Lårdalstigen is one of the most scenic hiking trails in southern Norway. The 14-kilometre trail runs from Dalen to Lårdal along a rugged mountainside, around 800 metres above the Telemark canal.
Lårdalstigen has been compared to one of Norway's most famous hikes - Besseggen in Jotunheimen National Park.
Lårdalstigen hiking route
Lårdalstigen is a challenging hiking trail that follows the mountain range bordering the Telemark Canal at an altitude of around 800 metres. The mountains offer breathtaking views down to Lake Bandak.
Along the way, there are plenty of magnificent viewpoints and geological wonders, such as the 'Risen and Gygri' rock formations and the 'Møyskrivet' rock split. The steep slopes are also home to a number of historic buildings and farm sites, as well as information boards. The area is rich in flora, with lynx, deer and moose living in the forests.
No fires are allowed on the route between mid-April and mid-September. There are hardly any water points on the route after a small brook at the beginning, so you should bring plenty of water for a long day trip, especially in the summer months.
Lårdalstigen is marked as a red and partly black route. The route is marked with red T-signs and numerous signposts, and there is no danger of getting lost. I don't recommend taking the hike in bad weather, such as rain and fog.
The Lårdalstigen hiking trail starts at Eidsborgvegen road (Eidsborgvegen 361), less than five kilometres from Dalen along the road. The route is most often taken from Dalen to Lårdal, but you can also hike from Lårdal to Dalen.
You can take a Tokke Taxi to the trailhead. From mid-May to mid-September, you can also experience the Telemark Canal by ferry, M/S Victoria or M/S Henrik Ibsen.
The estimated duration of the trip is 6-8 hours. It is also possible to stay overnight along the route, and hike it in two days. If you start early in the morning, you can catch the afternoon canal boat at Lårdal.
Norway's Telemark
Telemark in southern Norway is a region of diverse nature and culture. From the coast to the mountain plateau of Hardangervidda in the north, the landscape ranges from rugged mountains and deep valleys to lush forests and clear blue lakes.
The Telemark Canal cuts across the landscape in the central and southern parts of the region. Less than a two-hour drive away you can find for example Rjukan, that is famous for Gaustatoppen mountain hike.
Route description from Dalen to Lårdal
From the village of Dalen, you walk up to the mountains on a road. The first signposted viewpoint is already one kilometre up the mountain - Lake Bandak shining with beauty, surrounded by mountain chains.
The Lårdalstigen sign is along the road, amidst a pretty flowers in July. Turn right onto a stretch of dirt road that leads to the trailhead.
At the starting point there is an information board with the telephone numbers of the Tokke taxi and the canal boat timetable. There is also a car park at Lårdalstigen at the end of the road. The parking fee is 50 NOK.
Rui farm
After just a five-minute walk along a forest path, you arrive at the Sud-Rui buildings, where several generations have lived. The soil on the farm is stony but fertile. The sunny location is ideal for growing summer flowers. The flowers are used to improve the environment for the protected Apollo butterfly, in order to make the species more viable.
Immediately after the Rui site, you cross a small clear stream. This is basically the only spot to take water on the route.
Urdalen - a magnificent viewpoint
Population growth in the 19th century forced people to seek farmland even in the steep mountains. In Urdalen, so many small but sunny and fertile strips of land were found that a total of 13 farmers and stockbreeders lived in the area.
Among the lush ferns of Urdalen, there is also a flat spot where you can pitch a tent. Most of the area is a steep slope. The views east to Lake Bandak are spectacular from just above the treetops.
The trail continues through an incredibly lush forest along a narrow and rooty path. After a couple of kilometres, the trail forks into two alternative routes. To the right, the path continues as a normal trail along the red route.
To the left, you can descend a few metres into a dark and very narrow crevasse, where you will need a headlamp. There are similar ravines in several places along the edges of the mountain chain. The crevasse is marked as a black route.
After a while you reach the next fine viewpoint. The mountain faces turn from the edges straight down into a drop and the terrain is covered with branches and rhizomes, rocks and loose gravel. Mind your steps.
Lush ferns, brilliant summer flowers and deep green mossy rocks lead to the next farm, Juvstøyl.
"Risen and Gygri" - The stone trolls of Juvstøyl
Juvstøyl was a summer farm used to produce fodder for the winter. A cable lift built in 1954 transported timber down to Bandak Lake to Hardingplassen.
According to the story, the trolls Risen and Gygri lived at Juvstøyl. One day Risen didn't find Gygri when he came home, so he threw away the stones he was carrying and went looking for Gygri. Risen's pile of stones can still be found in the fir forest behind the building.
A short distance away, a bit wider stream is crossed, with tree trunks stacked up as a bridge. From the troll forest, you dive again into a magnificent landscape. Straight ahead, unusual stone figures stand out on the hillside.
According to legend, Risen expected to find Gygri cooking porridge at home, but she had gone to meet someone in the mountains of Bandak. The trolls quarreled on the mountainside and were petrified there as eternal rock statues.
