Ørnevegen – Ørnesvingen

About

Ørnevegen –Eagle Road – is the name given to the steepest stretch of road up the mountain side from Geiranger towards Eidsdal on road no. 63.

The road swings through 11 hairpin bends up from the Geirangerfjord and to the highest point on the stretch, 620 metres above sea level at Korsmyra.
The road was officially opened on 15th September 1955 and gave the village of Geiranger year-round road access.

The road was an attraction from the very first day, and was called Eagle Road because at its highest point it passed through terrain that had traditionally been the domain of a large number of eagles.

The name also reflects the wildness, the spectacular that tourists and others using the road will experience, especially if they stop at Ørnesvingen, the highest of the hairpins. Facilities have been provided here for visitors to take in the magnificent panorama over Geiranger, the Geirangerfjord, the Seven Sisters Falls and the alpine farm Knivsflå, or to gaze down on the many cruise ships that traffic the fjord far below.

The viewpoint has been recently upgraded, and was officially opened on 21st June 2006 with a simple ceremony as part of the project “Nasjonal Turistveg” (National Tourist Roads) under the auspices of Statens Vegvesen, - The Norwegian Public Roads Administration.  Architect: 3RW - Sixten Ralff. Landscape architect: Smedsvig Landskapsarkitekter AS. Artist: May Elin Eikaas-Bjerg.

Ørnevegen has a one in ten incline at its steepest, and can test both drivers and vehicles that traffic the road in the winter months. Private and commercial vehicle branch interests use the road as a test bed to improve the road-holding capabilities of vehicles in winter conditions. The longest vehicle length permitted is 15 metres.