Hiking to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), the flat top tower that gives you a viewing platform 604 metres above the Lysefjord. This is one of the most popular mountain hikes in Norway, with over 300,000 hikers visiting the rock every year. We hiked there in May 2024, and this is how it went.
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.
Staying in Borestranda, Kleppe we drove to the start of this hike, and although quite expensive with the tolls, the drive through the long tunnels was a great surprise. We were shocked by how long they are; the one is over 14km long!
It took us just over an hour and once we got too the Preikestolen Fjellstue mountain lodge, we found a parking space, had a look around the various shops and cafe’s there, used the toilets, then set off on the 8km round trip, which takes around 4 hours, but you may be longer due to the views and loads of sitting areas to take it all in.
If you didn’t want to share Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) with too many people, start the walk at night, and you will experience a bit of magic when the sun rises. Or just go in the afternoon, we got there around 11.30am, the lower car park was pretty full by then, and it was still very early in the season at the end of May. There is an upper car park, so google maps them both so you have options.
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.
- The start point at the lower car park is Preikestolen Fjellstue mountain lodge.
- Find all the car park details here
- The busiest period is from 8am to 4pm, particularly on weekends and during the peak season of June, July, and August.
Navigation Aids:
Hike Map
Hike Profile
- Distance: 5m / 8km
- Duration: 5-6 hours (lots of sightseeing)
- Highest point: 2123ft / 650m
- Difficulty: Difficult (steep short climbs), lots of steps, large rocks 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 for us started at Preikestolen Fjellstue mountain lodge, took us just over an hour to drive there from Kleppe and we arrived at around 11am. It was quite busy but we found 3 spaces, had a look around the shops and cafe and then set off on this beautiful 8km hike as a group of 12, walking almost straight away into the woods.
The trail, which has significant shifts in terrain, includes swampland, forests, and stone stairways built by Nepalese sherpas, I will try and show the different terrains, and not talk about the way to get there, as the path is very obvious and in honesty, I doubt you will be alone, so just follow the crowds.
Walking through the forest is a real treat, the rock paths are very well laid out, the scenery is stunning and we just took our time, and stopped here and there to take pictures. There are occasions where you will be walking up bare granite rock, but it’s mostly paths and steps.
An interesting part of the walk is the swampland, and the very attractive and secure walkways that guide you over them, I guess just after winter a lot of water will gather here, but there is nothing to worry about, these walkways are placed here and there and keep guiding you up to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock).
At a certain point you leave the forest behind and come up to a plateau as you edge closer and closer to the main place. You are heading towards the fjord as well as Prekeistolen, and here and there are small ponds that had people in them cooling down, having a swim and having fun.
OK, that’s the path up done, what I need to show is Preikestolen itself, people having their pictures taken, the unreal panoramic fjord views that almost feel computer generated. It honestly feels like you are watching a film, the beautiful blue water, the green and the view where you see the fjord come to an end with a haze around it, it’s hard to describe, so instead I’ll post my pics here, that will explain it better.
What a place! You have to do it if you come to this part of Norway, and as you will see one of the pics is from above it, which you can get to in a few places. Just keep an eye on the people and they will show you.
So, we spent a few hours just resting, taking in the views, having a wonder around, Nick got his drone going, and once ready we started to head down as we fancied an ice-cream and a coffee and the ‘Hikers Cafe’. The ice cream is amazing, give that a try for sure, and just to remind you there is a nice shop there and very good toilet facilities, so all in all it’s a fantastic full day experience for all the family.
That’s it, you’re all done, and I hope you have had a great experience, and have had 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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