Gaustatoppen - The Beautiful Mountain in Southern Norway

Outdoors & gear // 16 April 2025

The top of Gaustatoppen offers incredible views over Telemark and southern Norway. The rugged mountains tower above the landscape. Between the mountains, deep blue lakes with their green shores shine.

Gaustatoppen (1883 m) in Telemark, Norway, is the highest mountain in southern Norway and one of the country's most famous hiking destinations. Rising above Rjukan, the mountain offers some of the most spectacular views in southern Norway. In clear weather you can see up to a sixth of Norway from the summit.

The most popular route to Gaustatoppen is from Stavsro, but you can also get to the top by train inside the mountain. The routes marked in red are demanding but fairly easy, and suitable for all ages.

Gaustatoppen

Gaustatoppen is one of Norway's most iconic mountains and it has also been called the country's most beautiful mountain. Rising to 1 883 metres in the eastern Telemark region, the peak offers a stunning 360-degree view.

Gaustatoppen is a popular destination all year round: for hiking in summer and skiing in winter. From Oslo it is about a 2.5 hour drive to Gaustatoppen.

Gaustatoppen is hundreds of metres higher than the neighbouring mountains. The surface of the mountain constitutes of loose rock by the ice age and thousands of years of wear and tear. However, beneath the rocky outcrop is solid hard quartzite.

The history of the mountain is also interesting. A radio base was built on the summit in the 1950s to support the defence of Norway and other Nordic countries during the Cold War. Access to Gaustatoppen was previously restricted.

Norway's Telemark

Telemark is one of Norway's most diverse areas, stretching from the coastal areas in the south to the Hardangervidda mountain plateau in the north. The region's landscapes range from towering mountains and deep valleys to lush forests and clear lakes.

Rjukan is known for its industrial history. The Vemork power plant, once the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, is now a museum and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rjukan is best known for the Gaustatoppen Mountain.

The Telemark Canal cuts through the landscape in the central and southern part of the region. The demanding hiking trail Lårdalstigen is one of the most popular trails along the canal. Other well-known places in Telemark are Rauland and the Fyresdal area.

Routes to Gaustatoppen

There are several official and signposted routes to Gaustatoppen:

Stavsro - The most popular route starts from Stavsro. The route is about 4.5 km long and has 670 m of ascent.
Svineroi - The more challenging route from Svineroi is about 4 km long with 830m of ascent. The route is steeper and rockier than the Stavsro route.
The Gaustabanen - Train to the top route is 3.5 km long, with 735 m of ascent. The starting point is a steep 500 m climb from Svineroi.
Selstali - The Black Route from Selstali is 8 km long with 940 m of ascent. This is the most demanding of the routes and is not recommended in bad weather.
From the Gaustatoppen tourist hut to the summit at 1883 m - the return route to the highest point from the café is over a kilometre.

The Stavsro and Svineroi routes are marked in red, and classified as demanding. Selstal and the route to the summit ridge are black routes for experts.

Gaustabanen - train into the mountain

Gaustabanen is a globally unique funicular that takes hikers almost to the top of Gaustatoppen inside the mountain. Built in the 1950s, the transport system was originally a tourism project that turned into a Norwegian-NATO military project during the Cold War. The station was only used by NATO for 50 years.

Gaustabanen consists of two sections: the first is an 850 m long horizontal section, and the second is a 1 045 m long vertical section with a 39 degree incline. The train ride inside the mountain takes about 15 minutes.

Gaustabanen is open all year round.

Parking and arrival at Gaustatoppen

Parking is possible in several areas, including Stavsro, Svineroi and Selstali. The parking fee is around NOK 150 per day and can be paid by vending machine or the Vipps app.

Gaustabanen can also be reached by a shuttle bus that runs between Rjukan and Stavsro during the high season and during normal opening hours. The bus fare is NOK 60 per adult and children under 15 travel free.

Gaustatoppen is visited by thousands of hikers every day during the high season. Water is brought to the top and there is no waste disposal on the mountain for hikers' rubbish. Remember to fill up your water bottle before setting off and bring your own rubbish off the mountain.

Route description Stavsro-Gaustatoppen

The trail starts from the Stavsro parking lot near the Heddersvatn lake. During the high season there is traffic control at the car park and you may have to wait for a free space.

First you pass through the gate, which you must remember to close behind you. In the lush green grass, you may immediately see a sheep or two.

The path is wide and graveled, with stones in places. The tower at the top of Gaustatoppen can be seen between the slopes after only a hundred metres of gentle ascent.

The first kilometre is a steady or very gentle climb. The path then turns up a steeper, rocky slope.

Sometimes there are stone steps along the route. But at no point, there's no need to scramble.

After the steeper slope, the trail becomes flatter again. Gaustatoppen is like a huge pile of rocks wherever you look.

The last leg to the café is up a fine stone staircase. The stones have various wave shapes that you see on conventional sandy beaches. The waves of the Gaustatoppen were formed as early as 1200 million years ago.

There's no getting lost - the trail stands out clearly for the whole four kilometres, bright red T-signs are dense and several signposts indicate how far it is in each direction. And the tower on top of the mountain is visible at all times while hiking.

Gaustatoppen summit and café

The top of Gaustatoppen offers incredible views over Telemark and southern Norway. The rugged mountains tower above the landscape. Between the mountains, deep blue lakes with their green shores shine.

At the top of Gaustatoppen is a traditional mountain café, Gaustatoppen Turisthytte, built in 1893. The hut is open during the summer and can also be booked in advance for overnight stays.

While enjoying a cold beer or a waffle, you can admire the view from the café's windows. As long as you get a waffle first - I waited almost an hour for mine and then got two...

It's about 600 metres from the café to the highest point. The route to 1883m is along a narrow, rocky ridge. It is not recommended if high altitudes cause you anxiety.

Although I have climbed the Besseggen ridge and the comparable Lårdalstigen, I skipped the Gaustatoppen ridge. I got stomach cramps already on the platform above the café, where the safety nets had elephant-sized holes in them.

The return trip is a brisk one, along the same gravel path back to the car park. The Gaustatoppen hike is an easy and pleasant 5-6 hour day trip.