Header pic kindly supplied by www.lysefjorden365.com/kjerag
Hiking to Kjerag, the highest peak in the Lysefjord at 1,084 metres above sea level and home to the world-famous Kjeragbolten, otherwise known as the boulder. A boulder which was wedged into a crevasse 1,000 metres above sea level.
Walk this route yourself in 3D!
The Video is a 3D walk through of this route; it will give you a unique sense of having walked through the route before you start.
I have created 3D Videos of my adventures and have shared them with the OutdoorActive community as well as my walking community.
We took the cars on the Ferry from Lauvvik to Lysebotn, and drove up to the car park which has a cafe to start the walk. This walk is difficult, it’s not for anyone who has mobility issues, and I’d even say you would need to be a seasoned hiker to do it.
I want to point out that we did this hike in May of 2024, it was the start of the season, there was still a lot of snow at the top, but the biggest disappointment was the really thick fog that came in and cancelled all the views, we couldn’t see a thing, but we carried on and made the good decision to drive home rather than go back on the Ferry.
Getting There: Directions, GPX and App Link
The Hiking App I use is ‘OutdoorActive‘ which has a free and Pro version, the Pro version will allow you to download the routes to your phone and use them without using up your data. The reason I mention it is that if you were to download it, below is the link to this route in my hike list on that app, you can follow the arrows and voice on that. I think it is best that you do get the app, as most of these walks are a bit tricky to explain.
- Staying in Stavanger, we hired cars and drove to Lauvvik to pick the Ferry up there. Ferry details can be found here. You can also drive all the way there.
- Ferry took around 2.5 hours, it has places to sit and follow the journey, or you can sit downstairs and keep warm.
- Off the ferry, drive up the mountain via a very steep and winding road, watch out for head on traffic as there isn’t a lot of room. The hike starts at Oygardsstol Kjerag Panoramic Restaurant.
Navigation Aids:
- Follow this route on the Outdooractive App, it is free, and it will guide you around safely.
- Download my hand crafted *GPX file, and use it on your own guidance devices.
- * If you’re not sure what a GPX file is, I have put this post together that will hopefully explain it in plain words. It’s worth considering as well as mobile app navigation, as they will make your hikes better & safer.
Hike Map
Hike Profile
- Distance: 6m / 10km
- Duration: 5-6 hours (lots of sightseeing)
- Highest point: 3520ft / 1072m
- Difficulty: Difficult (steep short climbs), lots of climbs where you need to use chains, large boulders to step up on and over, and could be slippery. The sheer vertical cliffs are scary and you need to be well prepared for all weathers.
- Route conditions: Well-worn pathways most of the way around, good walking shoes are a must.
Hike Description & Pics
The hike starts at Oygardsstol Kjerag Panoramic Restaurant, at the top of one of the craziest roads I have ever been on, a succession of narrow hairpin bends, through a tunnel and into a fee-paying car park, which has excellent toilet facilities.
Before we set off a really friendly guide approached us and asked us to read the sign carefully, and advised us to follow the ‘red T marks’ painted on the stones. The red Ts are the path to follow, and sometimes can be a bit tricky to find, so take your time and also make sure you have packed for all weathers.
As you will see from my pics, we had very thick fog, visibility was poor and it was also very damp, and there was still quite a bit of snow around the top, which made it a difficult day.
The hike starts with a steep 30-minute climb on bare rock up to a summit of 825 metres, from your start point at 680 metres. Very quickly, we were hiking up a wet and slippery steep granite wall with the aid of chain ropes attached to the mountain.
From this summit, you follow the mountain ridge before heading down to a small valley stream. We could see that there was another climb ahead, so we had a little break, and carried on praying that the fog would clear, but unfortunately it didn’t, but we were enjoying the challenges that this hike was bringing.
We got going again and started the second climb heading to the Kjerag, which will take you up to around 870 metres above sea level. We found this climb a bit tougher than the first, but we took our time and stayed together.
Once again at the top you make your way down to another shoulder with another stream running through, the rock is still slippery and you need to be very careful. We came across a rescue hut at the top, a really well-built place that I can imagine would be great to see if you ever got in trouble.
Then the final climb is ahead of you. This is the longest climb, again its very technical, with big step ups, a rope chain, and lots of bare rock. It’s a challenge, and again re-enforces what I said at the start, that you should only really take this walk on if you are happy with your physical health.
Once at the top, you have a long walk across flat terrain, this is an easy walk to the Kjerag, and to the Kjeragbolten, you cross a crevice and the boulder viewing platform is signposted slightly down the rock a little.
Please be very careful around this area, you are not in any danger, but the sheer edges are quite unnerving and I think personally to step onto the boulder is taking a big risk. It seems no one has actually fallen off it, but I can assure you when you actually see where it is and the manoeuvre onto it, you will question whether it’s worth it or not.
The route I have uploaded here contains a different way back which you meet up again with the route up just before the rescue hut, but because of snow we decided to go back the way we came up. This is difficult as this time you are using the chain ropes to make your way down, which I think is actually harder, so again we took our time, and stuck together.
A little disappointed because of the weather and finishing quite a bit earlier than expected, we decided not to wait for the ferry but to drive home instead, and this was a brilliant decision. Further down the mountain the fog cleared and we got to see what we had missed, the terrain is absolutely beautiful, the green and the rocks really stand out, and the streams and waterfalls were amazing.
We stopped once to take some pics, and then made the long journey home.
That’s it, you’re all done, and I hope you have had a great experience, and have great weather.
It is worth downloading this route onto the Outdooractive app, it’ll re-assure you time wise and that you’re not heading in the wrong directions. There is so much space up there and lots of alternative paths you could accidently join.
Hope you enjoy this walk, and I’d love it if you could share this post either with the social media buttons that follow you down the screen on your left, or below in the footer. Also, comments are very welcome, I love meeting new people and talking, and you never know we could meet up on one of our walks.
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