Pulpit Rock Hike- If looking to book a trip to Norway, Pulpit Rock probably comes up as one of the top hikes in Norway. Pulpit Rock, which is also know as Preikestolen, is one of the most accessible hikes from both Stavanger and Oslo. This article will give you all you need to know for the hike, tips, what to bring, how to get there by car or public transportation and more. The hike is only about 5 miles long and gives fantastic views above one of Norway’s many fjords. Many people reach this hike from a scheduled tour or using public transportation. With this convenience it was definitely one of the most crowded hikes in Norway, but still worth the visit.
Pulpit Rock was our second hike in Norway to complete our Triple Crown of Norway victory. The Triple Crown in Norway includes Kjeragbolten and Trollunga as well. Be sure to check out my post on my Two Weeks in Norway Itinerary .
Stats
Distance: 7.6 kilometers round trip ( 4.72 miles)
Elevation Gain: 350 meters (1148 feet)
Time: approximately 4 hours from hiking + 1 hour for wondering around Pulpit Rock
What do I need to bring?
Water– it gets pretty hot on that rock face so hydration bladders are great to have and easy to pack
Hiking shoes/Sturdy Gym Shoes– I am wearing my favorite Ahnu hiking shoes
Sunscreen– it can get bright on that Norway rock face
Snacks/Sandwich– we packed peanut butter sandwiches, granola bars, fruit, and jerky sticks
Hiking Poles– these are great pack-able ones for traveling, these helped on the rocky up hills climb
DayPack- I used my The North Face Borealis Backpack for this trip but I am also a fan of the Osprey day packs
Rain Jacket– you never know what the weather will do in Norway
Rain Cover– these pack small and have saved our bags multiple times, always in my daypack when I am hiking
Camera/Cell Phone– for your pictures 🙂
Light Layers- the valleys and elevation changes made for a constant change in temperatures. As walking up and down hills my body heat changed so often. Light layers are key for this hike. Even long sleeves helped for protecting ourselves from getting sun burnt. On this hike I wore an exercise tank, and my REI 3/4 zip. But I also love my Columbia Tamiami to both stay warmer in the early mornings but also light enough to layer and still wear as it has SPF protection in it. I love leggings for hikes, my favorites are the high-waisted ones from Fabletics (get a huge discount with this link).
***You can find my entire Norway packing list here.
Where to Stay
We based ourselves out of Stavanger to get to both the Pulpit Rock and Kjeragbolten hikes in Norway. Many people stay in this town as these hikes are both easily reachable from here. Just a couple hour drive to both, and it is difficult to find lodging else where. We rented this AirBnB which was conveniently located across from the grocery store to stock up on snacks and sandwiches for the hike. It was also just a few minute drive from Stavanger’s downtown bay area. Click here for $40 off your first AirBnB stay.
If camping, you can tent camp on the trail, or stay just down the street at this campground right before the trail head.
How to Get There By Car
There are two routes from Stavanger that you can take to get to Pulpit Rock. They are both about equal distance in time and both involve taking a ferry. We choose the second option as it was cheaper and we were staying right outside of Stavanger, which also made option 2 less of a drive for us.
Option #1: Take car ferry from Stavanger to Tau, then drive from Tau to Preikestolen Mountain Lodge Parking.
Option #2: Take car ferry from Lauvvik to Oanes, and drive to Preikestolen Mountain Lodge Parking.
Public Transportation
From Stavanger you can take public transportation to Pulpit Rock.
First you will need to hop on the Fiskepiren boat ferry to take you to Tau, this ferry is located in downtown Stavanger. You can buy your tickets on the ferry for both the ferry ride and bus to Pulpit Rock. This should cost you about 350 NOK total. You can also book ahead of time and find the timetables on GoFjords’ website.
From there you will take the bus to the Preikestolen Parking lot. The timetables change depending on the time of year. If a bus is not available when you get off of the ferry a taxi is always an option as well.
Parking
As most popular hikes in Norway have, you will need to pay a parking fee if arriving by car. This fee is 200 NOK (about $25 USD). You can leave your car there over night if camping a long the route but camping in the parking lot is not allowed. They have campsites you can rent just down the street at Preikestolen Camping.
They do take cash but prefer credit card. There are machine you can pay to get a ticket to put in your window.
When to Go
Visit Norway always suggests to go in the months between April and October. The trail can easily be covered in snow in the winter months which makes it very difficult to hike, and dangerous! It is recommended to go with a guide during the off season. I followed Pulpit Rock’s Facebook page and they were excellent in providing daily weather along with warnings for when the hike was safe to go alone or if a guide was necessary due to the weather. It is always important to check the weather ahead of time, I have seen this trail have flash floods and icy conditions in spring and fall as well.
The Hike
As we arrived later in the day we were directed to the over flow parking lot. They actually had a dirt path to help connect the overflow with the trail to prevent adding on to the length of the hike which was nice. After merging with the trail we soon realized that this was one crowded hike. Most of the time it did not bother us, but at a few narrow and rocky parts of the trail you do need to wait to take your turn to get through.
Not far into the hike it starts to ascent up a rocky hill very quickly. We sometimes had to really stretch our legs to get up and over the boulders.
We typically hike at a fairly fast speed, so the crowds did slow us down a bit as it was hard to find good places to pass.
After a little bit of hiking we soon realized that more people were leaving the trail than walking in. Getting a later start in the day was a good choice.
Arriving at Pulpit Rock
Just as the trail had us expecting Pulpit Rock was quiet crowded.
We first took some time to hang out of the rock then looked for a shaded area to eat our packed sandwiches.
Pulpit Rock From Above
We found a spot right before the start of Pulpit Rock’s jut out to eat. From here we realized a trail went up to see Pulpit Rock from above. After lunch we followed the trail markers above us. Here we only saw a few people, along with some tents. This offered just as amazing views of the fjords with much less of a crowd.
We hiked around to different viewpoints for about an hour before heading back down.
When we trekked back down we realized as there were still a lot of people on Pulpit Rock, but it was much less crowded than when we arrived.
Took some pictures and stuck our heads out of the edge, boy is that a drop off! I think this made me more nervous than stepping out on Kjerg as there were so many people around making me nervous!
Before long we realized we needed to head back as we had a long drive the next day to prepare for hiking Trolltunga.
The hike back was much more peaceful as there were not as many people on the trail. Just a few people coming in to camp over night.
Tips
Go super early in the day or late at night, especially during the summer months when they experience such long daylight hours. This will help you avoid the crowds.
Don’t feel bad to take breaks, this is quiet the ascent and descent, so make sure you leave enough time to make the hike enjoyable.
There are clean restrooms at the beginning of the trail by the parking lots, make sure you use them before your start as their will be none along the trail.
If looking for other information on Norway check out these posts:
What to Pack for Norway in the Summer
A Guide to the Trolltunga Hike in Norway
The Top 10 Best Hikes in Norway
A Guide to the Kjeragbolten Hike
Loen Via Ferrata: The Climb Above the Fjord
Hi i’m planning my trip to Norway, and i did’nt find no-where how the ferry work…do we have to make a reservation online or just when you get in…thank to answer me. Sonya (Canada)
We did not need a reservation for the ferry we took, or any that we took in Norway.