Best trails in Hardangervidda National Park
Hardangervidda, covering an area of 3,422 km², is the largest high mountain plateau in Northern Europe. It is home to Europe’s largest wild reindeer herds and features the most extensive roadless area in southern Norway. The landscape varies from steep mountains in the west to gentle, rolling plateaus in the east. Here, you will find expansive flat areas and a rich diversity of animal and plant life. The region is also known for its many fish-filled lakes and waterways, alongside beautiful mountain streams.
The western part of Hardangervidda is characterized by its hilly terrain, offering breathtaking scenery with high mountains, intriguing valleys, stunning waterfalls, and one of Norway's largest glaciers, Hardangerjøkulen, located in the northwest.
Hardangervidda is also home to several prominent peaks, with the three most renowned being Hardangerjøkulen (1,839 m), Hårteigen (1,690 m), and Gaustatoppen (1,883 m).
In this magnificent area, you'll discover a variety of serviced and self-serviced DNT cabins, as well as an extensive network of well-maintained hiking and skiing trails.
Top trails
Visitor info
No entrance fee or pass is required.
Hardangervidda National Park is situated between Eastern Norway, Western Norway, and Southern Norway. You can reach Hardangervidda by taking a train from Oslo to Finse station, which takes about four hours, or from Bergen in roughly two hours and 20 minutes. If you prefer to drive or take a bus, the journey from both Oslo and Bergen is approximately four hours.
In this wonderful area you will find a wide selection of serviced and self-service DNT cabins, a well-organized grid and is a perfect place for those who want to go from cabin to cabin. For more information about DNT: https://www.dnt.no/ https://www.visitnorway.com/things-to-do/outdoor-activities/hiking/dnt/
Trail reviews for Hardangervidda National Park
The trail takes you past some amazing views of mountains and lakes of Hardangervidda National Park. There are some muddy and slightly wet sections, but generally it's a very enjoyable and straightforward route - especially with good shoes. Also plenty of nice spots to camp near rivers or lakes.
We took the trail in the opposite direction (Kinsarvik to Stavali). The views are amazing, both the multiple waterfalls at the start and the lakes and mountains that follow. It really gives a nice taste of the Hardangervidda national park and of the beauty of Norwegian nature. The start is pretty easy, but the route quickly makes you do some steep climbing in the forest. You have to be physically and mentally prepared to climb many tricky sections with nearly flat rocks at steep inclines (starting after the third waterfall). You gotta really trust your shoes here, and poles help a lot too. It was tricky in dry weather, so I can imagine it gets very hard if it rains. After that, the route gets significantly more manageable, despite a lot of mud and some wetlands (good shoes really help) and you can relax and soak in the views for the rest of the hike to Stavali. In case you're starting the hike late like us - there aren't too many places to camp at the start of the hike from Kinsarvik but there's a large open space near the third waterfall which works pretty well.
An absolute dream tour. The atmosphere up in the Hardangervidda is unique, the landscape, the vastness, the silence. We had perfect conditions with a bright blue sky and little wind, it couldn't be better. Definitely one of the most beautiful day tours I've ever done. Only the approach is a bit challenging and can put one or two relationships to the test. We drove up the gravel road in a 6.40m camper van and that is the absolute maximum that you can navigate through the serpentines and hairpin bends with a clear conscience. But it is worth every relationship argument once you are at the top