[8] The coat of arms was granted on 19 February 1982 (they were re-approved on 13 May 1983 after the government slightly changed the wording of the blazon).

The official blazon is "Azure, three piles argent conjoined in pall" (Norwegian: I blått tre motstøtende sølv spisser i form av et gaffelkors).

This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is three triangles that meet in the centre, forming a Y-shaped design.

The triangle design has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used.

It is located at a crossroads for traffic from Trondheim, the Dovrefjell mountain range, and Sunndal Municipality on the west coast.

There are remnants of over 700 Pagan grave mounds from the time at Vang, in which jewelry and other pieces from the British Isles were found.

Five rural churches were built in Oppdal at the time, in Vang, Ålbu, Lønset, Lo, and Nordskogen.

[13] Oppdal was a stop for pilgrims on their way to the St. Olav shrine at the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim during the Middle Ages.

Kongsvoll, located on the Driva River along the route where pilgrims passed from the Gudbrandsdal valley into Oppdal was one of these stations, and is still an inn today.

With a worsening of the climate, the community hadn't recovered 170 years later, and there were only 35 farms and 350 people left.

In the 19th century, increased fertility and reduced mortality led to population growth that could not be sustained by agricultural resources.

Many became tenant farmers, and eventually a large proportion of people from Oppdal emigrated to the United States.

In 1952, the first ski lift opened, and with further expansions Oppdal now offers one of Norway's largest downhill networks.

During the German occupation of Norway (World War II), Oppdal and Dombås were the locations of the Stalag 380 prisoner-of-war camp, relocated in late 1942 from Skarżysko-Kamienna in German-occupied Poland.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Oppdal is made up of 25 representatives that are elected to four year terms.

In the valleys there are creeks and rivers which are surrounded by spruce and pine woods; closer to the treeline, birches dominate.

About 1,161 square kilometres (448 sq mi) of the mountains has been held since time immemorial as a collective (almenning) by farmers in the area, giving them the right to hunt, fish, and rent cabins.

Considering the inland location and the altitude of 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level, the winters are fairly mild.

Data for precipitation days is from Oppdal-Mjøen (elevation: 512 metres [1,680 ft]), which averaged just 470 millimetres (19 in) annually in 1961–1990.