Best Hikes in Norway | Pulpit Rock, Kjerag, Flørli, Trolltunga

I had always dreamed of returning to Norway after a fleeting visit back in 2005. So, I decided to return to celebrate my birthday there, this year. Armed with eleven days off work, my plan was to take a Norway road trip and see as much of the country as possible, focusing on their world-famous fjords and hiking trails. We were fortunate enough to tick off five of the best hikes in Norway during the epic trip.

Rhys Sain

Hikers shrink as they scatter on Pulpit Rock, Norway. Image © Rhys Sain

Planning Your Norway Hiking Trip

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To maximise the amount of time we had on the ground, we decided to fly directly into Stavanger, and leave Oslo, the capital, to the end. In eleven days, we managed to get as far north as Ålesund, cover five of the best hikes in Norway including Pulpit Rock, Kjeragbolten, Flørli Stairs, Trolltunga, and Rampestreken, before joining a Norway in a Nutshell tour from Bergen to Oslo.

Hiking in Norway is not for the faint of heart, so make sure you prepare by staying active and healthy before your trip. Also, ensure you have the right hiking gear as conditions can be very changeable on the mountains.

While there are plenty of places to buy hiking clothing for women and men once you get to Norway, it can be expensive to shop there. So, it’s much more cost-effective to be prepared and shop for what you need before you arrive.

Rhys finds a quiet vantage point above Pulpit Rock, Norway. Image © Rhys Sain

The Best Hikes in Norway

Pulpit Rock

The hike up Preikestolen or Pulpit Rock is one of the most famous in Norway and it was the perfect introduction to our adventure in Norway. It’s about 6 kilometres long and takes a good four hours to do the return route. It’s considered a fairly easy hike, at least by Norwegian standards, and comprises wooden walkways, dirt paths and stone steps. There were a lot of people doing the walk the day we went up and because the path is so well-marked, there was no fear of getting lost.

The beautiful woodlands on the way up to Pulpit Rock, Norway. Image © Rhys Sain

Having started the morning in Stavanger, it was about midday before we finally arrived. During the hike up we dodged pups and people who were slower than us, and lagging behind fit locals as they powered up the mountain. The scenery was a mix of mildly dense vegetation, rocky outcrops and dozens of icy rock pools. We had a cool, grey day which made the mildly challenging climb pleasant and then as if our arrival at the top had been announced to the gods, the sky opened up. It became bright and sunny just in time.

Enjoying the view above Pulpit Rock Norway. Image © Rhys Sain

We were so excited for our first glimpse of the rock. It was even better than we had expected. Towering some 600 metres above Lysefjord, the huge plateau is the perfect place for fantastic views. It also provides for all sorts of silly photos.

The breathtaking panorama was the perfect reward after the Pulpit Rock hike. Image © Rhys Sain

We spend some time at the Pulpit before we continue on, further up the mountain, in search of better views. The extra effort paid off, because a bit of a way up we found a fantastic vantage point of the crowded rock below. We probably spent a couple of hours up there exploring before beginning our relatively quick trip back down and preparing for our onward journey to Lysbotyn.

Rhys stands on the famous Kjeragbolten in Norway. Image © Rhys Sain

Kjeragbolten

The hike up to Kjerag has got to be one of Norway’s most famous. Without a doubt, it was the hardest hike we did for The Fit Traveller, but it was one of the most rewarding.

Firstly, take a look at the road up the mountain; a 29-kilometre steep road punctuated with 32 hairpin turns. That’s before you even get to the start of the hike. The starting point is Øygardstøl. There are a cafe and carpark at the top of the mountain to psych yourself up before beginning the 12-kilometre hike.

We’d been warned only to do the hike in the summer months. Unsurprisingly, the road is closed during the winter and the climb is pretty much impossible. We set off we soon worked out why. To say the first section of the hike is steep and slippery would be an understatement. You basically have to haul yourself up using some low-slung chains. This hike isn’t for the faint-hearted. Add to this the strong winds and horizontal rain, and you’ll get a bit of a picture of what we were up against. Thankfully, we knew the first section was the most challenging and we’d heard if we could do that, we’d be able easily be able to complete the hike.

Eventually, the incline plateaued out and the hike opened out into an expansive green valley. It was fairly easy-going from then on, with only a few more steep sections. The walk is fairly well-marked and because there were plenty of people doing it, it wasn’t too hard to find out where we were supposed to be going.

We made it to the top in exactly two hours, a feat we may have been able to do more quickly, had it not been for the adverse weather. The clouds were low and there was still a fair bit of snow on the mountain and so it really wasn’t until we were right in front Kjeragbolten that we knew we had arrived.

So there it was; Kjeragbolten, a giant boulder wedged in a mountain crevasse, 1084 metres above Lysefjorden. The tough clamber up suddenly became worth it. It was freezing and snowy and blowing a gale but we couldn’t leave without getting the coveted picture on top of the bolder – so against better judgement, I braved the weather and trapezed out onto the rock. The rock was icy, wet and freezing cold, with the waterfall below blowing upwards. But it was worth it. Terrifying, yes. But worth it. It also made the precariously climb back down the mountain worthwhile. We had a quick stop at the cafe at Øygardstøl for a quick celebratory beer and to thaw out before embarking on our next mission – the road down to Lysbotyn.