• Top Attractions
    • Briksdalsbreen Glacier
      • How to get to Briksdalsbreen
      • Jostedalsbreen National Park
      • Nigardsbreen
      • Fjærland Book Town
      • Glacier Museums
    • Bryggen in Bergen
      • Hanseatic Period
      • Museums at Bryggen
      • Fløibanen
      • KODE Art Museum
    • Flåm Railway
      • How to get here
      • Book tickets
      • Local Produce
      • Rallarvegen
      • Stegastein
      • Ægir Brewery
    • Geirangerfjord
      • How to get to Geiranger
      • Amazing viewpoints
      • Seven Sisters
      • Hjørundfjord
    • Loen Skylift
      • How to get here
      • Hiking at Mt. Hoven
      • Via Ferrata Loen
    • Our Viking history
      • Viking villages
      • Nordvegen History Centre
      • Viking ship - Draken
      • Sagastad - the Myklebust ship
      • Viking Festival & Market
      • Gulating
    • Preikestolen
      • How to get here
      • Hiking trip
      • Fjord cruise to Preikestolen
      • Kjerag
      • Guided hikes with Outdoorlife Norway
    • Romsdalseggen
      • How to get here
      • Romsdalstrappa
    • Sognefjord
      • Nærøyfjord
      • Undredal
      • Fjordcruise
    • The Atlantic Road
      • How to get here
      • Grip
      • Best bike ride
    • Trollstigen
      • How to get here
      • Trollveggen
      • Gudbrandsjuvet
    • Trolltunga
      • How to get here
      • Hiking trip
      • Hiking trip with snowshoes
    • Vøringsfossen
      • How to get here
      • Kjeåsen
    • Ålesund Art Nouveau Town
      • How to get here
  • Places to go
    • Bergen & the Region
    • Destination Northwest
    • FjordKysten
    • Geiranger
    • Hardangerfjord
    • Haugesund & Haugalandet
    • Nordfjord
    • Sognefjord
    • Stavanger & Ryfylke Regions
    • Sunnfjord
    • Sunnhordland
    • Voss
    • Ålesund & Sunnmøre
  • Things to do
    • Biking
      • Fly and Bike with Widerøe
    • Children & families
      • The best activities for children
      • Climbing parks & Ziplines
      • The landscape that inspired the makers of Frozen
      • Farm visits
      • Parks & centres
    • Culture & Heritage
      • Guided town walks
      • Our Viking history
      • Architecture & Historical buildings
      • Stave churches
      • UNESCO Heritage
      • Museums & galleries
      • Artisans at work - Economusée
      • The Fjord Pilgrim Route – from Viking to pilgrim
    • Hiking
      • Top 5 hikes
      • Preikestolen
      • Romsdalseggen
      • Trolltunga
      • Easy hikes & city walks
      • Guided hikes
      • Glacier hikes
      • Climbing & Via Ferrata
      • Hiking trails
      • Grading, safety & equipment
    • Kayak
    • Natural Attractions
      • Beaches & bathing areas
      • Fjords
      • Glaciers
      • Guides
      • Mountain areas
      • National Parks
      • The most beautiful waterfalls in Norway
      • Waterfalls
      • What is a fjord
      • What is a glacier?
      • Well-known fjords
    • Sightseeing trips & day cruises
      • The best fjord cruises
      • The best sightseeing trips
      • Fjord cruises by The Fjords
      • Fjord cruises by Rødne
    • Shopping
      • Souvenirs & handcrafts
      • Factory outlets
    • Skiing & winter activitites
      • A refreshing winter experience: RIB
      • Cross country skiing
      • Guide to cross-country trails in Fjord Norway
      • Have fun skiing in Loen
      • Love letter to Fjord Norway
      • Nordvest: Close to the mountains in all directions
      • Ski resorts
      • Ski touring
      • Snowshoeing
      • Summer skiing
      • Sunnfjord – the new skiing paradise
      • The Alpepass Region
      • The skiing treasure trove of the Sognefjord
      • Welcome to Voss – a winter paradise!
