A Complete Guide to Hiking Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) in Norway

Are you planning on hiking Preikestolen? If so, here’s our experience with this hike and everything you need to know!

How to get to the Preikestolen hike

Let’s start with the easy part – how to get to the trailhead. Most people stay in the city of Stavanger to hike Pulpit Rock. We also did this and it was the perfect base. 

Plus, it’s one of the most wonderful cities in southern Norway. If you’re only planning on spending one day in Stavanger to do this hike, I really recommend reconsidering. There’s a lot to do in the city and the surrounding area and it’s worth 3 days at least!

But anyway, if you want to hike Preikestolen, I recommend staying in Stavanger. The easiest way to get to the trailhead is to hire a car and drive yourself.

Parking 

You will need to pay for parking. The main car park can fit up to 1000 cars, but hopefully, it won’t be full when you get there, or you’ll likely have quite a crowded trail! The parking attendants will help you find a space and then you can begin your hike. 

You’ll need to pay before you leave the car park once you’ve made it back down the mountain. The charge is 250 NOK per car if you’re there for over 2 hours – which you likely will be if you’re hiking Preikestolen. This equates to around £18 or $24. 

TOP TIP: If you have an electric car, you’ll be pleased to know that there are 32 electric charging points in the car park. 

Public transport

If you don’t feel like driving in Norway, you can also get to the trailhead for Pulpit Rock via public transport. Two bus companies travel to Preikestolen: Pulpit Rock Tours and Gofjords. 

Gofjords departs from the Radisson Blu Atlantic Hotel in Stavanger and runs buses at 9am and 11am in April, May, and September. They also run buses every hour between 8am and 11am between June and August. Tickets cost 476 NOK which is around £35 or $45.

Pulpit Rock Tours runs buses from Stavanger, Sandnes, Jørpeland and Forsand and offers a range of departure times between March and October. Tickets cost 470 NOK.

Both of these services offer an easy way to get to Preikestolen if you don’t have access to a car. However, you do need to be mindful of the departure times back to Stavanger or the surrounding area, because they are fixed. 

Hiking Preikestolen: what to expect

This was the first hike we ever did in Norway. We had landed in the beautiful city of Stavanger the night before, picked up our rental car, and drove to our apartment. The next morning, we packed a lunch and drove straight to the trailhead. 

By the time we arrived, it was around midday. Honestly, this is not the best time to hike Pulpit Rock, especially in summer. But we didn’t have any problems as the trail wasn’t too busy. We did this hike in late May, so it was outside of peak season. 

Personally, I would describe this hike as moderate, but you would probably find it easy if you’re used to hiking.

We hiked this as a very mixed group of 6. Andrew and I were fairly used to hiking when we did this trail, as was my sister and her boyfriend. However, we were also hiking with my parents who were in their late 50’s at the time. My day was okay, but my mum struggled.

She was used to long walks, but it was the incline and a lot of the steep steps that she struggled with. Even I was out of breath after some parts due to the amount of stairs. 

This is why I would class this as a moderate hike as opposed to an easy one.

When I originally did the research on the trail, every single blog I read said it was easy. So I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so steep in places. 

You likely will find it easier, if you’re used to hiking. But, I’d rather that than think we were deceiving you by calling it easy!

The stats

Preikestolen is an out-and-back hike which begins at the Preikestolen Parking P1. It’s around 45 45-minute drive from the city of Stavanger in South Norway.

I’ve included some of the statistics above, along with a photo of the route and elevation profile below.

The hike

The hike starts as it means to go on. As soon as you leave the car park, you start climbing.

The first section is a gravel path with a steady incline. It’s one of those hills that doesn’t look too bad, but it doesn’t take long to feel in the back of your legs. 

Throughout the hike, the terrain changes a lot. Sometimes you are on a gravel path, other times climbing up steep, stone steps, and other times on a flat, wooden walkway.

It’s very easily marked and you won’t find it hard to follow. After the initial path, it wasn’t long before we were in the pine forest, climbing up stone steps. 

For the entire first section of the hike, you won’t have any views over the fjords. But, it’s quite a nice forestry trail with a mixed level of paths. Sometimes, you’ll find steep ascents, and then it flattens out and gives you a break for a while. 

The final section

Once we got here, we decided to sit and eat our picnic. We were going to wait until the top, to eat but, after all the steep climbs, my mum wanted a slightly longer breather.

It was actually quite a nice place to stop. We had some good views of the valley and forest surroundings and found a few boulders to sit on. 

Once we had eaten, we continued along the trail. This was much easier now as it was much less steep. Plus, we’d been sitting for about 20 minutes so our legs had had a rest. 

The final leg of the hike goes right along the cliff face. It’s not the easiest if you have a fear of heights. 

There are a few descents and then one sloping incline where you have to walk up the rock. This can be a little slippery, so be extra careful, especially in rainy weather. 

