Over 60,000 hiking-loving Norwegians and tourists take the trip across Besseggen every year. Now the trail has a new status. On Monday, the Norwegian Environment Agency presented Besseggen as a new National Tourist Trail. According to the directorate, the term includes both monetary allocations and the provision of assistance services. – Through the National Tourist Trails, we avoid that there is too much wear and tear and littering that affects the diversity of nature and the experience of being in nature. It has also been shown that accidents and injuries are reduced when a place becomes a National Tourist Trail, says Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide. The municipality celebrates the Norwegian mountain center in Lom and Vågå municipality has applied to become a national tourist trail. The background is great wear and tear on the landscape and preparedness for the tens of thousands of walkers, says mayor Harald Sve Bjørndal (Bygdelista). – This is tremendously good news for us. It provides good opportunities to be part of the scheme. Bjørndal points out that the municipality wanted to involve national authorities in the task of taking care of Besseggen in the years to come. In recent years, cold, wet and injured tourists have led to a number of rescue operations at Besseggen. The air ambulance at Dombås has moved out to the mountain many times and used important flight time on rescue operations which they believe could have been avoided. Last summer, two couples had to be rescued after encountering bad weather. Vågå now hopes to avoid that with better information. – Won’t the status as a national tourist trail entail a risk that even more tourists will visit Besseggen and thus increase wear and tear? – It can of course happen, but it is entirely possible to make arrangements for it. The mountain tolerates traffic well, but it is important to carry out maintenance, says Bjørndal. State Secretary Aleksander Øren Heen (Sp) also acknowledges that the status as a national tourist trail can lead to increased visits and load, but says the Ministry of the Environment has made a conscious choice to manage traffic to the place that can withstand it. – Much of the key lies in channeling the visits to places that can withstand the strain. Besseggen is rigged for high traffic pressure and has, among other things, roads all the way in, says Øren Heen. Patrols can be reintroduced In addition to the authorization scheme, since its inception in 2017 approx. NOK 10 million each year. Now each of the tourist trails receives NOK 300,000 in fixed subsidies. The money has been used, among other things, for the construction of emergency shelters, mountain ranger service and the preparation of paths. In the past, the so-called Besseggen patrol has taken care of walkers who have needed help. – The patrol is one of several measures we are putting in place now, says Mai Bakken, general manager at the Norwegian Mountain Centre. She has led the work to apply for the authorization and says the award is recognition. – With the grant, we are sure that the patrol will be able to go there with 50 patrol days. It is extremely important for preparedness, says Bakken. The Nature Conservation Association applauds the fact that money is being set aside for nature conservation. – And we are very happy that the focus is on providing information on how to go on a walk in harmony with nature, says Ole Midthun, who is the head of the Nature Conservation Association Innlandet. BESSEGGEN PATROL: In the past, the so-called Besseggen patrol has taken care of walkers who have needed help. The patrol was a local initiative in 2017, but was shut down during the corona pandemic. Now patrolling can once again become a reality. Photo: Even Lusæter Besseggen will be the fifth authorized trail. From before, these places have the same status: Fosseråsa, Geiranger Kjerag, Lysefjorden Preikestolen, Lysefjorden Trolltunga, Odda
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The Norwegian Environment Agency makes Besseggen the country’s fifth national tourist trail – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
