Hornindal: Lake, Sculpture and Trails

Hornindal combines impressive facts about Hornindalsvatnet with art, hiking destinations and a ski track through hilly terrain. If you want to make the lake and outdoor activities, a museum visit or a day hike the focus of your holiday, you’ll find a range of ideas here—from the diving tower in the town centre to the Nakkebruna cabin, with views of Hornindal, Grodås and the lake.

Hornindalsvatnet and life by the water

Hornindalsvatnet is Europe’s deepest lake: at its deepest point, it reaches 514 m. It is also considered the clearest lake in the Nordic countries. The reason is thought to be that no glacial river flows into it. Its depth and clarity give the lake two distinctive features that are easy to distinguish: one describes its greatest measured depth, while the other reflects its reputation as an exceptionally clear lake.

There is also a bathing platform and a diving tower in the centre of Hornindal. If you’d like to include water activities in your holiday plans, you can make this a separate activity. Together with Hornindalsvatnet, the water gives one dimension to your trip, while the museum and hiking destinations offer other points of interest.

Discover Anders Svor and his art

The Anders Svor Museum is located in the village of Hornindal and is dedicated to the sculptor Anders Svor (1864–1929). It is housed in a building designed by an architect in 1953 and surrounded by a sculpture park. A visit to the museum thus combines exploring Svor’s art with a look at the building and the sculptures in the surrounding park.

The exhibition includes several of Svor’s most important works and offers insight into his working methods, world of subjects and typology. His stylistic development is also on display: from detailed naturalism through classicism to symbolism. Rather than looking at individual works alone, visitors can explore different aspects of his oeuvre. For a trip that makes room for art and culture as well as nature, the museum offers a distinct focus.

Hiking around Nakkebruna and Storesætra

The Nakkebruna trail is part of the Hornindal rundt route and is marked with painted white markings. Nakkebruna is a family-friendly day-trip cabin with views of Hornindalsvatnet, Grodås and Hornindal. Bus services run to and from the centre of Grodås for the hike. These are useful details if you’re considering this tour as a day-trip destination and want to get your bearings before setting out.

From the Nakkebruna day cabin, you can also explore Kalsedonbrottet: the quarry dates from the Stone Age or Bronze Age and can be reached via a short detour north of the trail. This detour adds a historic site to the hike without turning it into a different route. If you’re looking for more than views on an outing and would also like to learn about how a place was used in the past, you can include this point in your tour.

Another route idea at Hornindal Ski Centre

Hornindal Ski Centre is 4.5 km from the E39 and Fv-60 junction and can be reached via a signposted road. The Storesætra route starts at the ski centre car park. From the floodlit ski trail, it follows the groomed track towards Bruasætra and Storesætra. It runs through hilly terrain around Grendadalen near Hornindal Ski Centre. Choosing this route offers a different way to spend your time than hiking to the Nakkebruna cabin: here, the groomed ski track and hilly terrain are the defining features.

When looking for a holiday rental in Hornindal, you can start by thinking about what you’d like to make your holiday special: the lake and bathing platform, Anders Svor’s art, the marked route to Nakkebruna or the groomed ski track towards Storesætra.

For the main travel overview: Hornindal.