Put on your hikingboots and get ready to take your trip to new heights!

Some of the world’s most breathtaking terrain and scenery – and a culture that is naturally accommodating to hikers, walkers or just plain wanderers – make this a real “get up and go” country! Fun, fitness and adventure are literally at your feet ... from coastal islands to fjord valleys and mountain peaks.

Hiking is in our nature

In Fjord Norway, hiking is in our nature. Want proof? Just listen to our language. We’ve coined a word – friluftsliv, that translates as “open-air living” but really means getting outside to commune with the great outdoors. Which we do whenever we can. And that’s easier to do here thanks to another wonderful Norwegian idea: allemannsretten—everyone’s right to respectfully access most land, public and private. And it’s your right, too, while you’re our guest.

What better way to exercise your rights than to hike than our amazing fjords and coasts? Put on your hiking boots and gear, grab your “matpakke” – Norway’s iconic packed lunch —and set out for a day, a few days or even a week of unmatchable vistas and views. Just remember to hold onto that sandwich wrapper! With rights come responsibilities—what we call allemannsplikten, the duty to respect nature while you’re exploring. Fjord Norway’s natural landscape is clean and pristine, and we ask that you help us keep it that way. It’s also wild. Weather and trail conditions vary, so hiking with a guide is a great idea. You won’t get lost and you may also be treated to a lot of wonderful local lore to boot!

Fjordview

You’ll also enjoy striking fjord views – wherever you are in Fjord Norway, they’re guaranteed! Set out from Haugesund to climb Mount Himakånå, a family-friendly, 1-hour hike up to panoramic views from a perch 357 meters over farms and forests lining the Nedstrandsfjord and a shimmering lake called Lysevatnet. Create your own hiking stories on the Saga Trail, a 4-hour trek from Boknafjord shores, up a set of stone stairs built by Sherpas from Nepal, to the top of Hovlandsnuten for plenty of awe-inspiring vistas. 

Want to go higher? join an expert guide in the charming fjord village Balestrand, in the heart of Fjord Norway, for a day (and many kilometers) of hiking up to Mount Keipen. Looming 1,400 meters over the majestic Sognefjord – Europe’s longest and deepest fjord, and home to some of its most wild and wonderful scenery, Keipen is the perfect spot for soaking in lots of sun during our long summertime nights. Farther north on the Nordfjord, work your way higher and higher atop Trollenykjen. Stop halfway to explore the mountain farm Skipenesetra before hiking another hour up for views of endless mountains in every direction.

For hikes that literally take your breath away —and not just from lack of oxygen – scale Hornelen, Europe’s highest sea cliff, at 860 meters over the Frøysjøen strait. The trail up may be challenging and steep but you’re rewarded with stunning panoramic views. Then there’s the aptly named Skomakarnibbå, or Shoemaker's Crag, perched 700 meters over the Jøsenfjord. It’s an easy enough hike up but steer clear of the crag! Got nine lives? Hike the showstopping Kattanakken, meaning Cat’s Neck, near the Nordfjord for dizzying glacier views.

Step it up!

Want to “step up” your hiking game even more? Sherpas also built Norway’s longest stone stairway: the 2,200-step Midsundtrappene, leading 659 meters up Rørsethornet mountain on Otrøya island (hot tip: Travel like the locals and ride the bus to Midsund from Molde.). We’re also home to one of the world’s longest wooden stairs! The 4,444 steps at Flørli hug waterpipes connecting a hydropower station and a dam, offering unhindered Lysefjord views. Or step to it in Høyanger in Sognefjord, also home to a dizzying set of industrial pipe stairs.

Ocean calling you?

Prefer an ocean view? Try the 360-degree panorama from the top of Norskehesten — “the Norwegian Horse” – a unique, 460-meter-high peak on the tiny isle of Alden at Værlandet in Askvoll. Hike up Godøy mountain from the Alnes lighthouse, outside Ålesund—a superb trek that affords amazing views out over the Atlantic to not only Ålesund, but the Sunnmøre Alps beyond.

Waterfalls and glaciers

How about a waterfall? At Mardalsfossen, in Romsdal, hydro-plant locks are thrown open each summer, unleashing northern Europe’s highest falls. Hike as high up the 705-meter wonder as you can, for a proper shower. Or make tracks for the Åkrafjord, where you’ll find the 612-meter-tall Langfoss, once voted the world’s most beautiful waterfall. If you’re looking for something even cooler, book a professionally guided hike on the Nigardsbreen glacier, an arm to the Jostedalsbreen, mainland Europe’s largest glacier (caution: Glacier hikes are dangerous, so never attempt one unguided. We won’t!).

Less pain, more gain?

More interested in gain than pain? No worries; we’ve got you covered in Fjord Norway. Try a light stroll up the 418 steps to the town mountain Aksla from Ålesund city center. Want to head higher? Soar 1,011 meters up to Mount Hoven by the Nordfjord, aboard the Loen Skylift, one of the world’s steepest aerial tramways. You can also ride the Stranda Fjord Gondola for spectacular views of the Storfjord—entrance to the UNESCO World Heritage Area of the Geirangerfjord—the Sunnmøre Alps and the fjord village of Stranda from 1042 meters above sea level.