Hiking the iconic Pulpit Rock Norway

Hiking the Iconic Pulpit Rock, Norway

Firstly, in case you’re wondering, Pulpit Rock also goes by the name of Preikostolen. So why is it named Pulpit Rock? Well, it looks like a preacher’s pulpit – the raised stand in front of the preacher they use during a sermon.

Why is Pulpit Rock so special? This flattish section of rock, shaped during the last ice age over 10,000 years ago, covers an area of about 25 square metres but it has a sheer drop of 604m all the way down to Lysefjord (a 42-kilometre long fjord). The reward when reaching Pulpit Rock? Stunning panoramic views from this amazing natural wonder.

Did you know that Pulpit Rock was discovered in 1896 and the first tourist travelled to the top of Preikestolen in the early 1900s.  Now, it draws more than 300,000 visitors per year!

Who is able to hike Pulpit Rock Norway?

It’s good news! The hike is geared towards people of all ages. We saw both kids and older people on the hike – everyone chooses their own pace that’s comfortable for them. The trail has parts where you ascend for a bit which is then followed by flatter parts and this continues like this to the top. This means that it’s not a hard up-hill grind all the way. You don’t have to be super-fit but you are expected to have at least an average level of fitness.

However, let’s look at a few need-to-know facts that you should be aware of before tackling this iconic hike.

Total elevation gain of the hike = approx. 350m

Map: Pulpit Rock Norway Hiking Route

Pulpit Rock Hike Decision

There’s no doubt, Norway has some spectacular hikes. The serenity coupled with postcard-perfect scenery is just so invigorating. Having completed many Norwegian hikes during our 9 months spent here, the famous Pulpit Rock was definitely one of the iconic hikes we wanted to tackle.

Earlier in the day, we had conquered Kjeragbolten, a challenging 12-kilometre hike to the ‘bolt in the mountain’ requiring tenacity to overcome a crippling fear of heights – read our Kjeragbolten article. With a good ten hours of sunlight left, we committed to throwing our energies into hiking the iconic Pulpit Rock Norway.

We should say though, in hindsight, that hiking both Kjerag and Pulpit Rock on the same day was physically demanding and we would recommend spreading the hikes over two days. Below is the view from the town of Lysebotn out into Lysefjord. Lysebotn is situated at the very eastern end of the fjord and is the long body of water seen from both Kjerag and Preikestolen.

View of Lysefjord from Lysebotn

Video – Pulpit Rock Hike Norway

Here are the hike highlights in a short 1-minute Youtube clip.

Pulpit Rock Hike Begins

The Preikestolen Mountain Lodge car park is where the hike begins. Directions to the start of the trail are well signed. Following a gravel road soon leads to the beginning of the hiking trail. As with all other Norwegian hiking trails, the red ‘T’ painted on the rocks act as trail markers ensuring that you head in the right direction.

Preikestolen hiking path signage – Pulpit Rock Norway

The initial part of the uphill trail meanders through some pretty scenery before reaching the rocky section which you need to pick through carefully. Soon after, you reach the ascent of stepping stones. Hundreds of metres were laid by Nepalese Sherpas to ensure that hikers had solid a footing.

It is at the steepest part of the climb where the physical size of these steps becomes a little too high and a little too long. The natural left-right-left foot action for the ascent of each step is out-of-sync. Instead, we stepped out left then right on the same step, then stepped up on the left foot. Two steps across,  one up. Repeat for the next couple of hundred metres. It’s not a complaint, it just felt out-of-whack.

Stony part at the beginning of Preikestolen hike

Mid-Way Part of the Pulpit Rock Norway Hike

Progressing onwards past the steep steps, the hiking trail opens out onto a wide, open expanse. A long, gentle uphill trail lays ahead. Close by here is a serene, little lake where the temptation to stop and swim for some, was just too much. 

Mid-part of the Pulpit Rock hike opens out onto rocky, gently-inclining ground

Enticing? Oh, yes … Pulpit Rock Norway Hike 

Pulpit Rock Norway hike is well marked 

Nearing the end of Pulpit Rock Norway Hike

Further on, there are some small wooden pedestrian bridges with accompanying handrails on each side to keep you veering too close to the edge. 

Bridge and accompanying hand-rails with a mountain outlook thrown in – Pulpit Rock Norway Hike 

The final leg of the Pulpit Rock hike, paralleling the precipice

Topping a false mountain peak doesn’t bring Pulpit Rock into view as yet, but it does deliver the beginning of some spectacular views that you can expect from here all the way to the top (see below image). Don’t hold your breath yet as the main event is still another 500m or so away.

The trail follows the cliff face with a gentle incline. At this point, if you have children with you, you need to warn them of the danger of falling off the edge. There are no fall barriers or handrails so tred with caution.

In places, you’ll then need to step over narrow but deep fissures. Here you can see in the gap the 600m drop all the way down to Lysefjord. 

