Hiking in Norway

Norway is one of the few countries that makes hiking a constitutional principle. The 1957 Outdoor Recreation Act guarantees the right to walk, camp, swim, and forage on uncultivated land - even when it's privately owned. TheNorwegian Trekking Association (DNT) runs more than 550 mountain cabins you can sleep in for less than a hostel. The trail network reaches the Arctic Circle and beyond. There is no other place in Europe quite like it.

This page is the hub. It links out to the iconic trails, the practical guides, and everything else on the site that touches Norway. Use it as a starting point - or if you're an experienced hiker, jump straight to the section you need.

Start here

• Never been to Norway? Read when to go (month by month) first. Most iconic trails are only safely walkable from late June to mid-September.
• Planning to wild-camp? Allemannsretten - the right to roam covers what's legal, where, and for how long.
• Multi-day hut-to-hut? How the DNT cabin system works - the membership, the key, and the etiquette.

The iconic trails

• Besseggen Ridge Hike: 14 km Over Two Lakes - Jotunheimen. Two lakes of different colours sit either side of the Besseggen ridge. Plan the 14 km hike around the Gjendesheim ferry and know how exposed it feels.
• Galdhøpiggen Hike: Norway's Highest Peak - Jotunheimen. Want to stand on Norway's highest peak? The Galdhøpiggen hike from Spiterstulen is 12 km return to 2469 m. Here is when to go and what to pack.
• Hardangervidda Crossing: 110 km Hut to Hut - Hardangervidda. Crossing Hardangervidda means 110 km of Europe's largest mountain plateau in 5-7 days, cabin to cabin. Use this guide to plan the route and the weather.
• Kjerag Hike: 11 km to Kjeragbolten - Lysefjord. Hike to Kjeragbolten: the boulder wedged 1000 m above the Lysefjord, Norway. 11 km return, 570 m climb, and one of the most dramatic views in Norway.
• Lofoten Islands Trek: 150 km in 8 Days - Lofoten. You can walk 150 km of the Lofoten Islands coast in 8 days, under jagged peaks and the midnight sun. Work out resupply and ferry hops before you set off.
• Preikestolen Norway - Hiking the Pulpit Rock - Lysefjord. Hike Preikestolen Norway (Pulpit Rock): 8 km return to 604 m above the Lysefjord. Getting there from Stavanger, trail conditions, and when to go.
• Reinebringen Hike: 1972 Steps Above Reine - Lofoten. Reinebringen in Lofoten is 4 km return up 1972 stone steps to the view over Reine. Read why wet steps change the plan and how to reach the trailhead.
• Romsdalseggen Ridge Hike: 10 km, 970 m Up - Romsdal. Romsdalseggen ridge hike: 10 km and 970 m of climbing above the Romsdal valley near Åndalsnes. Catch the bus to the start and check how hard it gets.
• Stetind - Hiking to Norway's National Mountain - Tysfjord. Stetind approach hike: 12 km return to the base of Norway's 1392 m granite national mountain above the Tysfjord. Arctic scenery, no technical climbing required.
• Trolltunga Norway - Hiking the Troll's Tongue - Hardangervidda. Most visitors underestimate Trolltunga: 28 km return near Odda, 800 m of climbing and about 11 hours on foot. Check access and trail conditions first.

→ See all trail guides

The five things to know before you fly in

1. The walking season is short - and shorter than the calendar

Most of Norway's iconic trails are at altitude, and the high peaks hold snow well into June. Mid-July to late August is the only window where every trail is reliably open. September is a quiet, beautiful gamble. Outside those months, plan for a different mountain.

Read: The best time to hike in Norway, month by month - with a trail-by-trail season window.

2. The right to roam is real, but it has rules

You can wild-camp on any uncultivated land for two nights without permission, including private land. You cannot camp within 150 metres of an inhabited house or cabin. You cannot light a forest fire between 15 April and 15 September. Dogs must be on lead from 1 April to 20 August.

Read: Allemannsretten - Norway's right to roam, explained.

