Hardangervidda is the largest mountain plateau in Northern Europe - an 8,000-square-kilometer vidde sitting at roughly 1,200 meters elevation between Bergen in the west and Oslo in the east. The plateau was designated Norway's largest national park in 1981 (covering 3,422 km² of the total area) and is one of the most distinctive single landscapes in the country. Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian polar explorer, used Hardangervidda to train for his successful 1911 expedition to the South Pole.
The plateau is the home of Europe's largest wild reindeer herd - currently approximately 7,000 animals, down from a 1970s peak of around 30,000. The Hardangervidda population is genetically distinct (the only remaining population of European wild reindeer of the original Scandinavian post-glacial lineage) and is closely managed by Norwegian environmental authorities. The herd moves through the plateau on long migration routes, with summer grazing concentrated in the western half and winter ranges in the more sheltered eastern country. Hunters draw a tightly-managed annual quota; most travelers experience the herd through binoculars from a careful distance.
Walking on Hardangervidda is a different experience from walking in the more vertical fjord-edge mountains. Gradients are gentle. Distances are long. There is little protection from weather; serious storms can develop quickly and visibility can collapse to a few meters. The classic crossing - east to west from Halne to Kinsarvik - takes four to six days and crosses the plateau through a series of DNT mountain huts (Krækkja, Sandhaug, Stigstuv). For most international travelers without serious mountain experience, we recommend a local guide rather than independent crossing; the plateau is unforgiving in bad conditions.
The Bergen Railway crosses Hardangervidda at its highest point, at the Hardangerjøkulen ice cap and the Finse station (1,222 m, the highest mainland railway station in northern Europe). The seven-hour journey on the Bergen Line is one of the most spectacular rail experiences in northern Europe and gives a brief but memorable glimpse of the plateau's scale; for travelers who do not have time for a multi-day crossing on foot, the train is an excellent introduction. See Sea to summit for the wider context.