Mountain Hikes
Welcome to Oldedalen
the most adventurous hiking valley in Norway
Norwegians are known as avid hikers, and for good reason. Do you want to experience the beautiful Norwegian nature from above? We made a short guide of all the best trails in the valley. Have a look!
Briksdalen
Brenndalen
Gytridalen
Oldeskaret
Kattanakken
Flatsteinbu
Klovane
Easier Hikes
Briksdalen
Round trip: 2h 00m
Challenge: ●○○○○
As one of Norway’s most famous destinations, Briksdalen is built for ease. It’s a well-paved walk that brings you close to the glacier, making it perfect if you want the views without the scramble. Just expect plenty of company along the way.
Briksdalsbreen is one of the most visited nature attractions in Norway, with about 300,000 visitors each year. With its mystical and fantastic nature, and the infrastructure around the attraction, this is a tourism product in the world-class.
If you’d rather save your legs, you can catch a 'Troll Car' shuttle. These take you most of the way up, stopping just before the national park border. A great middle-ground is to ride the shuttle up and walk back down to get the best of both worlds. You can buy tickets on the spot, but they often sell out during the peak season, so keep that in mind.
Technical information
Low incline
Brenndalen
Round trip: 4h 00m
Challenge: ●●○○○
Do you want to experience the glacier first-hand? The Brenndalen hike is your shortest alternative. Starting from Aabrekk Farm, you quickly gain elevation before reaching the plateau. From there you traverse through this beautiful valley, with less incline and more sightseeing. However, when reaching the inner parts, you need to prepare for some climbing. Prepare for beautiful rivers, wildlife, and waterfalls - with sight of the glacier at the very end.
Technical information
Low incline, rock-climbing, river-crossing
Gytridalen
Round trip: 1h 30m
Challenge: ●●○○○
Gytridalen is a hidden gem in Oldedalen. At a secluded, enclosed location, it is the perfect destination for your next excursion. The hike starts by the lake and takes you to the big boulder “Storsteinen”. Experience the stunning view of the waterfall with the glacier behind in the distance. If you want to come close to the waterfall, you must cross a river.
Technical information
Moderate incline
Oldeskaret
Round trip: 4h 30m
Challenge: ●●●○○
The path to Oldeskaret is one of the most unique trails in Oldedalen, where you can wander on a ledge leading through a narrow crevasse. Even though the steep mountainside looks daunting, this passage makes the terrain traversable. In older times the route was used as a passage to the neighbouring valley; Stardalen. In more recent times the trail has been overhauled by Sherpas who reconstructed the path with stairs going most of the way, and up through the crevasse.
Technical information
High incline, stairs
Mountain Peaks
Mt. Kattanakken
1445 msl.
Round trip: 6h 00m
Challenge: ●●●●●
Kattanakken, or “The cat’s neck”, stands out with its extraordinary view of the valley and the glaciers around. It is the most famous mountain peak in Oldedalen, and that is for good reason. The hike starts at Briksdalsbre Fjellstove, from where you follow Kaiser Wilhelm’s trail, past a thrilling waterfall, towards the Briksdal Glacier.
As you gain altitude, you will soon reach the mountain’s characteristic ridge. Progressing up the cat’s neck, your beautiful surroundings gradually reveal itself. Rock climbing is on the menu - be ready for a challenge.
This peak is the tallest of the list. The mountain ridge reaches all the way back where it meets the glacier. From here it is possible to touch and walk on the glacier, but this can be extremely dangerous without gear.
Technical information
High incline, rock climbing
Flatsteinbu
1268 msl.
Round trip: 6h 00m
Challenge: ●●●●●
For centuries, the glacier plateau has been a natural highway for regional travel. The Flatsteinbu hut was first built to provide shelter for faring hikers. In case of bad weather - and with a dangerous descent ahead, a shelter was needed. This especially during seasonal winter storms, causing poor visibility.
You quickly gain altitude when making your way up the steep mountainside. As the terrain later flattens, you pass a small hut located on an old pasture - a beautiful relic from the time farmers used to have cattle in the mountains. From here, you continue up through Kvamsdalen, which is a high-altitude side valley. At the inner part of the valley, you will begin another steep incline through sometimes snowy, rocky terrain.
The summit plateau is deceptively flat, but don’t be fooled. Only a couple of hundred meters from the hut there’s a 700-meter-tall vertical drop, off a cliff, with a stunning view of Brenndalen. This trail is the easiest path to enter the glacier plateau.
Technical information
High incline
Mt. Klovane
982 msl.
Round trip: 6h 00m
Challenge: ●●●●○
Klovane may be the lowest summit at just under 1000 meters, yet it offers one of the greatest views. The mountain is located halfway up the valley, which grants it a unique 360° viewpoint. From here, you can take in a unique panorama: the sprawling ice of the national park in one direction, and the dramatic sweep of the fjord in the other.
Your journey starts at Oldevatn Camping, a camping site set just under the mountain, by the bridge where you cross the lake. The trail is generally quite steep - a recurring theme of this list. The upside to this is, of course, the quickly gained altitude and the rapidly changing scenery.
Technical information
High incline