3. The cabin system is a separate magic

For around 400 NOK a night you can sleep in a self-service mountain cabin with a stocked food pantry, a wood stove, and a guest book going back decades. You'll need a DNT membership and a key. The network covers most of the country and many of its longer routes.

Read: DNT cabins - how the system actually works.

4. The weather will commit to you, not the other way around

Western Norway gets 200+ rainy days a year. Eastern parts get three months of solid winter. The wind on a coastal ridge can flip from "mild" to "you cannot stand up" in twenty minutes. A proper rain shell, hard boots, and a printed map are not optional.Phone signal is patchy in the deep valleys; never rely on it for navigation.

5. Public transport is good - drive only if you must

Most of the iconic trailheads are reachable by a combination of train, ferry, and shuttle bus. Stavanger to Preikestolen is a single bus + ferry ride. Bergen to Trolltunga is a train + bus combination. Oslo to Besseggen is a bus from the city. Renting a car is expensive and only worth it if your route is genuinely off-grid.

Practical guides

• Allemannsretten: Norway's Right to Roam - In Norway you may walk, camp and forage on uncultivated land, even private land, under allemannsretten. See what's allowed, where, and for how long.
• Best Time to Hike in Norway, Month by Month - July is the best time to hike in Norway, and the window runs late June to mid-September. Pick your month from weather, daylight, crowds and what's open.
• DNT Cabins: Prices, Keys and Booking Explained - DNT cabins: how membership, the standard key, payment and booking work across Norway's 550+ mountain huts, and what a night costs. Book with less guesswork.
• Lofoten vs the Fjords: Where to Hike in Norway - Lofoten or the western fjords? Sharp coastal peaks against deep valleys, and how the weather and logistics differ between them. Pick the one for you.
• Norway Airport to Trailhead: Public Transport - From Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger or Bodø airport to Norway's classic trailheads by bus and train, with travel times and what each leg costs. Find yours.
• Norway Hiking Packing List: Day vs Multi-Day - Norway hiking packing list for summer: what to bring on fjord day hikes vs Hardangervidda traverses, what to leave at home, and why. Copy the list.
• Norway Hiking Trip Cost: 7-Day Budget by Tier - Price a 7-day hiking trip in Norway for 2026: flights, transport, beds, food and gear rental, split by budget tier and by region so you can compare.
• Winter Hiking in Norway: What Works Nov-Apr - Winter hiking in Norway: which routes still work from November to April, what gear changes, and how to read a Norwegian winter forecast. Find a route.

→ See all guides

Regional notes

Norway is long. The country runs 1750 km from the Skagerrak to the Russian border, and the hiking changes with the latitude.

The southwest fjords (Vestland)

This is where Preikestolen, Trolltunga, and Kjerag live - the sea-cliff country, with a humid maritime climate, ferries between valleys, and most of Norway's tourism volume. Day-hikes are the norm. Crowds are real in July.

Jotunheimen (the central highlands)

Norway's tallest mountains, including Galdhøpiggen at 2469 m, sit in this national park. Hut-to-hut traverses are the speciality. Besseggen is here. The terrain feels closer to the Alps than anywhere else in Scandinavia.

Hardangervidda

Northern Europe's largest mountain plateau. Long, flat, treeless, weather-exposed. Multi-day crossings between cabins are a rite of passage. Reindeer outnumber people.

Lofoten and the north

Sharp coastal peaks rising straight from sea level, midnight sun in summer, polar night in winter. Reinebringen, Ryten, and the Lofoten Trail are signature routes. The drive matters as much as the walk.

Finnmark and the Arctic

Sami country, low rounded mountains, and a season that closes in late August. Less hiked, more remote, harder weather. We don't have anything from up here yet - we're working on it.

What we haven't covered yet

We're a small site. The list of trails and guides above grows every couple of weeks. If a route or topic isn't here, it's not because we don't think it's important - it's because we haven't walked it recently or written it well. Trolltunga, Kjerag, Lofoten, and the Hardangervidda crossings are next in the queue.

This page is the hub for everything we publish about Norway. New articles are added inline as they're written. Last updated June 2026.