{{coord, 61, 30, 53, N, 8, 51, 12, E, type:landmark_region:NO_scale:5000, display=title
Bessheim is a mountain lodge in
Sjodalen
Sjodalen is a wide, gently sloping valley in Southern Norway, draining the eastern parts of Jotunheimen. The river Sjoa gives its name to the valley. Sjodalen is generally accepted to start at the outlet from the deep mountain-lake Gjende. The vall ...
and is situated 964 metres above sea level next to
Øvre Sjodalsvatnet
Øvre Sjodalsvatnet is a lake in Vågå Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Jotunheimen mountain range. The lake is located on the river Sjoa, just outside the boundary of Jotunheimen National Park. The Maurvangen camp ...
on the mountain passage between
Valdres
Valdres () is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between the districts of Gudbrandsdalen and Hallingdal. The region of Valdres consists of the six municipalities of Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slid ...
and
Gudbrandsdalen
Gudbrandsdalen (; en, Gudbrand Valley) is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending towa ...
Valdresflya
Valdresflye, also spelled Valdresflya and Valdresflyi, is a mountain plateau in the easternmost part of the Jotunheimen mountains in Norway. The plateau lies in Innlandet county, mostly in Øystre Slidre Municipality, but a small area extends in ...
). Bessheim consists of 30 buildings and has 150 beds and its own power generator. In addition to the lodge, which has 65 beds and a dining hall with room for 130 guests, there are cabins, apartments, and a campground.
History
Originally Bessheim was a
seter
Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower vall ...
(summer farm) for the farm Nordigard Storvik and started receiving tourists at the end of the 1800s. The original seter house is still part of the lodge.
Kari Lund and Ragnhild Sjurgard are the current hosts at Bessheim and took over the management of the lodge in November 2004 from their grandparents Kari and Knut Lund who ran the lodge for 50 years. The mountain lodge has been in the family since its inception and has run the lodge without interruption over five generations.