What's up guys, we're here in the Lofoten and in this video we're going to show you
the must-do hikes here. We're going to show you the route overview, the difficulty level,
and the things you need to know before you go on each hike. So hope you enjoy this video.
We are Zac and Ine, full-time digital nomads from the United States and Belgium.
We met while studying abroad in 2018 and have been traveling the world together ever since.
We're here to inspire your next adventure, whether it's hiking in the Canadian Rockies,
a road trip through the US, or backpacking across Africa. On our channel, you'll find
unfiltered videos of hiking guides and the best things to do in destinations around the world.
The Lofoten are a chain of islands in the north of Norway. The area is known for its spectacular
mountains, which rise straight up from the water at dramatic angles. With breathtaking panoramic
views all around, it's no wonder that the Lofoten Islands are a hiking paradise. But before we show
you the incredible hikes, we'd like to make you aware of hiking conditions in this area.
First, the hiking season is relatively short, with many trails only accessible from May
through October. And even during the summer, the weather in the Lofoten Islands can change rapidly.
We hiked the Lofoten Islands for 10 days straight in July of 2022
and had a total of four sunny days. The rest was a mix of rain and clouds.
That means we were hiking through mud and loose soil a lot of the time, even on the sunny days.
So it's important to pack all of the essential gear that you need in order to enjoy these
hikes to their fullest. We've put a graphic on the screen here to help you know what to bring on your
Lofoten hikes. And you can also check the website yr.no for the most up-to-date weather conditions.
Second, the Lofoten is home to steep, rugged peaks. We've done a lot of hiking
in the Canadian Rockies and the USA, and consider ourselves fairly experienced hikers.
But the steepness that we came across in the Lofoten trails was something different for us.
Even though most of the trails are short in distance, they're usually straight up and down,
with very little gradual slopes in between. That being said, we've included a few hikes that are
not too steep, and also broken down each hike into easy, medium, or hard difficulty levels. That way,
you have a mix of options to choose from based on your own hiking ability.
You can also download our actual trail routes via the links in the description,
in case you want to follow them yourself or use them to navigate to the trailhead.
Now, we'll show you the eight hikes that you can't miss when visiting the Lofoten Islands.
The Tjeldbergtind hike is about 4.3 kilometers with 318 meters of elevation gain
and is located on the island of Austvågøy. It took us two hours total to complete and
we consider it a medium difficulty hike. The trail starts just outside of the town of Svolvær
and climbs up a steep slope until you reach the ridge. The hike is fairly straightforward
until you reach that ridge section. You can either stop here and take in the views
or continue to the summit where it gets a little bit steeper. It's easier to go down the same way
that you came up, but if you want to have a little more variety, you can make it a loop like we did.
So we made it to the summit and we have a 360 view
of Svolvær but also just like all the mountains around us. It's incredible.
A difficult but beautiful hike in the Lofoten Islands is Festvågtind. You can
find the trailhead of this hike near the town of Henningsvær. The trail will take
up a couple of steep boulder areas which can challenge your balance. And at 4.2 kilometers
total with 541 meters of elevation gain, it was the steepest hike we did in the entire Lofoten.
If you go all the way to the top, the hike should take you about 3 hours total.
However, you can also stop when you reach the ridge where you also have an amazing view
over Henningsvær. If you stop there and then go back down, then the hike's only a medium
difficulty and is 2 kilometers total with only 180 meters of elevation gain.
Next, we head to Vestvågøy island for the Offersøykammen hike. This two and a half kilometer
hike has views at the top that are absolutely breathtaking. With 385 meters of elevation gain,
the trail has a pretty steady steepness all the way to the top, but is actually more gradual than
most other hikes we did in the Lofoten. It's easy to get off-trail once you're out of the
woods section, but as long as you keep climbing up towards the peak you'll see intertwined trails
that all lead to the same viewpoint. We consider this hike a medium difficulty and it definitely
has one of the best rewards at the top for the amount of physical effort that you need to put in.
A perfect spot for a sunset and a dinner.