Shortly after this, you’ll reach the top of Preikestolen and be treated to magnificent views over the Lysefjord. 

Reaching the plateau

Since we visited in late May, this hike definitely wasn’t as busy as peak summer would be. Nonetheless, there were still a fair few people on the summit. In July or August, this would be packed, so we were quite lucky with the crowds. 

Overall, it took us around 2.5 hours to reach the top of Pulpit Rock. But this was with lots of stops and a lunch break just over two-thirds of the way up. 

We stayed for a while and took a lot of photos. Then, we decided to hike up the hill behind for more views over the Preikestolen from above. 

The view above Preikestolen

It’s not too hard to get to these views, but it does feel a little more scrambly than the route we’d taken so far. You have to grab hold of the rock face and pull yourself up – a little bit like hiking Kjerag. 

Once we’d got up here, we decided to continue a little way to the highest point of the mountain above the Lysefjord.

Here, you’ll find a trig point made of a pile of rocks and more of those stunning views. There was also nobody else here, so we had it to ourselves. 

The descent

Once we’d reached the very top and taken some more photos, we turned back around and headed back down the mountain. 

We were much faster on the way down and made it back to the mountain hut in around 1 hour. It can be quite hard on your knees in sections though, especially with those steep stone steps, so I recommend knee supports or trekking poles for the descent.

In typical Norwegian fashion, it started raining when we were about 30 minutes from the car park, so, even if the weather looks lovely, I definitely recommend bringing a waterproof. 

All in all, it took us around 4 hours and 45 minutes to complete this hike. However, this does include stopping for lunch and going off the typical trail a little bit to reach the trig point, which most people don’t do. 

The best time to hike Pulpit Rock

You can actually hike Preikestolen all year round, however, during the winter months, the trail is covered in snow, and you’ll need to go with a guide. 

The peak season for hiking in Norway is during the summer months of June through August. This time will have the most reliable weather, however, will also be the busiest. So, if you aren’t a fan of crowded hikes, I’d steer clear of summer. 

The autumn months are great for hiking in Norway. In September and October, the weather is a mixed bag. It’s certainly more reliable in September and you’ll have the warm weather of summer but with fewer crowds. 

But, towards the end of the month, and into October, you can definitely feel winter starting to creep in. Nonetheless, if you prepare for potential rain, you can end up with much emptier hiking trails and beautiful autumn scenery as well. 

We hiked Pulpit Rock in the last week of May. During this time, we were very lucky with the weather and didn’t have rain during our entire trip to Norway (except for the small drizzle coming down the mountain). 

I personally think that May and September are the best times to hike Pulpit Rock. You’ll get more reliable and warmer weather and fewer crowds than in summer. 

Facilities on the trail

There are no facilities along the entire trail to Preikestolen. The only toilets are in the car park and the mountain hut back at the trailhead. 

Here, you’ll find a small cafe where you can grab a sandwich and a coffee, a small shop selling traditional Norwegian gear, and a toilet block. 

Throughout the trail, there is nothing, and there are no bins either, so it’s really important to leave no trace. Please don’t drop any litter on the trail as it ruins the environment, could be harmful to wildlife, and makes it more unpleasant for other hikers. 

It’s also really important to stick to the designated trail paths. Wandering off the trail could damage the wildlife and plants on the mountain, so please stick to all of the paths when you’re hiking. 

We wore t-shirts as a base layer, a mid-layer fleece, and a waterproof jacket. My jacket was a super lightweight one as I didn’t want to be hiking with a really heavy coat. 

For bottoms, we both wore water-resistant hiking trousers, merino wool socks, and comfortable hiking boots. I definitely recommend investing in a sturdy pair of hiking shoes as parts of the trail can be slippery, especially when they’re wet. 

We also bought hiking bags which contained water bladders, a packed lunch, extra snacks and protein bars, my coat, and a first aid kit, just in case. 

I also recommend trekking poles and knee supports for the descent.

Is the Preikestolen hike worth it?

Yes, hiking Preikestolen is 100% worth it. Despite it being one of the most popular trails in Norway, it’s also one of the best. We did this during our 5-day Stavanger trip, but even if you only have a weekend in Stavanger, I highly recommend this hike.

It’s a hike that the whole family should be able to manage (so long as they’re of reasonable fitness level).

During our trip, we also hiked Manafossen and Trollpikken as a family. Even though my mum struggled, she was so happy she made it to the top and said it was one of the best hikes she’d ever done. 

Admittedly, the trail can definitely be crowded at times, in the summer months especially, which can take away from the experience of the hike. But, if you travel a little off-season, like in May or September, it’s a much nicer experience.

Overall, if you’re looking for a moderate trail in Norway that offers stunning views and is not too long (like some of the monster 8-10-hour hikes you can do in the country) we highly recommend Preikestolen.

👉 Haven’t decided where to stay, yet? Check out our 12 favourite hotels in Stavanger!

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