At 1,434 metres, Sognefjellshytta is the high-water mark of the Sognefjell road, which carries Rv 55 across the roof of Jotunheimen and is usually described as the highest mountain pass in northern Europe. The lodge that gives the spot its name sits right beside the road, a long timber building that has been taking in walkers, skiers and passing riders for generations, and the plateau around it is nothing but bare rock, tarns, snow patches that survive well into July and a sky that seems to start at your boots.
Riding up from the Lom side, the road climbs through birch and then past the tree line into a landscape of grey boulders and low arctic plants, with the big Jotunheimen summits standing to the south. The corners are open and gentle on the plateau, the surface is good and the traffic is mostly caravans and other motorcyclists, so the pace is relaxed. The west side is the dramatic one, dropping in long descents toward Skjolden and the head of the Lustrafjord, where the climate changes from alpine to damp, green and mild within an hour. Dress in layers, because the temperature on top can be near freezing in a summer morning while the fjord is warm.
The road itself opened in the late 1930s and is closed over winter, typically from November until late spring when the snow is cleared, so check the road status before planning anything outside summer. Coffee and waffles at the lodge are a tradition, and the staff are used to cold, damp riders who want something hot.
Norway's two highest peaks, Galdhøpiggen and Glittertind, are within reach of this area, and the old trading routes that crossed these mountains were used by farmers and cattle drovers for centuries before cars. Sit outside if the weather allows. The wind carries a smell of cold stone and wet moss, and the silence on a calm day is a very rare thing in Europe.