Hiking Trolltunga Guidelines
There are several things to take into consideration when deciding to hike Trolltunga. Can you walk up a flight of stairs without breathing hard? Do you mind stepping in mud puddles for 28 kilometers? Can you handle extreme beauty without sobbing?
A lot of hikers start pretty unprepared for to Trolltunga, so we thought we’d try to help out future hikers with this guide to conquering Trolltunga.
It normally take 10-12 hours. That’s from the Skjeggedal parking lot, six hours of hiking to the top including stops for lunch and photos, an hour or two in line at Trolltunga, and then four excruciating hours back down to the parking lot. On our hikes, we drive up the first 4 kilometers. Then you save 1.5 hours walking, 400 meters of climbing, and a lot of energy. And of course your knees will thank you on your way down.
From the parking lot, you climb the entire first four kilometers up a gravel road. These kilometers are pretty brutal overall, and you’re surprised when you get to the 1km sign because it feels like you’ve done a lot more than that. Nope, you’ve got a long ways to go buddy. But if the weather is ok, there are times when you can look back and see some pretty cool views of the lake and morning fog during this section.
After 4 kilometers on the gravel road it levels out somewhat and you find yourself in an enormous mountaintop valley. There are a few ice cold creeks here, so it’s a good time to refill your water bottle. After about a 45 minute walk through this valley, it’s time for another major climb.
You will follow some rock stairs quite a bit before you finally reach an enormous slick rock face. It is imperative to be careful here as it’s really easy to slip. Looking back upon the valley is a fantastic treat though! You will get a great view over the 3rd largest glacier in Norway, Folgefonna. This slick rock can be pretty treacherous depending on the time of year and snow melt.
Sunset from our Trolltunga Camp