Fokstugu Mountain Lodge

The nearly thousand-year-old tradition of offering shelter and lodging to travelers lives on at historic Fokstugu today.

The historical roots of Fokstugu Mountain Lodge are closely interwoven with the beginnings of pilgrimage in Norway. It was King Eystein Magnusson who, around 1120, initiated the construction of sælehus (mountain lodging) to give the first pilgrims on their way to the holy grave of St. Olav in Nidaros a chance to survive the crossing of the Dovrefjell mountains. Survival has since been the key word for Fokstugu’s existence, along with the responsibility of welcoming and helping travelers and wayfarers. Fokstugu served as a posting station until the 1930s.

Today, sheep farming is the main livelihood at Fokstugu. With its location at 1,000 meters above sea level in the middle of the Dovre National Parks, the farm is Norway’s highest permanently operated agricultural holding. Laurits Fokstugu represents the eleventh generation on the farm. The agricultural operations are run by his son, Erlend Fokstugu. The mountain lodge is run by his daughter, Ingrid Aalbu Fokstugu.

Nearly 500 years after the reformation in 1536 put an end to pilgrimage in Norway, pilgrims on their way to Nidaros once again seek overnight shelter at Fokstugu. Hikers crossing Dovrefjell, ornithologists visiting the Fokstumyra Nature Reserve, as well as people seeking silence and relief from the stress of modern day society are regular guests at Fokstugu Mountain Lodge.

Guests stay in the mountain lodge from the 1800s, preserved with its originally appearance, with furniture from generations of running the mountain-lodge. The buildings date from the time of the posting station and offer private bedrooms with good beds, a sitting room with fireplace, a well-equipped kitchen, a dining room, and modern shower/toilet facilities. Dogs are allowed.

Fokstugu’s consecrated chapel, Guds Huset (“God’s House”), is open to everyone, every day. During the summer, the traditional daily prayers of the pilgrimage are held here, led by priests and bishops from the Church of Norway, using the liturgy of Nidaros Cathedral.

This hostel is accredited and recommended by the National Pilgrim Centre. It has met the same requirements, and holds the same standard, as the pilgrim accommodation along Camino de Santiago and Via Francigena.