Dalberget hike is an easy to moderate ascent through a lush forest along a path above the tree line. From the top, incredibly beautiful panoramic views open up to the Lyngenfjord and the snow-capped mountains of the Lyngen Alps.

The Dalberget (460 m / 1509 ft) hiking route is shared with the higher Storhaugen (1142 m / 3747 ft) route. Only the Dalberget trail is marked, the Storhaugen trail is not marked and the path is not so clear. The trail is not difficult, but it is rocky, and the peak of Storhaugen is very steep on one side.

I did a one-night hiking adventure to Dalberget at the end of July 2022. Unfortunately, due to the weather I did not make it to the conquest of Storhaugen. However, Dalberget's little adventure was a great experience.

Lyngen Alps

The Lyngen Peninsula and the "Lyngen Alps" rise between Tromsø and Alta in northern Norway. The characteristic features of the area include sharp mountains like the Alps and turquoise fjords resting between the mountain ranges. From Northern Finland's Kilpisjärvi it takes 45 minutes to Skibotn in Lyngen, Norway.

In the Lyngen region, there are numerous wonderful hiking and camping destinations, from short and easy daytrips to challenging and long hikes to glaciers and mountains. Northern Norway's Lyngen is a roadtripping and outdoor enthusiasts’ paradise!

Dalberget is well suited as a daytrip destination. Other nice daytrip destinations are e.g., Blåisvatnet and Aspevatnet, Lyngstuva Lighthouse, Hengen waterfall and Barheia.

Arrival at Dalberget and Storhaugen

Dalberget is located in Djupvik, north of Lyngenfjord, on the east bank, in the Nord-Reisa region. From Skibotn, you can drive to the Dalberget hiking trail in about an hour. You can drive from Finland's Kilpisjärvi to Dalberget in less than two hours, and from Tromsø in less than three hours.

Dalberget can be reached by road E6, from which you turn off at the "Kirkegård" sign onto a smaller road. At the end of the road is a cemetery, the parking area of which is also the parking lot of Dalberget and Storhaugen. Parking is free.

Next to the cemetery, there is a small parish space, where you can find a toilet, a sink for washing hands and paper. In the hall of the house, a couple of wooden crosses stand carelessly in the corner, a light smell of earth wafts in the air.

At the end of the parking lot there is a large information board and signposts to the hiking trail. Dalberget is blue, an easy route, Storhaugen, on the other hand, is black, a demanding route. There was also an ad for "Lyngenfjord Skyrun" somewhere on a pole - at the end of August there is a competition: a half-vertical running to Dalberget or the whole vertical running up to Storhaugen.

Hike to Dalberget

At the end of July, the colors of the summer flowers are still abundant, the birches and grasses color the entire landscape with lush shades of green. My old and traditional hiking backpack, Fjellräven Kajka, weighs on my back, and I regret the delay in the delivery of my new ultralight backpack. On the other hand, a strenuous hill workout increases your fitness and rewards you later.

The dirt road runs from the dark fern-spotted forest of the cemetery to a bright green birch forest. I hear the jingling of sheep's bells. In the beginning of the trail, there is a gate on the road from which you enter the kingdom of sheep.

A narrow path leads to the right, at the end of which looms a nice cottage. I hiked around in the yard, peeked in through the window and from the terrace to the fjord. It would be such a nice place for a cabin weekend.

The road turns into a path and a few duckboards have been placed through the wetland. Then the trail begins to climb upwards – the rest of the journey is practically just uphill. But no worries, it is walking in beautiful nature.

Somewhere in the middle of the greenery, the River Storelva roars along, along which the path rises to the heights. The whole way there’s water bubbling, sometimes on the left side, sometimes on the right side. The ice-cold water rushing down from the mountains is clear and fresh. I love freedom from mosquitoes.

The trail climbs to a crossroads with wooden signs. A path to Hammersletta goes to the left a few hundred meters away. The Dalberget route continues to the right, following the Storhaugen sign.

There are several signposts along the way, the old wooden signs are hand-carved and painted with destinations and kilometers as well as fine arrows. The new dark turquoise signs direct you to the right for both Dalberget and Storhaugen.

Every now and then, I have to turn around to see if the landscape starts to open up. There is still a long way to go above the treetops, but the blue-grey mountain massifs are already visible.

