Hello –

I am visiting Norway at the end of July and want to do a fjord hike ( a hike that goes parallel or close to the fjord). I will be starting my trip in Bergen. I have checked out [ut.no](https://ut.no) but without much knowledge of Norway it’s hard to find what I want.

The popular hikes (Trolltunga, Pulpit Rock, & Kjerag) will all be overcrowded and that ruins the point of hiking in nature for me. The only one out of these three I would consider is Kjerag because it seems to be the hike with least traffic & I loved the pictures of being so high up looking down into the fjord. Is Kjerag worth doing in the end of July or will it be too crowded?

Are there any other fjord hikes I should consider to avoid crowds?

I don’t use social media and I’m not one to share. I understand that need to keep certain spots secret. But there have to be hikes that are just as good as the 3 I mentioned but a little less crowded. Feel free to PM if you really don’t want to share publicly.

Thank you.

14 comments

  3. I think the big national parks are better than in the fjord area. Jotunheimen, Rondane and Hardangervidda all have spectacular hiking opportunities

  5. Trolltunga, Pulpit rock and Kjerag are known because there is a Instagrammable picture to be taken at the top with a spectacular rock formation. If you don’t want the Instagram picture, you can go on any of the other hikes on ut.no in the same areas. You will be walking up another valley overlooking the same fjords. The views will be the same, the hike will just end on a less spectacular rock formation.

  8. If you just want a fjord hike without lots of people then skipping those three is pretty much all you need. But I see your question is more specific.

    [This one](https://ut.no/turforslag/117080/hm-dronning-sonjas-panoramatur-dronningstien) fits the bill pretty well.

    [This one](https://ut.no/turforslag/115537/topptur-til-slogen-1564-moh) isn’t quite what you asked for, but perhaps a bit more spectacular than any of the ones that do fit. Note that you shouldn’t do this if you’re scared of heights. Also, if it gets foggy don’t even think about trying to get up there through the fog. My cousin nearly killed herself that way.

    [Maybe this](https://ut.no/turforslag/118455/dueskar-fra-haukasen)?

    [Or this](https://ut.no/turforslag/1112155651/stdno-fagerset-fodnes)?

  9. This depends a lot on timing, how big of a hike you can do and whether you bring a tent or not.

    For a nice all-round area, I can recommend Hjørundfjorden and to stay at a small place called Urke for your request. You can camp by the fjord in a tent or stay at the infamous Hotel Union Øye if that’s your thing. Sunnmørsalpene are known for having beautiful mountains, ridges and views, especially over the fjord, and there are so many places to go that you should manage to get what you want without problem, even on a sunny day in July.

    Even the Pulpit Rock can be done without much crowds in high season with nice weather. To do this, walk up during the night and watch the sunrise above or from the South-Western side from the Pulpit Rock. This way you can hike without seeing anyone on the way up and get a chance to see a beautiful sunrise, which will start at the end of Lysefjorden. If you’re lucky, the fjord will be misty and slightly open up as the sun rise. From above, this is a spectacilar view. At this point, people will start to gather on the Pulpit Rock, but there is no need to go there.

    If you want to hike a long the fjord, start by the local place called Hatten and walk up from there. If you want to continue your hike after the Pulpit Rock, just a quarter of the hike back, there is a path that will take you all the way to Kjerag and Flørli, if you wish to hike all the way around. If this is your thing, that is definately worth it. Not many people are around the fjord, except during the yearly triathlon.

    The list goes on. Routes are in general well marked in the Southern part of Norway, so a map and common sense should be sufficient to find the way. The hikes you mentioned will be crowded in high season, but with some tweaks in timing, alternative routes or tenting, even those attractions are possible to do without having to walk in a line.

    Best of luck and enjoy your hikes!

  11. If you want to go to Kjerag, here is what I do. This requires some experience / endurance.

    Take the boat to Fløyrli, early. Walk up 4444 thousand steps, wood stair. Walk towards Kjerag, 6-9 hours then head for Langevatn – or go to Langevatn first and sleep, then Kjerag the day after. Then head towards Blåfjellenden, have lunch and continue to Fløyrli. Different route than the one from Fløyrli to Kjerag/lLangevatn. Take the boat.

    And close to Kjerag, there is a plateau that is almost the same as Pulpit Rock.

  12. This is easy. There’s thousands of hiking-trails in Norway, and only the top-50 or so are at any risk of being crowded, and even that is usually only in weekends at the height of season. We have a **LOT** of space, and not very many people.

    And no, there’s no need to keep these spots secret; there’s just not that many people, there’s no risk it’ll all be crowded if more of the trips become better known.

    You mention starting in Bergen, and other destinations that are south of Bergen. Here’s a few ideas for hikes in that general area that are either never, or at least very rarely crowded. (depends a *bit* on what you consider to be crowded, I’m not saying you’ll meet NOBODY on these hikes)

    * Bergen: “over vidden” from Ulriken to Fløyen [https://ut.no/turforslag/1111184638/over-vidden-fra-montana-til-ulriken-til-flyen](https://ut.no/turforslag/1111184638/over-vidden-fra-montana-til-ulriken-til-flyen) — notice: can be made substantially easier by taking the cable-car up to mount Ulriken rather than hike up, if you’re feeling somewhat less ambitious.
    * Bergen: “Løvstakken” — easy 1-hour hike to the top of one of the 7 mountains surrounding Bergen. Excellent views. Can be a bit crowded if it’s a good-weather weekend in summer, but otherwise normally isn’t: [https://ut.no/turforslag/118052/lvstakken](https://ut.no/turforslag/118052/lvstakken)
    * Austevoll “3 mountain trip” — varied trip on the island Austevoll. Not as steep and dramatic mountains as some places, but one of my favourite trips all the same. Guaranteed to not be crowded: [https://ut.no/turforslag/118740/3fjellsturen-i-austevoll](https://ut.no/turforslag/118740/3fjellsturen-i-austevoll)
    * Sandnes: “Vårlivarden” — fairly easy trip suitable for an afternoon. Steep in one part during the ascent, but not so bad that you need any special gear or training, normal good shoes and some care is sufficient: [https://ut.no/turforslag/116573/varlivarden-en-gammel-klassiker](https://ut.no/turforslag/116573/varlivarden-en-gammel-klassiker)
    * Flørli stairs. Steep climb along the pipe for a hydropowerplant. Excellent views in dramatic surroundings, and yet hardly ever crowded. (possible exception for weekends in july) [https://ut.no/tur/116552/kart#12.72/59.01992/6.43479](https://ut.no/tur/116552/kart#12.72/59.01992/6.43479) — this video gives you an impression of what to expect: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jobqw2K3704](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jobqw2K3704)

    There’s an endless list really. If you tell us a bit more about things like your experience-levels and what kinda hikes you’re into beyond them being close to fjords, I might be able to give more specific advice.

  14. The area around Trolltunga doesn’t have that many tourists, and at many spots its 1000 meters straight down. The tourists and queues only stack up near the known rock formation at like 12:00, and have to start walking down again after just a few hours to get back in time for dinner and their comfortable bed. If you tent up there, you can have breathtaking views in the morning or evening with maybe just a few other hikers

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