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In the southwestern outskirts of the Stølsheimen mountain range, there is a mountain region enclosed by roads and fjords. The region is defined by highway E16, Teigdalen valley, Eksingadalen valley and Indre Osterfjord. There are 5 independent mountains exceeding 1100m elevation in this region: Blåvasshorgi (1133m), Storfjelli (1115m), Saudalsnovi (1110m), Kvanngrønavene (1105m) and Blåfjell (1101m).
Norddalsfjellet is located in this region, and is a close neighbour to Saudalsnovi and Kvanngrønavene. The mountain is very accessible as it rises almost directly from the trailhead. However, I recommend that you hike up the nice Norddalen valley before ascending the mountain. From the head of this valley you can also descend into Sørdalen (via Brattefonni) and end up at Flatkvål in Eksingadalen. In winter, you should be aware of avalanche hazards from multiple mountainsides.
The route described below is a round trip that begins by Øykholmane at the head of Øvstedalen valley. You continue up Norddalen valley and ascend Norddalsfjellet via Tinddalsskardet pass. You descend Norddalsfjellet southeast ridge and then directly back to the trailhead on a vague path down Kyrahjellen. This route is suitable for most hikers and offers no difficulties other than finding your way.
Notes: Class ratings are in reference to YDS. Click here for more information.
The trails described below are not necessarily the *easiest* trails to this mountain.
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Øykholmane - Norddalssfjellet round-trip (summer/autumn)
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From Bergen, follow highway E16 towards Oslo. From the highway 580/E16 roundabout before Arnanipatunnelen, continue on E16 46,3Km. Turn left towards "Bolstadøyri". Turn left in the very first junction and follow the road across the bridge (300m). Turn right onto "Rognavegen" and drive 800m. Turn left onto "Øvstedalsvegen". Follow this road to the end of the paved road (9,5Km). If the road to Øykholmane is open (don't know if it's open all year) you can drive additional 1,8Km on a rough gravel road. Find parking near the end of the road.
Ascent
Make your way over to the Øykholmane cabins. You can follow a road down to a wet meadow. Follow the outskirts of this meadow (towards the river) and aim for the bridge at Øykholmane. Alternatively, go left and follow the forest.
From Øykholmane, head northwest and locate a visible path that runs into Norddalen. After a while, you reach a learge meadow, and the path runs a bit up in the forest. As the valley begins to ascend, the path gets more and more vague. The terrain is however easy to follow.
Follow the valley up to approx. 860m elevation, where you turn right and head towards Tinddalsskardet. Proceed a bit into Tinddalsskardet until you find an easy route up the first section. Once up, seek right (south) to find a way up the next section. The cliffs are steep here, and you ascent route will be the only practical route up the mountain.
Once you are on the plateau (1020m), head southeast for approx. 1Km. A few pointy rocks mark the summit.
Descent
Head down the southeast ridge until you reach the pass between Sviknolten and Norddalsfjellet. Turn right and locate a narrow path that runs near the stream. The path more or less follows the stream down to approx. 500m elevation, where the path turns right before it takes direction towards the cabins. You may lose the path, but just continue through the forest towards the cabins.
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While undergoing knee treatment at a physiotherapist, I "broke the rules" and had an 8 hour hike to Gråeggi the day before. I assumed I wouldn't be his favourite customer on Monday, so why not just enjoy this beautiful Sunday as well? My leg condition suggested I should do something easier, and I started thinking on where to go. I felt a bit tired. My dog "Troll" woke me up 04:00AM as he was having stommach troubles. In the 04:00-07:00 timeframe, I had to let him out about every 30 minutes. Then he started to vomit. Sick in both ends. I was wondering whether I should just stay home, but concluded that he'd probably feel better in the mountains. I told him the news. The trip was ON. I looked into his eyes, but it was difficult to tell wheter he was thrilled or not. The temperature had dropped below zero during the night, and I expected the mountains to be icy. A mountainside facing southwest would be good. I expected the roads to be icy as well, so I wanted to pick a road that had some traffic. I ended up with driving E16 towards Norddalsfjellet. A perfect choice. Cars were stopped at Dale, where we were told that the road towards Voss was icy, and that we should drive carefully. My exit was at Bolstad, and the road up to Øvstedalen was ice-free thanks to the morning sun. After parking at Øykholmane, I ran into Knut Øvstedal. A senior citizien whom I had spoken to on the telephone some time ago. It was Knut who told me that point 1084m above Norddalen was called "Sørdalsberget". He remembered me, and we had a good and long talk before I headed up Norddalen with Troll in the backpack 11:40AM. It was a beautiful valley and a beautiful day. Troll's head hung low out of the backpack, and I sensed a mild stroke of bad concience. I told him that we weren't very high yet, so he should be patient. And what do you know - when we reached Tinddalsskardet, he gave me the "let-me-out" cry. He then climbed (yes - climbed) the steep route up to the Norddalsfjellet plateau, where he looked very normal to me. We reached the summit 14:15PM and Troll immediately cried for his lunch-box, which he quickly terminated. My knee hadn't bothered me much, and we could both enjoy the nice views with good appetite and a good health. That is, my lunch was once again a single chocolate bar. My cheese and ham baguette, obtained earlier in the morning, was still in the back-seat of the car. Oh well, it would still taste good once we were down. Troll was now in walking mood, and we headed down the southeast ridge. The narrow forest path down to Øykholmane became a bit too rough for him, so he entered the backpack again. The descent was uneventful and we reached the car 15:50PM, just over 4 hours after we left.
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To Norddalsfjellet
Summit panoramas
Zooms from the summit
Descent
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