The trail continues for a while along the side of a steep and wooded cliff. Sometimes the path returns to the very edge of the cliff. The contrast between the darkness of the dense forest and the expansive sunny mountain landscape is striking.
There are several fine rocky plateaus on the route, where you can stop for a picnic break to admire the scenery.
Møyskriv - The Maiden's Leap
Møyskriv or Møyskrivrenna is a deep crack in the mountain wall. It continues vertically down into the fjord for 600 metres.
The story is about a young girl who was sentenced to death. If she could jump over the crack, she would be set free. Where many folk tales end tragically, the damsel made the leap and was set free.
The Møyskriv viewpoint overlooks a magnificent view towards Dalen. From here, Risen and Gygri are also clearly visible on the mountainside.
After a few lush forest paths, you reach a picturesque cliff edge. The large boulder is a perfect "Instagram boulder", in the same way as Ryten in Lofoten. Below is a metre and a half of flat solid ground, but you can crop it out of the picture.
Kapteinsrenna - viewpoint
About halfway along the route is another steep vertical crack from Lake Bandak to the top of the mountain. Behind the name is the legend of a captain who lived in around the 1600s or 1700s and was outlawed for his crimes. The captain was able to redeem his freedom by climbing up the crack to the top of the mountain.
Although the story of the captain may be a fairy tale, the Kapteinsrenna is a truly magnificent place to take a break on Lårdalstigen Trail. Eagles and falcons nest here and it's possible to see them circling in the sky.
Just a stone's throw away is the highest point on the route, Gløstøylnuten, which rises to 848 metres above sea level.
Telemark canal
After visiting the highest viewpoint of Lårdalstigen, the view finally opens up in the direction of Lårdal. The Telemark canal runs through the mountains in a beautiful blue. Ships can be seen as small dots with white hulls behind them.
At this point, there are a couple of lovely, flat spots along the route where you can sit down and enjoy the view and a snack.
The cliffs are so steep that at one point you have to descend a ladder. The open scenery gives way to another lush forest with the intoxicating scent of flowers.
The path arrives at Heddedalen. In the forest you can see large boulders, the "Storsteinparti", which were driven into place by ice 10-12000 years ago.
Heddedalen and Heddebu
Heddedalen is a carefully protected nature reserve with rare flora and fauna. Heddedalen is home to orchids, for example, and the steep mountain slopes are ideal for woodpeckers. The nature reserve extends from the fjord in a wide strip to the hiking trail.
Heddebu is a small 2-bed wooden hut where you can sign your name in the guest book. 150 metres from the trail is the Heddedalen summer farm.
The info board has information about taxi and ferry timetables. There is also a warning that the route turns from red to black (= expert).
From Lårdalstigen you can go north to Meland from Heddedalen. You can also take the same route back to Dalen. The route from Heddedalen to Lårdal is steep and black in difficulty.
The estimated duration of the hike from Heddebu to Lårdal ferry dock is 2.5 hours. The estimated time to Meland is 45 minutes.
Black route from Heddebu to Lårdal
After Heddebu, Lårdalstigen takes a steep descent. From an altitude of 600 metres, you descend in less than a kilometre to 370 metres. After that, in half a kilometre you climb back up to an altitude of over 500 metres.
The first descent is the most difficult. The narrow path runs along a very steep slope above the fjord. Sand and dust makes the trail slippery under your shoes.
Before you can catch your breath, the climb back up begins. The path becomes root-filled. Ropes have been laid along the steepest part of the trail to aid the climb.
For a while you walk along a wide path or forest road surrounded by ferns and conifers. The dense spruce forest hides the Holte farm under its arm.
The Holte farm was inhabited throughout the 19th century until the 1910s. The rest of the hiking trail follows the same path that was used from Lårdal to Holte back then.
The fact that there are hardly any photographs of the final part of the route reflects its level of difficulty. I needed my hands to hang on to grass, branches and ropes. On the other hand, the black route only took an hour and a half.
From the end of the hiking trail, there is a two-kilometre walk on a paved road to the Lårdal pier, if you want to enjoy a fjord cruise at the end of your hike and if you need to return to Dalen. It's a brisk walk, or you can hop in a Tokke taxi.
Lårdalstigen vs Besseggen
How difficult is Lårdalstigen? Lårdalstigen has been said to be even more challenging than one of Norway's most famous hikes, the roughly equivalent length of Jotunheimen's Besseggen.
On Besseggen, the wildest part is climbing the narrow ridge of the mountain, with a long drop on either side to a sparkling lake below. You have to scramble and use your hands to help you up.
On Lårdalstigen you can stay further away from the edge of the cliff, and there is no similar ridge climb. But the last four kilometres, and especially the first two of them, are a climb up an incredibly steep slope on a path where loose sand makes it difficult to balance. However, the fear of heights is eased by the dense tree cover below - a direct view of the canal would probably have made me turn back.
Where Besseggen is a vast and barren mountain landscape, Lårdalstigen is a lush forest hike. Besseggen reaches a maximum altitude of 1,743 metres above sea level, while Lårdalstigen only reaches 848 metres.
I recommend both hiking trails - they are also great for solo hiking!
