The Top Hikes in Norway
What the big three actually have in common
A rock formation you can stand on and photograph. That is the honest answer. All three end at a piece of geology that reads clearly in a picture — a flat plateau, a wedged boulder, a jutting shelf — and that is why they are the three that travelled. It is not a statement about the walking, and anyone who tells you these are the three finest trails in Norway is describing an Instagram feed rather than a country.
Choosing between them
Preikestolen is the shortest and the easiest: about 8 kilometres, 4 to 5 hours, no chains, a flat plateau 604 metres above the Lysefjord, and about an hour from Stavanger. Kjerag is the steep one: about 11 kilometres, 6 to 10 hours, roughly 760 to 800 metres of climbing over three ascents and two descents, with several hundred metres of chains on the slabs. Trolltunga is the long one, in Odda in Vestland, normally quoted at 8 to 12 hours.
Two of the three are on opposite sides of the same fjord and can be done in one trip; the third is in a different region. The pairing is explained on Kjerag or Preikestolen and the length comparison on Kjerag or Trolltunga.
Where Kjerag fits
What works
- The most interesting rock of the three, if you like the idea of a wedged boulder
- Shorter than Trolltunga and far more demanding than Preikestolen
- No recorded death from falling off the boulder in Norwegian history
- Chains that make genuinely steep ground manageable for ordinary walkers
Worth knowing
- The road up is open only about five months a year
- Two and a half hours of driving each way from Stavanger, before the walking starts
- Not the right first Norwegian mountain day for most visitors
- Absolutely not an easy hike — see the easy hikes page
If you are picking one and you are honest about your legs, Preikestolen is the safe answer and Kjerag is the better day for people who want to be worked. The Norwegian mountain hiking season runs roughly June to September, with the high fells holding snow into June, and Kjerag additionally depends on a mountain pass being open.
Do not let the big three define your trip. If you have a spare day in Rogaland after one of them, the fjord from the water tells you more about the landscape than a second rock will.
What there is to book
Not the trail. Nobody sells a ticket to Kjerag and nobody could, because there is no gate and nobody standing at one. What you pay for is the ride out of Stavanger and the guide who walks it with you, and the road up is open for about five months a year. The options are laid out on the bookings page and compared on the decision page.
Frequently asked questions
What are the three most famous hikes in Norway?
Preikestolen, Kjeragbolten and Trolltunga. They are conventionally grouped together as the big three.
Which of the three is the easiest?
Preikestolen: about 8 kilometres, 4 to 5 hours, no chains, and about an hour from Stavanger.
Which is the longest?
Trolltunga, at roughly two and a half times the length of Kjerag and normally quoted at 8 to 12 hours.