      • Winter activities without skis
    • Sports & adventures
      • Adrenaline-filled activities
      • Bird spotting & safari
      • Fishing
      • Climbing
      • Golf
      • Diving
      • Sailing
      • RIB & Rafting
      • Horseback riding
      • Surfing & SUP
    • Wellness & spa
    • What's On
      • The best cultural experiences
      • Concerts
      • Sports & adventures
      • Festivals
      • All events
  • Planning your trip
    • Accommodation
      • Hotels
      • Classic Norway hotels
      • Camping
      • Cabins & holiday houses
      • DNT cabins
      • Stay on farm
      • Bed & Breakfast
      • Guest harbours & marinas
      • Exotic accommodation
    • Coronavirus and travelling to Norway
      • Measures to ensure a safe holiday in Norway
    • Food & Drink
      • Star-studded culinary experiences in Fjord Norway
      • Cider from Fjord Norway
      • Norwegian food
    • Getting to & around
      • Public transportation
      • Trip Ideas - with your own car
      • Trip Ideas - without a car
      • Driving in Fjord Norway
      • Rental
      • Flåm Railway
      • Rauma Railway
      • Bergen Railway
      • Widerøe: by plane around Fjord Norway
      • Fjord Line - the ferry to Norway
    • Green travel
    • Travel Guide
      • Download our Travel Guide
      • Travel on a budget
      • Tourist Information Offices
      • Seasons and climate in Fjord Norway
      • Fjord Norway in spring
      • Fjord Norway in summer
      • Fjord Norway in autumn
      • Fjord Norway in winter
    • Travel specialists
      • Authentic Scandinavia
    • Trip Ideas
      • Roundtrips by car or by public transportation
      • Norwegian Scenic Routes
      • Top 11 viewpoints along Norwegian Scenic Routes
      • Nutshell trips by Fjord Tours
      • Tours & Activities by Go Fjords
      • Into the unknown
      • Travel like the locals
    • Fjord Norway Videos
  • Inspire me
    • Winter in the fjords
      • A landscape shaped by the Ice Age in Sognefjord
      • Attack the city!
      • Eat like a Viking
      • From the fjord to the sky in Loen
      • From Vikings to street art
      • Fun facts about Norwegians and the Vikings
      • ‘God Jól’ since the Viking Age
      • Good at transport since the Viking Age!
      • Living history in the southwest
      • Skiing & Winter Activities
      • Storm watching – roundtrips from Bergen
      • The new Viking age is packed with activities
      • Waterfalls, fjords and glaciers in Hardanger
      • What to pack
    • Active fjord adventures
    • Cultural experiences
      • The cities on the fjord
    • Exploring Fjord Norway
    • Summer Secrets
      • Accommodating your dreams: 10 standout hotels
      • Beaches? Fjord Norway? Yes!
      • Exploring Fjord Norway's heritage
      • Fjord Norway’s best kept secrets
      • Fjord Norway — active and revitalizing
      • Light up your holiday
      • Open-arm welcome to culture & charm
      • Savor your holiday
      • Take your trip to new heights
      • The island escape of your dreams
      • The sound of silence
    • Fjord Norway for children
      • Bergen for children
      • Holidaying with children in South West Norway
      • Take your children on an active holiday!
      • The best of Fjord Norway – the easy way
    • Discover Fjord Norway in Autumn
      • Romantic autumn break in the fjords
      • Autumn is the perfect time for a trip with friends
      • Enjoy an autumn break with the family!
      • Take the time to breathe
      • The food scene surprised me!
      • Culture everywhere!
      • Street art in the fjords
      • The most Instagram-friendly places in Fjord Norway
      • Activity and visitor centres & museums

