Well-signposted 8km circular route that is an excellent first run to try out skis and legs. Parking is free for non-Norwegian nationals (as we can’t access the digital Vipps payment system. This is clearly indicated on signs at the car park) – choose the car park without a barrier on the left hand side of the road from Ulsåk. Trail is a gentle undulating route that starts front-right of the excellent café (open weekends for cinnamon buns and hot drinks. Warm room and toilets are open daily) and ends with the small downhill slope right in front of the café.

There are plenty of options to cut short or extend this trail, all clearly signed.

A testing 20.5km loop that starts in the shadow of the dramatic Skogshorn peak (popular with ski tourers) and includes a killer climb and a nasty kick at the finish -  just as you’re longing to complete!  It's a beautiful, challenging route with stunning views across the lake and surrounding mountains.  It has a combination of forested trail and high mountain wilderness, we skied it clockwise.  A Norwegian skier we met on the trail agreed: “That hill is hell. Hell to go up and hell to go down.”

A picnic stop with a firepit (soon after the high-mountain Nørelie area) is a good place for your mid-trail break. After that hill (it felt like a mountain), we needed it. Take snacks and coffee – or wood and matches, hot dogs and marshmallows, like the friendly Norwegian family we shared the snow hole with.

This route connects with various other tracks if you want to extend or amend your route. We parked at Trefta; you could also park  at Hestanåne.  The entire circuit took us 5.5hrs to complete, including the lunch break and plenty of rest stops to admire the scenery/ catch our breath.

Park up at the Moen hytter & camping site, just across the bridge in Ulsåk, where signs indicate the start of this 5.2km trail. Tracks begin on the flat and pass cabins, then across the valley floor. We took the marked left hand turn by a firepit to add an uphill loop. A good gentle route with lots of forest and a very pleasant XC ski to end the day

There is a  gorgeous start to this 6.8 km trail which takes you alongside the bubbling river from Tuv (car park immediately after the bridge) and through magical birch forests reminiscent of Narnia.

There were lots of animal tracks and a couple of hefty climbs, plus the inevitable steep descents. Follow the signs back to Tuv, and bear left once you hit the road (among houses).  Then ski or walk, depending on snow conditions, until you see the car park. 

This is also marked on the map as the 7km Beihovdløypa. It is a fabulous route ending at a mountain café on the high plateau above Hemsedal Skisenter. Best avoided in windy conditions, as it would be very exposed. It is a popular trail at weekends, when the café is open for hot drinks and freshly-made waffles. There are two parking options – we chose the first one, a sizeable layby on the left after you’ve left the Skigaarden area behind. There is another, larger car park a little further on.

You can ski this trail as a linear there-and-back trip, or choose to extend it with a steeper, longer, yet very manageable hilly loop. The linear route consists of a long, steady climb all the way to the café. On a Sunday in February, there were masses of Norwegian families making the trip with dogs on leads and towing baby sledges.  There are stunning views across the snowy wilderness.

NB: you have to use a toll road to access this location from Hemsedal Skisenter. Your vehicle numberplate is logged automatically as you pass; pay within 48hrs at www.youpark.no (March 2024: fee is NOK70).