Telemark: canal locks, stave churches and Rjukan
Along the Telemark Canal to the biggest stave church in Norway, up to the peak of Gaustatoppen and into the valley of the heavy-water saboteurs.
- Distance
- 202 km (126 mi)
- Driving
- 2 h 47 min
- Suggested days
- 4
- Stops
- 7
- Countries
- Norway
- Updated
- July 13, 2026
At a glance: 4-day road trip of about 202 km (126 mi) with 7 stops, from Skien to Dalen. About 2 h 47 min of driving in total.
Route description
The Telemark Canal links Skien with Dalen through 105 km of lakes and rivers and 18 locks. Start in Skien, Ibsen’s home town, and drive to Ulefoss to watch boats pass the locks; just upstream, the Vrangfoss flight lifts them 23 m in five chambers.
Head north to Notodden and Heddal Stave Church on the E134, then take route 37 along Tinnsjø. Before Rjukan, the road up to Stavsro leads to the path to Gaustatoppen, a long but straightforward climb with one of the widest views in Norway.
Rjukan lies in a valley so deep that mirrors on the mountainside reflect sunlight onto the town square in winter. Visit Vemork for the story of the 1943 sabotage, and take the Krossobanen cable car up onto the Hardangervidda.
From Rjukan drive south-west via Rauland and Åmot to Dalen, the end of the canal, where old passenger boats berth in summer. The roads are narrow in places but fine for motorhomes; the canal boats and museums have their main season from June to August.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Skien
Norway - 226 km
Ulefoss
Norway - 342 km
Heddal Stave Church
HistoryNotodden, NorwayNorway’s largest stave church, a tiered wooden building from the 13th century beside the E134. Still used for services, so check before visiting on a Sunday.
- 453 km
Gaustatoppen
ViewsTinn, NorwayA 1,883 m summit said to overlook a sixth of Norway on a clear day. The marked path from Stavsro takes about two hours up; a tunnel railway inside the mountain is the easy option.
- 55 km
Rjukan
Norway - 67 km
Vemork
HistoryRjukan, NorwayA hydro-electric plant on the edge of a gorge, target of the heavy-water sabotage of 1943. Now the Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum, part of a UNESCO industrial site.
- 769 km
Dalen
Norway