Again, I pass clear streams bubbling among the ferns, that make nature look like an enchanted forest. The dense forest will soon be left behind, but white-trunk birches still grow covering the landscape. The slopes look lush green (the official Finnish word would now be ‘Käärijä green’, haha!).

At ten in the evening, the Lyngenfjord landscape can finally be seen above the tree line. Occasional birch trees grow even higher on the slopes. The northern Norway's summer night is bright, although the sky is mostly cloudy.

The ascent through a small forest continues for another ten minutes, until the path forks. At the intersection, you turn right to Dalberget, the route to Storhaugen continues straight up.

I dream of an evening trail run to the top of Storhaugen, or even to the middle of the slope, from where I could see better the dramatic snow-capped mountains of the Lyngenfjord shimmering in blue. Unfortunately, the cloud cover has only thickened, and the clock is mercilessly ticking the last hours of the evening.

The roaring River Storelva descends steeply from the mountains above in a rocky chute, runs a little smoother here at the path, and then plunges down steeper again. A sturdy plank bridge has been built over the stream.

The ascent continues, on a bit gentler slopes. The first pile of stones is on the left. It's just a rosette, there are still a few hundred meters to the actual summit.

The top of Dalberget

The trail leads to the plateau of the top of Dalberget, which is marked by a large pile of stones. There are a couple of mailboxes, red and green, on the side of the stone pile. Now the fjord landscape looks calm and wonderful towards Skibotn.

The Ut i NORD cabin is higher up on the slope on a platform, it is not visible very far down. North Tromsø outdoor activities (Nord – Troms friluftsliv) has built a cabin open to everyone in the fall of 2020. The cabin is only intended for day use, so you shouldn’t stay there overnight.

Benches surround the walls of the spacious room. There is a fireplace or stove next to the window, the atmospheric fires warm the cabin quickly. On the stove I warm up my delicacies bought at a take-out price from a grocery store: pan pizza and some baked goods. The wall on the opposite side is glass – only the northern lights are missing from the sky!

There is also a guest book in the cottage. At some point in the evening, a woman stops by the cottage with her dog to put her signature in the guest book.

There are several worn spots in the yard where a tent has clearly been set up. Round stone circles also speak of bonfires. A clear stream flows near the cabin, where you can get drinking water. From the stream, there are stunning views of the fjord and the mountains on the opposite shore.

I got my tent set up, but I don’t feel like sleeping. I try to run out my extra energy on the mountain slopes. Storhaugen rests tenaciously in the fog. Then I sit in the cabin warming up again.

I see such a landscape so rarely that I just gaze the calm panorama of Lyngen as the minutes turn into hours. In an Instagram update, I could write a caption "Wonderful to wake up from a sweet dream in the mountain scenery", but in reality, I've been awake almost all night.

The morning dawns early. The mountain peaks are drawn in sharp silhouettes against the golden strip, but a curtain of clouds persistently covers the sky. The gorgeous sunrise I've been missing doesn't come for photography, so I finally collapse into my sleeping bag at a quarter to three.

When I put my head out of the tent door shortly after eight am, the sun dazzles the entire fjord. Storhaugen literally bathes in brightness against the blue sky. But, my schedule doesn't give way to the mountain anymore. I try not to think about when the clouds disappeared to reveal the world's most picturesque fjord panorama.

Suddenly I hear jingling and rumbling. A huge herd of sheep runs from the direction of Storhaugen down into the valley and towards the stream. Crossing the river looks funny, some of the sheep refuse to jump or jump at the last moment, and finally there is panic in the stream. However, all white fluffy balls survive the shallow water.

I dry my stuff and lie down for a while on the sunny slope. The day's program includes hiking Gorsabrua Bridge, a brisk trip to the Hengen waterfall, and then conquest of Raikebakti (which, however, remained just a nice try). For the next night, I set up my tent on the shore of the Lyngenfjord in some bushes, from where it takes less than an hour to drive to Kilpisjärvi in Finland.

The return journey is quick. There are a few steep and rocky sections at the beginning of the journey, the rest of the trail goes smoother. Even though I didn’t climb Storhaugen, the little overnight adventure was quite nice - an atmospheric cabin, wild camping up in the mountains and the panorama of Lyngen both at sunset and at sunrise warms my heart when I remember this summer trip!