TROLLTUNGA OVERVIEW

Trolltunga is one of the best hikes in Norway, and for good reason. It has varied terrain and incredible panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and Lake Ringedalsvatnet. 

Although somewhat challenging, that is mostly due to its length as it doesn’t have tons of elevation gain. After the initial ascent, the trail is more or less flat until it reaches the famous tongue-shaped rock jutting out from the mountainside.

We had a lot of fun coming up with creative poses while out on the Troll’s tongue. It was also interesting to see what ideas the other hikers had when it was their turn for a photo.

We already had amazing experiences hiking Norway’s Besseggen Ridge and Romsdalseggen Ridge so we were excited to see if Trolltunga could compete with those unbelievable experiences. Now that we’re done, it’s no mystery why Trolltunga is the highlight of many traveler’s time in this amazing country. 

TROLLTUNGA HIKING STATISTICS

The hiking statistics are dependent on where you begin the hike. There are 3 areas to park, Tyssedal (P1), Skjeggedal (P2), and Mågelitopp (P3). Most hikers will begin the hike from either P2 or P3. These options will be discussed in more details below.

Distance: 20 km (12 miles) from P3 or 27 km (16 miles) km from P2.

Elevation: 300 meters (1,000 feet) from P3 or 800 meters (2,600 feet) from P2.

Duration: 7-10 hours from P3 or 10-12 hours from P2.

Difficulty: Moderate. Although the trail is rather long, it’s not technical and doesn’t have a ton of elevation gain. However, if starting the hike from P2, this adds 450 meters of elevation, 7 km of distance, and 2-3 hours of hiking time, thus making it very strenuous. 

When: June 1 to September 30.

LOGISTICS

Where to stay

We stayed at an Airbnb in nearby Odda, which is about a 20 minute drive to the two main Trolltunga parking lots. Odda is fairly large, with many lodging accommodations and restaurants. For hikers opting for an overnight stay closer to Trolltunga, there are several campsites, cabins, and eco huts that can be reserved ahead of time.

Trolltunga is about 200 km and a 3.5 hour drive from Bergen so it can’t really be done as a day hike from there. It’s even further from Oslo and Stavanger.

Other potential places to base would be Kinsarvik or Eidfjord, but these towns are 1-2 hours from the Trolltunga parking lots. For us, Odda was perfect as it was close to the trail and was a big enough town that it had a good amount of lodging, restaurants, and shops.

Getting there and parking options

The best time for hiking in Norway is the summer months and the Trolltunga hiking season typically lasts from June 1 to September 30. Outside of these months a guide is needed to complete the hike. This is an out and back hike of varying total distance based on where you park and begin the hike. 

There are 3 possible places to park and start the hike, Tyssedal (P1), Skjeggedal (P2), and Mågelitopp (P3). P1 is the furthest from the trailhead and P3 is the closest. They all have their own parking lots but with some notable differences. 

Tyssedal (P1)

P1 is the furthest parking lot from the main trailhead and parking can be paid at the machines located in the lot. The cost for parking is 300 NOK. Larger vehicles such as vans, buses, and RVs will need to park here as the road from P1 to P2 is quite narrow. Transportation such as taxis and shuttles can be arranged beforehand to bring hikers between Odda, P1 and to P2.

Skjeggedal (P2)

For hikers driving their own cars there should be no need to park at P1. Just continue on past the lot and take the 7 km toll road directly to P2, which has 180 parking spots. Everyone parking at P2 must pay the combined road toll and parking fee for a total of 500 NOK. This can be done at the P2 parking lot. Unfortunately, there is no option to prebook for parking at P2.

Mågelitopp (P3)

If you have a parking reservation at P3, there is a 200 NOK toll that you will need to pay at the machines in the P2 parking lot prior to continuing on to P3. (P3) parking reservations cost 600 NOK, which need to be booked months beforehand. There are only 30 parking spots so find out when they start taking reservations for the season and book early. 

Only cars under 2 meters in height can drive on the road from P2 to P3 and you are not allowed to drive up to P3 to drop off passengers.

You can also get to P3 by taking the shuttle bus from P2 to P3. The shuttle bus runs from 6:30-11 AM (starts at 7 AM after Sept 1) and leaves P2 every 30 minutes. It costs 150 NOK for adults and 50 NOK for kids under 12. Shuttle bus tickets can be booked beforehand or directly at P2.

