I guess I shouldn’t be uttering these words, but I must admit when standing on top of Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen), what snuck into my head was, is this what the fuss is all about…? The view of Lysefjorden is stunning, but besides that…the hike is an ok work-out. The views of Pulpit Rock itself, which you’ve seen in photos, you won’t get. For that you need to be higher up, off trail, or bring a drone. The scenery through which the hike passes, is not particularly unforgettable. The trail mostly consists of round rocks, meaning you need to watch your step most of the time, so maybe the surroundings don’t matter that much. I’m really sorry to say, but this excursion unfortunately became more of a been there, done that kind of experience for me. One more surprise though, to me at least, the plateau is not flat. It tilts forward a little bit, which might cause some not wanting to step out onto the cliff itself.
A few advice for the hike:
- Follow the red T’s painted on rocks, trees and whatever else is out there. It’s the official trail.
- Wear high-top hiking boots. As the trail is made up of round rocks with spaces between them, meaning it’s a lot of “jumping” from one rock to the other, it’s easy to slip, and twist your ankles.
- Don’t be discouraged by the steep start of the hike. It’s one of the two steep sections. I’d say it’s a medium hike most people will be able to do. 4 km round trip. Green poles will tell you how far until beginning and end. I reached the top in 1h 45 min. Could probably have made it in a little less. Went quicker back down. 3.5-4 hours incl break at the top.
- You can do this hike year round, but I’m not sure I would have gone at it alone in the winter or during rain-/snowfall. It will be slippery when wet. Also once at the top you would like a view, so avoid foggy weather as well 🙂
At basecamp there are cafes, a restaurant, shop for souvenirs and equipment, and accommodation of different kinds.
I visited Pulpit Rock on a day trip from Stavanger. April-September there is an express bus going from Stavanger to basecamp. In October it runs Saturdays only, meaning I had to do public transportation and taxi. The local bus leaves from the Stavanger bus station every half an hour. Get off at Jørpeland, a 45 minute ride. There you need to call for a taxi. Same routine going back. Tip: Cheaper to buy 24h bus ticket than two single tickets.
Website: preikestolen365.com
Basecamp
That’s a bummer that the hike and endpoint was less than you imagined after all the hype we get about the pulpit. Thanks for your warning. Living in Norway, when we travel, we try to find the slightly or much less touristy (ie: overly-photographed) places to explore. Norway is so beautiful, with so many fjord overlooks and scenic mountain passes and so much coastline that it’s not hard to find a gem of a place that fewer people have come across. Your post makes me definitely put the pulpit hike on the very bottom of my list. I’ve seen it from a boat down in the fjord and in a zillion pics so I think that will be good enough. Happy hiking!
I guess when expectations build, it’s gonna be hard to impress. I’m thinking it might have been cooler to see the cliff from afar, like the boat trip you did. I’ve become better at exploring Norway (partly due to covid 🙂 ), and I’m realising this is a beautiful country 😀 Falling more and more in love with the region I grew up in. Not a restless teen anymore 😀 Ok, maybe a little bit restless still 🙂