Gudbrandsdalen is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Oppland. The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending 230 kilometers toward Romsdalen. The river of Gudbrandsdalslågen flows through the valley, starting from Lesjaskogsvatnet and ending at Mjøsa. The Otta river flowing through Otta valley is a major tributary to Lågen. The valleys of the tributary rivers such as Otta and Gausa are usually regarded as part of Gudbrandsdalen. The total area of the valley is calculated from the areas of the related municipalities. Gudbrandsdalen is the main valley in a web of smaller valleys. On the western side there are long adjacent valleys: Ottadalen stretches 100 km from Otta village, Gausdal some 50 km from Lillehammer and Heidal some 40 km from Sjoa.Together with Glomma river and Østerdalen, Lågen and the Gudbrand Valley forms Norway's largest drainage system covering major parts of East Norway. The Gudbrand Valley is home to Dovre Line and the E6 road, and is the main land transport corridor through South Norway, from Oslo and central eastern lowlands to Trondheim and Møre og Romsdal. The valley is divided into three parts: Norddalen , Midtdalen , and Sørdalen . The valley has two district courts, north and south. Until 2016 the valley was also a police district. The Gudbrandsdalen district covers about 60 % of Oppland county.The main character in Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt was inspired by a real or legendary person living in the valley in the 18th or 17th century. Ibsen travelled through the valley in 1862 and collected local stories, legends and poems. Ibsen also made drawings from his trip, including Elstad in Gudbrandsdalen.
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