there are six in the valley, more than in any other part of the country. The landscape is gentle and green, with lakes and rolling hills, and it has been a place of summer farming for centuries, with herders taking their animals up to the mountain pastures in summer. Some of those summer farms are still in use, and you can buy cheese, milk and other products from them along the roads.
The Valdresflye road, Fylkesvei 51, climbs from Beitostølen onto the high plateau, crossing open country of heather, lichen and small lakes, with views of the peaks of Jotunheimen to the north and west. The highest point is close to 1400 metres, and the road is closed in winter, usually from late autumn to spring, depending on the snow. The surface is good, with long sweeping bends and a few steeper sections, and traffic is moderate in summer. Conditions turn fast, and it can be cold and windy even in July. At the northern end, the road drops down toward Gjendesheim, starting point of the famous Besseggen ridge hike.
Below Beitostølen, the road through Valdres is a pleasant ride, with gentle curves, villages, lakes and farms. Few vehicles use it, apart from weekends and holidays. The best time is late summer and early autumn, when the colours change and the air is clear.
Beitostølen has fuel, food and somewhere to sleep, and it is the natural place to prepare for the plateau. Fagernes, further down the valley, is the main town of Valdres. Take warm clothes and enjoy the climb.