Loen Webcam – Hoven Summit View of Lodalen and Nordfjord

The Loen Webcam is a 360-degree Panomax camera on the summit of Mount Hoven, 1,011 meters (3,317 feet) above the inner Nordfjord in western Norway, at the top station of the Loen Skylift. To the southeast it looks up Lodalen, the valley behind Loen, to the first stretch of Lovatnet lake under snow-capped peaks. Straight below are the fields and houses of Loen and one of the Skylift’s steel pylons, with the cable dropping toward the fjord. To the southwest the fjord bends around a wooded mountain toward Olden, and to the west it runs on between the ridges. The rest of the circle takes in Hoven Restaurant and the rocky summit plateau. The image refreshes through the day, so cloud, snowline and the color of the water shift from one panorama to the next.

About Loen and Mount Hoven

Loen is a small village in Stryn municipality, Vestland county, at the easternmost end of the Nordfjord. It lies about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) southeast of Stryn and 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) north of Olden. Visitors have been coming for a long time: Hotel Alexandra opened here in 1884, and the historic Loen Church still stands in the village.

The Loen Skylift was officially opened by Queen Sonja on May 20, 2017, and is counted among the steepest cable cars in the world. Built by Doppelmayr Garaventa, it runs on about 1,524 meters (5,001 feet) of cable at 7 meters per second (16 mph), and the trip from the fjord to the summit takes five to seven minutes. The camera sits on the roof of the top station, so the glass front of Hoven Restaurant fills part of the western side of the panorama.

Lodalen, the valley the camera looks into, holds Lovatnet, a lake 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) long that lies 52 meters (171 feet) above sea level and takes its water from the Jostedalsbreen and Tindefjellbreen glaciers. Its calm surface hides a grim history: rock from Ramnefjellet fell into the lake in 1905 and again in 1936 and sent huge waves through the farms on its shore. Ramnefjellsfossen, a tiered waterfall with a total drop of 818 meters (2,684 feet), pours down the same mountain.

Weather and Climate in Loen

The summit and the village live in different climates. Open-Meteo’s 2015 to 2024 record for Loen gives January highs of about 2 C (35 F) and lows near -3 C (27 F), while July averages highs of 20 C (68 F) and lows around 12 C (54 F). Up on Hoven the same months run roughly 6 to 7 degrees colder, with January highs near -4.5 C (24 F) and July highs about 13 C (56 F). That gap is why the higher peaks can carry fresh snow while the fields around Loen are still green.

Spring arrives late at the top. April highs average about 8 C (46 F) in the village but only 1 C (34 F) on Hoven, so snow can linger on the plateau well into spring. At 62 degrees north the sun is up for about 19 hours at the June solstice. Autumn turns the hillsides rust and gold and brings the wettest spell of the year: in the same record, October through January were the wettest months and May the driest. By December the sun is up for only about 5 hours, and on cloudy days the summit can sit inside the cloud while the fjord below stays clear.

Things to Do Near Loen

The Skylift itself is the obvious start, with a meal at Hoven Restaurant at the top. For a harder way up, Via Ferrata Loen is a protected climbing route along the mountainside to the summit of Hoven. It crosses the Gjolmunne Bridge, 120 meters (394 feet) long and 750 meters (2,461 feet) above sea level, which the operator bills as the longest via ferrata bridge in Europe. Skala, the other big climb from Loen, rises to 1,848 meters (6,063 feet) from a start just 30 meters (98 feet) above sea level, which makes it Norway’s longest uphill hike, and walkers can stay overnight in the tower and cabin at the top.

Lodalen is a day out on its own. Lovatnet is used for kayaking, swimming and cycling along the shore, and at the far end of the valley Kjenndalsbreen comes down as the lowest-lying arm of the Jostedal Glacier. Back on the fjord, Olden is a short drive to the south.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

If the view from Hoven appeals, these cameras look over more of Norway’s mountains and fjords.

• Ulriken Webcam
• Geiranger Webcam
• Nordfjordeid Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you see on the Loen Webcam?

A full 360-degree panorama from the top of Mount Hoven. To the southeast it looks up Lodalen to the northern end of Lovatnet, straight down it shows Loen and a Skylift pylon, to the southwest it follows the fjord toward Olden, and to the west it looks out along the Nordfjord. The rest of the circle shows Hoven Restaurant, the top station roof and the summit plateau. The panorama can be dragged around and zoomed in the player.

Is this the Loen Skylift webcam on Mount Hoven?

Yes. It is the Loen Skylift’s own Panomax panorama, mounted on the top station on Hoven at 1,011 meters (3,317 feet) above sea level. The Skylift’s cable and one of its pylons are in the view, running down toward Loen.

Where is Loen in Norway?

Loen is in Stryn municipality in Vestland county, at the easternmost end of the Nordfjord in western Norway. It lies about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) southeast of Stryn and 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) north of Olden.

What is the weather like at the top of the Loen Skylift?

Colder than in the village. In the 2015 to 2024 record, Hoven averaged highs of about -4.5 C (24 F) in January and 13 C (56 F) in July. Cloud can cover the summit while the fjord stays clear, so the webcam is worth a look before riding up on a doubtful day.

What was the Lodalen disaster?

Two rockslides from Ramnefjellet into Lovatnet. On January 15, 1905, the falling rock raised a wave up to 40.5 meters (133 feet) high that destroyed the hamlets of Bodal and Nesdal and killed 61 people. On September 13, 1936, a second slide from the same mountain sent a wave 74 meters (243 feet) high across the lake and killed 74.

Can you see Lovatnet and the Kjenndalsbreen glacier on the Loen Webcam?

Partly. The northern end of Lovatnet shows at the bottom of Lodalen, southeast of the camera, with snowy peaks behind it. The lake runs on for 11 kilometers (6.8 miles), and Kjenndalsbreen lies at the far end of the valley, too far up Lodalen to pick out in the panorama.

How far is Loen from Olden?

About 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Olden lies south of Loen on the same fjord, and from Hoven its houses can be picked out to the southwest, where the water meets the green floor of the next valley.

Source: Loen Skylift (Panomax)