Besseggen Ridge: In the Jotunheimen Nasjonal Park, Norway's greatest park, you'll find a landscape of glaciers, mountains, lakes, and waterfalls, crowned by two towering peaks: Glittertind, at 2,452m (8,043 ft.), and Galdhøpiggen, at 2,469m (8,098 ft.), the highest peak in northern Europe. This park also boasts the country's most justifiably popular hike across Besseggen Ridge, towering over one of the country's most beautiful lakes, Gjende, which earned the praise of Henrik Ibsen, among others. The trail along the ridge links the remote mountain lodges of Memurubo and Gjendesheim.
Preikestolen: Outside the city of Stavanger, on the western coast of Norway, you can take one of the most memorable hikes in this part of the world, through scenic fjord country with mountain landscapes as a backdrop. The ultimate goal is Pulpit Rock (its English name), with a vertical drop of 609m (1,998 ft.) over the stunningly blue Lysefjord. You can drive to a rock car park to begin a hike of 4km (2 1/2 miles). The hike has a height difference of 350m (1,148 ft.); it begins steeply, climbing past rocky, even boggy sections before the final ascent. The cliffs are exposed and extremely windy, but all this is part of the Norwegian experience. Despite an alarming crack in the rock, making it look as if you're about to plunge to your death in the fjord below, geologists claim it will take thousands of years for the rock to break apart. Once on the rock, looking down at the 42km (26-mile) fjord, you'll perhaps understand why poets have praised its "ethereal light."
Lofoten Fishing Villages: The best hikes in Norway don't always have to be up steep mountains. In the remote Lofotens in the north of Norway, while based on the glaciated island of Moskenesøy, we like to hike along a seascape of little fishing villages stacked up one after the other like a string of pearls. The mountain peak of Hermannsdalstind, rising to 1,029m (3,375 ft.), offers a scenic backdrop. Begin in the north, at the little fishing village of Hamnøy, and then hike southward to other quaint settlements at Sakrisøy, Reine, Moskenes, Sørvägen, and the curiously named Å. To extend the hike at Sørvägen for another 2 hours, you can hike inland along a signposted rambler's trail to get acquainted with the interior of a Lofoten island.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