Hike distance

Trolltunga is one of Norway’s longer day hikes. As a result, for most hikers it’s not a reasonable option to start the hike from P1. From the trailhead at P2 to Trolltunga and back the hike is 27 km with about 800 meters of elevation. This takes takes about 10-12 hours. 

Starting the hike at P3 can save 2-3 hours of hiking. It also eliminates 450 meters of elevation gain and 7 km of distance. The hike from P2 to P3 is a brutal and monotonous set of switchbacks along the road that I would recommend skipping.  As previously mentioned, this can be done by taking the shuttle from P2 to P3 or reserving parking beforehand for P3.

We reserved a parking spot at P3. We definitely wanted to avoid the 450 meters of elevation and didn’t want to risk long lines for the shuttle bus at P2. 

OUR EXPERIENCE HIKING TROLLTUNGA

We were thrilled to get this iconic Norway hike underway and arrived to P3 at about 7 AM. It was important for us to get started early as we were hoping to avoid the long line for photos at Trolltunga that forms as the day goes on.

Despite our early departure, the trail was already pretty busy. The trail itself was well maintained and had red trail markers with the letter “T” showing the way. It was fairly level at first as we walked across large sheets of rocks connected by the occasional metal bridge. 

The trail then began ascending up with small boulders forming stairs. This transformed into a barren granite mountainside that eventually leveled out. Fortunately, this area constituted most of the elevation gain we experienced on the hike. 

After reaching the top, there was a small but beautiful lake where we took photos of the kid’s reflections and hopped between rocks in the water. We had a small snack here and then continued on. The trail mostly leveled out for the remainder of the hike. 

We walked by a few more small lakes and had to avoid the occasional puddle of mud. After about 2 total hours of hiking and 5 km we reached the cliffside and had spectacular views across Norway’s Lake Ringedalsvatnet. The contrast of red and green vegetation with the gray rocks and bright blue lake was absolutely amazing. 

The trail then swung off to the left and several eco huts came into view across the gorge. The last km or so required some simple boulder scrambling. After 3.5 hours of hiking, we had finally reached Trolltunga and one of Norway’s most remarkable views.

Walking onto the Troll’s tongue

By the time we reached Trolltunga there were already at least 100 people waiting for their own iconic photo out on the Troll’s tongue. We got in line with the masses and waited our turn. 

Before joining us in line, Shirlee handed her camera and phone to a young couple and asked if they would take our picture when it was our turn. The line moved fairly fast. It was mostly in the shade and VERY windy so it got quite cold. 

When it was our turn, we walked out slowly together. We stayed in the middle of the rock and at no point felt unsafe, and I have a serious fear of heights.

The couple we met snapped the obligatory photo of us on the rock and then I took the kids back to stable ground. Shirlee, daring as she is, sat at the edge of the rock for one more photo.

It was interesting to watch what crazy poses some people came up with while out on the rock. Some of the more adventurous hikers danced around while the more conservative ones quickly got their photo and then retreated back to safety.

We returned the favor to our photographers when it was their turn. The line was clearly getting longer as the morning stretched on and I was happy we started the hike as early as we did. We ate lunch and then retraced our steps back to the car. 

We did take one quick break because Oliver couldn’t resist jumping into the reflecting lake we had passed earlier. He lasted all of about 5 seconds before the frigid water got the better of him.

The entire hike took us about 7 hours, with several breaks and an hour or so at Trolltunga. 

OUR IMPRESSIONS

Trolltunga is one of Norway’s best and most recognizable hikes. For years it had been a bucket list hike for us and it was great to finally have had the opportunity to complete it. We had high expectations for this hike and it did not disappoint. 

Despite the amount of people on the trail, the crowds never felt overwhelming. All of the hikers were very patient and polite while waiting for their photos at the legendary rock. 

Without other hikers around, we also wouldn’t have been able to get a family picture of ourselves out on the rock ledge. Everyone was generally more than happy to assist others in getting their own iconic photo at Trolltunga.

Venturing out onto the Troll’s tongue looks quite intimidating in pictures, but it actually felt surprisingly safe. The rock face is very flat and wide, so it’s easy to stay in the middle and not have to look straight down.

Although a fairly long hike, there was not much elevation and no real technical areas. Oliver and Maddie were only 10 and 8, respectively, and had no difficulty completing the trail. It also helped to preserve energy by starting at P3 and avoiding the strenuous ascent from P2 to P3.

We were fortunate that the weather cooperated on the hike and we were gifted with epic views of Norway for the entire day. I can confidently say that Trolltunga ranks as one of the top day hikes we did not just in Norway, but anywhere.