Hardangervidda National Park

Hardangervidda National Park
Sunset by a river near Rembesdalsvatnet
Interactive map of Hardangervidda National Park
LocationHardangervidda
Counties: Buskerud, Vestland, and Telemark
Country: Norway
Nearest cityBergen
Coordinates60°3′N 7°25′E / 60.050°N 7.417°E / 60.050; 7.417
Area3,422 km2 (1,321 sq mi)
Established1981
Governing bodyDirectorate for Nature Management

Hardangervidda National Park (English: Hardanger Plateau National Park, Norwegian: Hardangervidda nasjonalpark) is Norway's largest national park, measuring 3,422 square kilometres (1,321 sq mi). It is located in Buskerud, Vestland, and Telemark counties. The park spans from the Uvdalen valley in Numedal in the east and the Røvilseggi mountain ridge in Ullensvang Municipality in the west across the Hardanger mountain plateau (Hardangervidda). Designated as a national park in 1981, today it serves as a popular tourist destination for activities such as hiking, climbing, fishing, and cross-country skiing. The Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (DNT) maintains a comprehensive network of huts and paths across Hardangervidda. The Bergen Line railway and the main Norwegian National Road 7 cross the plateau.

It has the southernmost stock of several arctic animals and plants. Its wild reindeer herds are among the largest in the world. Several hundred nomadic Stone Age settlements have been found in the area, most likely related to the migration of the reindeer. Ancient trails cross the plateau, linking western and eastern Norway; one example is the Nordmannsslepa linking Eidfjord in Hardanger and Veggli in the Numedal valley with Hol and Uvdal.

The name Hardangervidda is put together by the name of the district Hardanger and the finite form of vidde which means 'wide plain, large mountain plateau'.

The park includes lands in Eidfjord Municipality and Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Vinje Municipality and Tinn Municipality in Telemark county, and Nore og Uvdal Municipality and Hol Municipality in Buskerud county.