Snowshoeing in Norway

A gentle introduction to snowshoeing from a comfortable hotel, plus the chance to try cross-country skiing.

This is perfect terrain for an introductory snowshoe trip, on the edge of Norway's Rondane National Park. Clipping into our snowshoes at the door of the hotel, we head out across unbroken snow. Some routes keep to the low ground, passing log cabins hidden in the forest, while others climb over open hillsides and to easy summits.

We include four days snowshoeing and one day to try out cross-country skiing on the excellent trails that lead from the hotel.

Accommodation: A remote 'high mountain hotel' on the edge of Rondane National Park. At an altitude of 900m, just on the tree-line, it offers unrivalled access to the winter wilderness. The hotel provides comfortable accommodation in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Facilities include an indoor pool and sauna. The rooms are furnished to a good standard with en suite bathrooms and many offer stunning views of the surrounding peaks.

The highlight is the setting – a converted traditional farmhouse, overlooking a frozen lake situated in a secluded Norwegian valley. Who needs big chain hotels when locally owned, private accommodation is as good as this? Espedalen is a remote area of Norway, where money from tourism makes a tangible impact on the local economy. By visiting unusual and often undeveloped areas travellers have an alternative to the more conventional winter destinations, where the environment is under serious pressure. You won't find landscapes disfigured with cable cars and bulldozed pistes on this trip – this is unspoilt, pristine wilderness where sustainable principles of tourism are implicitly applied.