My experience of Hiking Trolltunga

1/22/2020

"Your body can do anything, it's just your brain you have to convince"

I love hiking, it gives me a feeling of freedom that is hard to explain in words, but I hope you as a hiker, understand what I mean. I am far from an experienced hiker, but I climbed some places here and there (not very tall, not very hard). I learned a lot from every hike and so I did from this one. There is one thing, I will repeat in any of the posts I'll write about hiking: you need to know your body, and use the pace that your body can handle. There is no need to rush. With every hike you'll get better and better, as you'll better know what you are capable of.

Before the hike

Let me first start with some admin information, to help you organize yourself, or at least to have a starting point. This will be maybe a bit long, but it's very important.

Trail Info
I strongly recommend you to start with checking the weather. I used YR weather together with The Facebook Page of Trolltunga Trail Information so that you know what to expect.
The hiking season without a guide is open from approx. 15 June to approx. 15 September
Outside these days there is still a period during which you can hike with a guide.

Hike level
- it is a moderate to hard hike (from my group of friends perspective)
- with 14 km to the cliff & 14 km back, it makes it a 28 km hike from P2.
- don't underestimate the downhill, it has some difficult areas for your knees.
- it is estimated to take about 12 h with the time you spend at the cliff depending on your speed & experience in hiking, we needed

4:10 h to go up
2:00 h at the top (1 h queuing for the picture)
4:20 h going down (due to some knee pain, which I would estimate added 30 min )

Please start your hike early. It is recommended to start before 8 AM and no later than 10 AM (unless you plan to camp).

Fitness level
Good fitness level is important as well as previous hiking experience is helpful. This is a long hike, so endurance is super important here.
We saw on the trail from young kids to 70+ year old people so it should be doable :)

Clothes to wear
This can go according to the weather, but below a checklist
- waterproof hiking sneakers/boots
- hiking/trail sock (2 pairs)
- hiking/sports clothes - please have layers
- sun cap, sun cream, sun glasses
- waterproof & windproof jacket
- waterproof pants (if rain is in the forecast)
- make sure you have band-aids with you in case of blisters
Do note that the weather in Norway can change rapidly, better to be prepared than sorry

Food & Drinks
- bring a refillable water bottle with you. I had a 0.8 l and I refilled it from some of the running streams along the path. The water is safe to drink after Floren (rescue cabin #1). Make sure you stay hydrated, but keep in mind there is no toilet on the trail
- bring as much food as your body needs, there are no shopping opportunities. I had a mix of energy balls/bars, sandwich, banana, nuts)
â€‹!!! do not leave any traces of yourself, take your garbage back to the parking!

Parking Info
â€‹There are 3 Parking places: P1, P2, P3
- P1 in Tysseda: 220 spaces. Parking fee: NOK 300* per day + transportation to P2/P3. Distance to Trolltunga: 40 km return hike
- P2 in Skjeggedal - Main Trailhead: 180 spaces. Parking fee: NOK 500* per day + transportation til P3 (optional) Distance to Trolltunga: 28 km return hike
- P3 Magelitopp - upper trailhead: 30 parking spaces. Parking fee: NOK 600* per day. Parking tickets for sale at trolltunganorway.com/no or at the ticket office in Skjeggedal. Pre-booking recommended. Distance to Trolltunga: 20 km return hike
* prices in August 2019

Please check also thisLINK for info

My experience on the hike

This part aims to guide you through the hike and how the hike looks like along the way from my experience. On the mountain every day is different so you might encounter different challenges than i did or for you some things might be more difficult or easier than they were for me.

We started early and were in the P2 Parking at 6:20. Remember to pay the parking and display the ticket in your windshield. There are toilets at the parking, make sure to use them as there are no toilets along the way.

The P2 starting point is the hike's original starting point. From here it's 28 km return and it is estimated to take about 12 hours. You have the option to take a shuttle which saves you 3 km per direction.

The trail is perfectly marked along the way, so impossible to get lost. You'll see a red T to keep you on the trail.

You even have a km count so you always know how much is left.

The first 3 km, are on a paved road, I guess this is rather new as it's aimed for the P3 parking. Although quite steep, I did not find this part of the hike difficult as you have a good surface to step on. Watch out you will have the shuttle bus passing by up and down all the time as well as cars going to P3.

After this 3 km you actually enter the main trail itself. I would say you still have 1 km which is decent so nothing to steep and then you will have a quite nasty uphill made out of stones that look like steps. You'll remain breathless a few times :)

Further on after a very few hundred meters you get another heavy uphill, this time with a flat surface, which is pretty annoying. It's a bit shorter than the previous push but this was for me the hardest part on the downhill.

Once you cross this part, you'll be at about 6-7 km in the trail. From here things get moderate. You still have uphills. but shorter, but also some downhills and some flat areas which allow you to regain some power.

Don't rush, and make sure to take breaks when you need them. On top of catching your breath you can also enjoy the wonderful landscape.

You have two mountain guard cabins along the trail and an emergency only house. These are to be used of course only when really needed.

We reached the cliff after 4 hours and 10 minutes. As there were quite some people already up (faster hikers, people who left even earlier, or campers) we decided to start the queue for the picture :P.

Everything ran smoothly, people stay organized and help each other with the pictures so no need to worry even when alone.

If you feel adventurous and want to get right next to the edge, please take good care. It is a very dangerous place. If afraid of heights this will be a challenge for you.

After the picture and some food we started going back. The return trip is easier but don't underestimate it. If you have problems with your knees you have to be extra cautions as you have long km going down which puts a lot of pressure on them.