Trolltunga map
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Various hikes to Trolltunga
Day hike on your own along the trail
The trail to Trolltunga is solid and good, and well marked. Most people choose a one-day hike, starting from P2 Skjeggedal or P3 Mågelitopp. In the months June–September, experienced hikers can hike on their own.
A guided Trolltunga day hike
We strongly recommend hiking the TrolltungaTrail with a guide, especially for people with limited mountain hikingexperience. Anexperienced local guide from Trolltunga Active or Trolltunga Adventures will keep you safe and really enrich your Trolltunga experience!
Trolltunga Via Ferrata
Are you yearning for a more challenging and exciting adventure? Then the Trolltunga Via Ferrata is perfect for you! You climb the 250–metre Via Ferrata route, before hiking the final 3 km to Trolltunga. The return is a hike down the Trolltunga Trail.
If you wish, the Trolltunga Via Ferrata may be combined with a night on the mountain.
Guided hike – and a night on the mountain
Trolltunga Active and Trolltunga Adventures both offer a guided Trolltunga hike with an overnight stay at their comfortable camp. It’s a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the mountain experience, hear your guides share their knowledge and tell stories around the campfire, and enjoy tasty traditional food!
Camping on your own
Spending the night at Trolltunga is a unique experience. The sunset at Trolltunga can be truly magical. Recommended camping spots are marked on the map. Bring proper equipment, and remember that it can get cold at night.
Description of the hike to Trolltunga
Your first steep climbs
From P2 Skjeggedal, walk the narrow paved road that climbs up to P3 Mågelitopp, which is 400 metres higher. This first leg is 4.3 km long and may take you a bit more than an hour. Naturally, if you are starting from P3 Mågelitopp, you save time and effort!
You are now ready to start on the mountain trail itself – another 10 km and you will reach Trolltunga!
At first the hiking trail proper is fairly level, following an gentle elevated valley, and the trail is excellent and well-marked. After 45 minutes or so, your route climbs steeply up a long rocky slope to Gryteskaret pass. This is considered one of the most strenuous stretches of your Trolltunga hike. Gradually the impressive view opens up.
@ Eva Løvaas
@ Gunbjørg Evjen Koch.
A grassy valley
Yet another steep incline brings you up to Trombeskar pass and a beautiful grassy valley that is popular with campers. The trail hugs the shore of one small lake, before you have a slight but rather welcome descent to Store Floren. You will soon see a stunning view of Ringedalsvatnet, the lake in the valley that is now far below. This viewpoint is the perfect place for another break and a snack, and perhaps it’s time to fill your water bottle from one of the nearby streams.
@ Åse Marie Evjen.
Memory of horses...
The trail to Trolltunga is part of an ancient thoroughfare between western and eastern Norway, across the Hardangervidda plateau. The Store Floren name indicates that farmers used this area as a summer pasture for their livestock. You may also see remnants of the old stables. When the hydropower facilities were built in Tyssedal and the mountains above in the early 1900s, horses were used to transport materials and to assist with the heavy construction work.
At Store Floren there is an emergency shelter. In case of a sudden storm or other emergency, it contains sleeping bags and blankets and food rations.
You will also find emergency shelters in Endåen and Tyssehøl.
@ Åse Marie Evjen
Snow in June
Having reached the mountain plateau, an altitude of 900 metres or so, the terrain ahead is relatively flat – but it’s still rough enough for the trail to have lots of ups and downs. However, the major climbs are now behind you.
Even late in June you may encounter patches of snow, and you may have to cross some meltwater streams – fortunately there are good bridges over every one of them. There is also a waterfall up here.
Your hike continues via Hestaflåene (a place where horses grazed). Be sure to use the bridges to cross Endåen and the other riverbeds, regardless of whether they are dry. It is important that you stay on the trail in order to prevent erosion; the alpine vegetation is exceptionally fragile!
There is a second emergency shelter at Endåen.
@ Åse Marie Evjen.
Memories of a waterfall...
The trail again climbs steeply, up to Endanuten. A little further along the trail, at Tyssehøl, you cross a riverbed that once carried water to Tyssestrengene. This twin waterfall was Norway’s highest and one of the most magnificent falls in Europe, with a total height of 646 metres and a 312-metre free fall. In the 19th century it was one of the country’s premier tourist attractions. But in 1967, the waters were diverted to Tysso II, a hydropower plant built deep inside the mountain in Skjeggedal. You also pass a dam – and surprisingly there is also a fine beach up here. From this dam, water is now led into tunnels and speeds down to the turbines of the power plant.
Stay back from the edge!
A little farther ahead, as the trail narrows, you should be very mindful of the high drop. Suddenly the Trolltunga comes into view!
Perched 700 metres above Ringedalsvatnet lake, it truly is one of the most impressive rock formations in the world. There is likely to be a queue to climb down onto Trolltunga itself – and to partake in the magnificent photo-op. Unless you have hiked with friends, just ask someone nearby to take your photo, and offer to take theirs.
@ Scott Sporleder/Matador Network/Visit Hardangerfjord
Four iron rebar steps make it easy to climb down onto Trolltunga. Enjoy the break from your long hike, rehydrate with water or whatever beverage you brought, and eat your snack or lunch. And get to know your fellow hikers. They may have good tips about other nearby attractions, and interesting stories to tell.
Always stay at least a couple of feet back from the edge of the cliff. Needless to say, a fall would be fatal.
Be mindful on your return hike!
Your return hike will take less time. But make sure you start early enough to make it down before darkness, and stay on the trail. In rain, the wet rock can be slippery. Stay focused even though you may be tired.