 This crevasse opening gives views right down to the water beneath Preikestolen

Pulpit Rock: Mission Accomplished

The last 100m of the hike brought Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen) into view. Wow, it sure was impressive. It was now 8 pm, the crowds had all but disappeared, and we shared this masterpiece of mother nature with just a handful of other people.

Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen) Plateau

The famous ‘Pulpit Rock’

Some of the hikers were carrying tents with the intent to camp near the plateau for the night. The photo below shows a small green tent perched close by the cliffs.

 Views from the Pulpit Rock plateau – look for the green tent near the cliff face

Postcard views of Lysefjord – A perfect example of nature working its magic

Walking out onto Pulpit Rock and drawing close to the edge for the first time was exhilarating. The feeling was a combination of fulfilling our dream of hiking the mighty Pulpit Rock, the awe of this majestic landscape and now that I think back, surges of adrenalin spiking my survival instinct into action. That 600m drop was worthy of the utmost respect.

Before us, this phenomenal landscape of grey craggy, grey cliffs, deep crystalline blue fjords and postcard views was certainly quintessential Norway.

Taking time to absorb the beauty and re-charge for Preikestolen return hike

Descent from Pulpit Rock

The return journey is relatively quick, not only because it is downhill but also because of the distraction of reminiscing about the wonderful moments of this Pulpit Rock Norway hike.

Did the Pulpit Rock Norway hike live up to your expectations? What was the highlight of the hike? Drop a comment below as we would love to hear your thoughts.

If you want further reading then feel free to visit the Fjord Norway site.

Book Your Flight to Stavanger

We use Skyscanner to find the best flight deals and best flight connections to suit our schedule.

Getting to Preikestolen From Stavanger

Driving Your Own Vehicle

1) NEW: the Ryfelke tunnel is now open. Drive directly from Stavanger to Preikestolen underneath Lysefjord. The 38-kilometre trip takes around 45 minutes. An automatic vehicle toll system is in place. Vehicles without an Auto-PASS tag will need to sign-up for an account with Auto-PASS where you can access your toll invoices.

Cost: Vehicles (<3.5t): Regular and zero-emission are charged at NOK 140 (approx. €12.00).

Cost: Vehicles (>3.5t): Charged at NOK 420 (approx. €37.00).

  (The Ryfylke tunnel is the world’s longest and deepest subsea road tunnel for traffic, and provides a road link between Strand in Ryfylke and Stavanger on Nord-Jæren.)

2) By Ferry from Lauvvika to Oanes: Drive from Stavanger to Lauvivika for the ferry to Oanes then drive to Preikestolen. Total travel time is around 1.5-hours. The ferry across Lysefjord takes 8-minutes with departures per hour from each side. Buy tickets on the ferry. The ferry operates all year.

Ferry Cost: Adult NOK 30, Child NOK 17, Car with driver NOK 80 (You can also buy tickets online from Norled.No. and check out the ferry timetable)

3) Ferry from Stavanger to Tau – a 1-hour ferry trip followed by a 20 min drive (36 km) to the Preikestolen car park.

Ferry Cost: Adult NOK 60, Child NOK 30, Car with driver NOK 182. The ferry has a departure every 45 minutes. 

Hire a Car or Motorhome 

We use  Rentalcars.com to find the best car rental deals.

If you are looking for a motorhome or campervan rental then we highly recommend Motorhome Republic who find the best deals worldwide.

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Bus From Stavanger to Preikestolen

GoFjords offer a round-trip that is definitely worth checking out.

Bus From Stavanger Airport to Preikestolen

Pulpit Rock Tours can take from Stavanger or Stavanger Airport to Preikestolen.

Need Accommodation?

We use Booking.com as we can find a variety of cheap and budget accommodation such as local guesthouses and cheap hotels.

We also use Airbnb – Get up to €34 credit for your first Airbnb stay when you use our Airbnb link.

Find Someone to Look After Your Pets

We often rely on house/petsitting as it really makes our travels much more affordable and it means our accommodation is FREE.

Get 25% off  Trusted House Sitters by using our link here: Join Trusted House Sitters either as a house sitter or if you want to find a house sitter.

Norway’s ‘Degree of Difficulty’ Levels for Hiking

There are 4 different hiking difficulty/grading levels corresponding to 4 different colours from easy (Green) to hard (Black). Click here to return up the page.

Each level has particular parameters:

Have you had some great hiking experiences in Norway? We’d love to hear about your adventures.

If you enjoyed the post – why not pin and save for later.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that we may earn a small commission from purchases you make through our links, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us. For more info, read our Disclosure Policy.

You May Also Enjoy Reading

• Kjeragbolten: How to Conquer this Incredible Iconic Hike
• Utsira Norway: Your Ultimate Guide to this Intriguing Island
• In the Footsteps of the Viking Kings- Avaldsnes, Norway
• Ryten, Lofoten – Hike Above Kvalvika Beach
• Dronningruta Hike – The Queen’s Route