Don't miss...

  • Myklebustskipet. Photo: Ruben Soltvedt

    Sagastad - the Myklebust ship

  • Photo: Roger Ellingsen

    Roundtrips by car or by public transportation

  • Slogen. Photo: Sverre Hjørnevik

    Hiking

  • Aurlandsfjord. Photo: M. Dickson/Foap/visitnorway.com

    Sightseeing trips & day cruises

Skip To Main Content

Menu
  • Top Attractions

  • Places to go

  • Things to do

  • Planning your trip

  • Inspire me

Site Search Icon

My Planner

Welcome to the Itinerary Planner

Use this tool to build your own journey. To build your own Itinerary, click
Add to Excursion
to add an item to your Itinerary basket.

List All My Saved Itineraries

  • EN
  • NO
  • DE
  • Logo
  • Print Logo
  1. ©Pål Gran Kielland
  2. ©Pål Gran Kielland

You are here Things to do Natural Attractions What is a glacier?

What is a glacier?

Put simply, a glacier is the snow that fell last year. In reality, glaciers are formed due to an accumulation of snow and ice over many, many years. When the ice is more than 20 metres thick, it sinks downwards thanks to gravity. A glacier is therefore ice in movement. 

Newly fallen snow is light, with a net weight of 0,1 g/cm³. Wind and mild weather make the snow denser and heavier. Snow that survives the summer months is known as firn. Over the course of a few years, firn can be converted into ice. This transition takes place during recrystallisation, when large crystals grow in size and small ones shrink. The net weight of glacier ice is 0.9 g/cm³.

There is great pressure deep within the glacier, and the ice can be formed like a plastic material. There is less pressure in the upper section; so here the ice behaves like a rigid material. Cracks are formed when the glacier crosses a knoll or changes direction, or when it accelerates or glides long a mountainside. The crevasses in Norwegian glaciers are rarely more than 25 metres deep. That is the equivalent of a nine-storey house. In Antarctica, the ice is much colder and rigid and the crevasses can be up to 100 metres deep.

Glaciers cover 0.7% of the Norwegian mainland, and there are a total of 2,500 glaciers of different shapes and sizes. The glaciers are important in relation to hydroelectric power, research on the climate and for tourism and recreation. They can also be the cause of sudden floods and icefalls. For those walking on the snow-covered areas of glaciers, there are hidden dangers such as cracks and almost bottomless crevasses in the ice.

Most people who visit glaciers will be happy to observe and admire them from a safe distance. The intense blue colour of the different facets of the ice is enchanting and magical. The glaciers are like huge emeralds clinging to steep mountainsides and cliffs. They can also be seen as gentle giants descending from the mountains down to the valleys.

Glaciers in Fjord Norway
Go on a guided glacier tour!
 

The recent history of the glaciers 

After the last Ice Age ended approximately 10,000 years ago, the glaciers in Norway reached their maximum extent in around 1750. This period is known as the Little Ice Age. We can see clear marks from this period in many of the glaciers where the terminal moraines are formed like large ridge-formed deposits. Glacial advance destroyed many farms and cultivated land. The farmers at Nedregarden (Nigarden) in the Jostedalen valley complained, therefore, that the taxes on the farm were too high. In 1748, the King in Copenhagen asked the local minister in Jostedalen to measure the glacier to verify these claims.

© Steensrup K.J.D. / Pål Gran Kielland

After the Little Ice Age, the glaciers have retreated, but there have been several glacial advances from time to time. The last large advance was in approximately 1930. From 1930 to 1960, the glaciers retreated significantly. The glaciers advanced somewhat after 1960, and many glaciers in Western Norway advanced during the 1990s. One example is Briksdalsbreen, which between 1987 and 1997 advanced 400 metres. After 2000, the glaciers have retreated considerably, possibly as a result of global warming. The enormous quantity of snow, which falls on the glaciers during winter, is not enough to prevent loss of ice during the increasingly warm summer melting seasons.
 

Glaciers can be seen from a safe distance or on walks

In Fjord Norway you will find easy access to glaciers that can be seen from viewpoints or safe guided tours. During the summer, there are several places to go for lovely glacier walks with experienced guides, or you can take a glacier course to learn to walk on glaciers safely on your own. From south to north in Fjord Norway, we can start with Folgefonna in Hardanger. The Buerbreen is a popular viewpoint to the east, not far from Odda. You can climb higher up onto the glacier on the western side, where the Juklavassbreen glacier awaits those looking to walk on the blue ice. Fonna summer ski centre is also found here, which offers spectacular skiing in spring and summer. The visitor centre in Rosendal is attached to Folgefonna National Park, and here you can learn about glaciers, the climate and nature.

