How To Get To Femundsmarka National Park

Femundsmarka National Park is one of the biggest wilderness areas in all of Scandinavia, and an amazing place to visit as a tourist who want to explore the best of Norwegian nature. You can go on awesome mountain hikes, travel between places in a canoe, fish in many of the freshwater lakes or just spend days hiking without ever meeting more than a handful people.

You will find that Femundsmarka is the dream for many wilderness enthusiasts who visit Norway, but it’s not really a tourism hotspot like many of the other nature destinations in Norway. This makes it a bit less intuitive to get to when it comes to transportation, but it’s absolutely possible to get there by public transportation.

So let’s use this article to take a closer look at how exactly you get to Femundsmarka Nature Park to begin your amazing wilderness journey!

The short summary is that you should ride a bus or train to Røros (there’s plenty departures to this town), then ride the bus to Synnervika. Alternatively ride a bus or drive a car from Oslo to Elgå and start the hike from there. This last option requires plenty of bus changes, but it’s possible with some planning.

A tent on Femundsmarka
A tent on Femundsmarka. Photo published with permission.

Where to start your Femundsmarka hike?

You pretty much have two options when going to Femundsmarka National Park to hike. The first one is Elgå. This is a cozy little village that is very popular for tourists who are going on the hike. It’s the most common starting point.

The option is to start from Synnervika. This is north of the national park, and used mainly by people who are coming from the north or from Røros. It’s also a great place to start, and it’s often easier to travel by public transport to Røros, then get on the bus to Synnervika compared to getting to Elgå.

Be aware that Synnervika does not have any stores or anything like that, so make sure you have everything you need before departing from Røros.

On the other hand, Røros itself is a somewhat big town with plenty of things to do and stores that sell everything you need for your hike. It’s well worth spending at least a day at Røros if you have the time for it.

Røros
Røros. Photo by Andy Heidinger / CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to get to Elgå

Elgå is a popular starting spot for hiking in the Femundsmarka National Park, and it’s the most common way to start the hike if you are coming from Oslo or somewhere south of the park.

Get to Elgå by bus: To reach Elgå by public transport, take the train or a bus to Elverum to begin with. There are buses or trains that depart from Oslo to Hamar, then change to a bus to Elverum from there.

When you reach Elverum, change to the bus towards Engerdal, then exit the bus at Drevsjø Gløtvold Handel. Finally get on the bus that is destined to Elgå.

It’s a bit of a hassle to get there by public transport, but you can book ticket all the way from Oslo to Elgå on Vy.no.

To get to Elgå when driving from Oslo: Driving to Elgå is a bit easier. There are plenty of road changes, but the drive itself is pretty easy, and you are pretty much driving north the entire time.

Follow E6 until you get to Rv3 outside Hamar, then follow Rv3 north for a little while until you get to Rv25. Drive on Rv25, then Rv26 until you get to Drevjø. Change to Fv654, then finally to Fv221 until you get to Elgå.

Total drive time is just over 4 hours, and there’s a few toll booths along the way. There’s a pretty big parking lot at Elgå where you can park your car.

Elgå
Elgå is a small village by Femundsmarka. Photo by Bols Trysil / BY-SA 4.0..

How to get to Synnervika

Synnervika is on the northern border of Femundsmarka National Park, and it’s very easy to get to. But before you can get to Synnervika, you need to get to Røros.

The train is the easiest and most common method of getting to Røros. There are daily departures from both Oslo and Trondheim, but you will usually have to change trains at least once. There’s also a small airport in Røros, so you can fly there from most of the major Norwegian cities to save some time.

When you arrive in Røros, get on the bus line 5406. This takes you all the way to Synnervika in approximately 40 minutes. The bus departs a few times daily, around 08.15 and around 3 PM later in the day.

You can also drive from Røros to Synnervika. Just follow the Femundsveien road trough Hådalen until you get to Synnervika. The road there has signs towards Synnervika, so it’s very easy to follow.

There’s a parking lot at Synnervika. You can either walk from Synnervika or get on the ferry MS Fæmund II to get further into the national park to begin your hike there.

MS Fæmund II
MS Fæmund II is a ferry that operates from Synnervika in Femundsmarka national park. Photo by Mirko Junge / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Wild camping in Femundsmarka is something special

Femundsmarka National Park is considered one of the most incredible national parks in Norway, and it’s a very popular destination for people who really love huge wilderness.

When going to Femundsmarka, don’t expect lots of marked trails filled with people. It’s pretty unpopulated, and the further into the national park you get, the less people there are around.

There are some DNT cabins you can book a room at, but most people on Femundsmarka are wild camping with their own tent. You can either choose to follow the trails in the national park, or just wander off from them and explore the wilderness on your own.

The national park itself is filled to the brim with pristine nature and untouched wilderness. There are few places like this left on the earth, so it’s really something magical about hiking deep into the park!

A lake in Femundsmarka
A lake in Femundsmarka. Photo by Robert Anders / CC BY 2.0.

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