The Uttakleiv to Haukland beach coastal hike is a great option for anyone visiting
the Lofoten Islands. You don't have to have any hiking experience to do this one, since it has
almost no elevation gain. The trail is very well maintained and not too muddy, even if it's rained.
The trail wraps around the bottom of a giant mountain and is about eight kilometers total
out-and-back from where you parked the car. You can either start at Uttakleiv like we did
or start at Haukland. This hike is a great option for families. And even though you don't gain much
elevation, you'll still see the beautiful Lofoten mountains and beach views throughout the trail.
This hike is the harder option in the Huakland beach area.
Sitting just above the Uttakleiv to Haukland beach walk, this trail is steep and challenging.
The footing is loose and muddy, with very sharp cliffs near the top of the ridge.
However, you can stop when you get to the middle of the ridge for nice views
of Haukland beach below, without any danger of trying to get all the way to the top.
In total, this hike is about four kilometers with 330 meters of elevation gain and takes about three
hours total to complete. We consider this a hard hike because of the muddy conditions on the ridge.
Next, we head to the island of Moskenesøy for the Røren hike. This is one of our favorite
hikes in the Lofoten and it's actually an easy one. Starting at the parking lot
above the Ytresand beach, you'll gain about 281 meters on your way to the stunning viewpoint.
From above, you'll see the crescent-shaped beach with waves gently crashing on its shore. The hike
is about three and a half kilometers total and takes roughly one and a half hours to complete.
Make sure to get to the parking lot early as it's relatively small and can fill up fast.
This hike boasts one of the best overall trails in all of the Lofoten.
Throughout this nine kilometer hike, you'll experience different elevation changes ranging
from gradual slopes to steep ascents, and you even go down to the Kvalvika beach at one point.
The terrain is also very diverse and you'll see small waterfalls, open fields,
rocky boulder areas, and sandy beaches during the hike. In total, this challenging hike has
about 870 meters of elevation gain and takes between four to five hours to complete. From
the top of Ryten is where you can see the famous views of Kvalvika beach from above.
You can make this trail loop like we did to experience the diversity of landscapes even more.
But be aware that it can get pretty muddy as it has less rocks and more open grass and dirt.
We're at the top of Ryten and you have a beautiful view of Kvalvika beach for sure,
but there's also a 360 view of just the mountains all around us, the fjords, it's really impressive.
Finally, we have the famous Reinebringen hike. This five kilometer out-and-back
trail showcases the best views in all of the Lofoten Islands in our opinion and is a hike
you can't miss when visiting. The trail was so popular that they actually created sherpa steps
all the way up to the ridge, making it more accessible, safe, and easier. However,
due to its steepness and 647 meter elevation gain, it's still a medium difficulty hike.
Be careful when you get to the ridge, since it's extremely steep on the edges. Overall,
this hike took us about three hours to complete. Enjoy this iconic view over the town of Reine.
Made it to the final viewpoint here on the hike. It's definitely amazing. It's a little bit hard
to get up to this last section, there's some rock climbing. It's definitely a little exposed,
so no shame in just stopping back at the ridge if you're not feeling it. Still amazing views.
If you're traveling back to Tromsø from the Lofoten Islands to catch your flight,
you'll probably visit more incredible places on your way. You can check out our Northern
Norway video for a full travel guide and road trip itinerary. One destination we highly recommend on
your way is Senja Island. It also has incredible hiking opportunities, the Hesten hike being the
most iconic one. On the hike itself, you'll experience magnificent views of Segla peak,
which looks like a dagger shooting up from the ground. In total, the hike is about 4.6
kilometers with 600 meters of elevation gain and took us 3 hours. We consider this hike hard
because of the last bit of climbing near the top. You can also wild camp on the ridge below
if you want to experience the sunset or sunrise here. We camped on the summit and this was our
favorite moment of the whole trip. But we only recommend this if you're an experienced camper.
And that's it for our video on the eight hikes that you can't miss in the
Lofoten Islands. Make sure to check out the description of this video for all the important
links that you'll need for your trip, such as the actual trail route maps to download for yourself.
We hope you enjoyed the video and we'll catch you on the next adventure!