There was no road connecting Bygdin and Skåbu prior to 1950. Before that time there was only a two-kilometre-long road along the river from Bygdin to Vinsteren. From Vinsteren a small motorboat called "Svalken" would transport the milk produced at the 40-some summer farms in the area the rest of the way to Skåbu.

As a result of hydro-electric development and river regulation, it was no longer possible for the boat to dock at all the 18 piers along the old route. The local farmer organisation and the municipality called for a road to be built along Vinsteren, and road construction began in the 1950s.

The road had to be built crossing a number of very wet marshes. Bundles of small birch trees were laid down first so that the bulldozers could cross. Gravel from moraine mounds located close by -- as well as other available masses -- were spread out over the bundles of birch, and the end result was a suitable road for light vehicles.

After the farm road along Vinsteren was connected with the existing road leading to Slangen in Skåbu, it was possible to drive by car the entire distance between Skåbu and Bygdin. This mountain pass became known as the "Jotunheim Road", and proved to be a very popular tourist route.

At times, however, it was quite expensive to maintain and keep open this 45-kilometre-long mountain pass. Very little income was earned to begin with from the toll road fees, and the reparation expenses after the annual spring floods were so large that there was little left for maintenance of the road. This is the reason that the road was in such poor condition up until 1987.

With an increase in toll road fees, however, and financial support from Glommens og Laagens Brukseierforening (business association), Nord-Fron Municipality and Øystre Slidre Fjellstyre (mountain association), about NOK 10 million were invested in the period 1987-1997.

Today the income from the toll road finances the management and maintenance of the Jotunheim Road. Traffic on the road has been stable the past few years at about 10,000 vehicles per season. Foreign tourists account for approximately 25-30% of the traffic on the road.