© Pål Gran Kielland

Slightly further to the north-east, between the Hallingskarvet mountain ridge and the Hardangervidda mountain plateau, you find Hardangerjøkulen. If you start in Finse, you can walk on the Blåisen glacier, while from Simadalen, not far from Eidfjord, you can climb up to Rembesdalskåka glacier arm if you are looking for a longer and more challenging walk. We recommend the Norwegian Nature Centre to learn more about Hardangervidda National Park.

There are many opportunities to see or walk on glaciers in the former county, Sogn og Fjordane – home to Jostedalsbreen, the largest glacier in mainland Europe. Almost 30 named glacier arms arise from this gigantic glacier, of which some are more accessible than others.

Luster is located to the east, which – without exaggeration – abounds with glaciers. With well-known glaciers such as Nigardsbreen, Bergsetbreen, Tuftebreen and Austdalsbreen, Jostedalen has something for everyone, whether you merely want to see a glacier or combine it with a mountain hike, kayaking or RIB boat trip on glacier lakes. Luster is also home to Veitastrond, and the Austerdalsbreen glacier, which William Cecil Slingsby himself called ‘the finest ice-scenery' in Europe after its discovery in 1894. Seeing the glaciers from a distance from this valley makes a lasting impression.

Leirdalen is situated not far from Gaupne, from which you can take a boat or kayak to the biggest glacier arm in Jostedalsbreen, namely Tunsbergdalsbreen. This is a little less accessible than the other glaciers, but well worth a guided visit if you want to get away from more popular destinations.

In Fjærland, located to the south of Jostedalsbreen, we find glaciers such as Bøyabreen and Supphellebreen, which plunge down the valleys. Both these glaciers are easily accessed from the road, are located close to the fjord and can be viewed from designated viewpoints. Supphellebreen is also known as Flatbreen, a natural place for glacier courses and the final destination on the guided tour ‘Josten på langs’. Flatbrehytta cabin is also located here, which was built for the benefit of glacier and mountain enthusiasts. The proximity of the fjords and mountains make Fjærland a very special place for nature lovers.

© Pål Gran Kielland

On the western side of Jostedalsbreen, Nordfjord is a paradise for ‘glacier watching’, such as in Oldedalen valley, Loen or Oppstryn. Briksdalsbreen might be the most well-known attraction here, alongside Kjenndalsbreen. If you would like to do a glacier walk in Nordfjord, Stryn summer ski centre is a great point of departure where you can take the ski lift to get higher up the glacier. Otherwise, Haugabreen in Jølster in Sunnfjord is a great alternative, where you can walk in a beautiful valley before climbing up onto the ice.

Around Jostedalsbreen, there are three visitor centres attached to the national park. They are the Norwegian Glacier Museum and Ulltveit-Moe climate centre in Fjærland, Jostedalsbreen National Park Centre in Stryn and Breheimsenteret Glacier Centre in Jostedalen.

Loading..

Follow Us...

  • Facebook

    Facebook Icon

  • Twitter

    Twitter Icon

  • Youtube

    Youtube Icon

  • Instagram

    Instagram Icon

  • Email Page
  • Print Page
  • E-newsletter
  • Travel Guide
  • EN
  • NO
  • DE

Other Sites

  • Corporate/Media
  • Photo Service
  • NCE Tourism - Fjord Norway

Contact Details

Fjord Norge AS

Nordre Nøstekaien 1, 5011 Bergen,

Norway

Email: info@fjordnorway.com

Corporate/Media

Photo Service

About Us

Use of cookies

Photo credits

Main Categories

  • Top Attractions
  • Places to go
  • Things to do
  • Planning your trip
  • Inspire me

Our Destinations

  • Bergen & the Region
  • Destination Northwest
  • FjordKysten
  • Geiranger
  • Hardangerfjord
  • Haugesund & Haugalandet
  • Nordfjord
  • Sognefjord
  • Stavanger & Ryfylke Regions
  • Sunnfjord
  • Sunnhordland
  • Voss
  • Ålesund & Sunnmøre

Tourist Information

The local tourist offices can give you good and useful information.

Find your local tourist information office.

Fjord Norway

© Fjord Norge AS / Fjord Norway

Visit Norway
created by New Mind | tellUs

Ratings & Reviews

Powered By

tripadvisor