Norwegian Scenic Route Geiranger Trollstigen (121 km)

Langevatnet to Sogge Bridge · back a different way, via Norway · Trollstigen and Geiranger Switchbacks

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Why this ride

It goes by way of Dalsnibba junction, Geiranger, Ornesvingen and Gudbrandsjuvet. The highest point is about 1,200 m. Trollstigen is subject to seasonal closure - check it is open before you set off. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.

Roadbook

1. Langevatnet start

   Langevatnet is a mountain lake in Møre og Romsdal, on the high road between the Geirangerfjord and the Trollstigen, and it sits in a bleak, beautiful landscape of rock, snow and water. The lake lies at about 1,000 metres, in a bowl surrounded by peaks, and the surface is often still, mirroring the mountains. The nearest towns, Stryn and Stranda, are over thirty kilometres away, so this is a remote place, and the tree line is far below. In summer, the water is glacial blue, and in spring, snowdrifts linger on the banks.

   The road you follow is the Geiranger-Trollstigen route, one of the most famous in Norway, running from the Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, over the high plateau and down the Trollstigen, the Troll's Ladder. The road climbs from the fjord with eleven hairpins known as the Eagle Road, Ørnesvingen, and then continues over the mountains, passing lakes and snowfields. Most of the road is narrow and winding, with sheer drops and few barriers in places, and the surface is generally good. Tour buses are frequent in summer, so ride early or late.

   The weather can be extreme. Even in July, the temperature at the lake can be a few degrees above freezing, and rain, fog and wind are common. In winter, the road is closed by snow, typically from October to May, and the date of opening depends on the avalanche risk and the clearing of the drifts. Keep warm layers close, and be careful of wet, slippery surfaces. In the thick fog, the road can disappear, so slow down.

   The area is also rich in nature. Golden eagles and ptarmigan live in the high country, and in some seasons, you may see reindeer or mountain hares. Wildflowers bloom for a short time in July, with a surprising range of colours. There are no services at the lake, so fuel must be taken in advance at Stryn or Stranda, and food and drink are best brought along. A small kiosk may open in summer, but do not count on it. The silence, interrupted only by the wind, is an experience in itself.

2. Dalsnibba junction scenic

   Dalsnibba junction is where the Fv63 road above Geiranger meets the turn-off to the mountain of Dalsnibba, on a high, bare plateau around a thousand metres above the sea. It is a bleak, beautiful place, with dark lakes, patches of snow and low scrub, and the road crosses it on its way between Geiranger and Grotli. The mountain rises to about 1,500 metres, and a private toll road leads to the summit, where a viewing platform offers one of the highest views of a fjord in Norway, looking straight down over the Geirangerfjord. The toll road opens in the warm season, once the snow has been cleared, and closes in autumn.

   If you take the toll road, you climb a few more kilometres on a narrow, well-surfaced road, with tight bends and a steep drop, and you arrive at a car park on the top. From the platform, the fjord is a thin dark line far below, with the village of Geiranger at its head and cruise ships looking like tiny white toys. It is cold and windy, even in July, and the cloud can come down in minutes, so be ready to turn back if the view vanishes. On a clear day it is among the finest views in the country.

   The ride across the plateau is a pleasure in itself. The road is wide and well surfaced, with long bends and open views of the mountains, and traffic is moderate, though it is thicker in summer when coaches run to Geiranger. The altitude brings cold air, and snow can fall even in midsummer, so do not underestimate it. A good rain jacket and gloves are worth carrying. The road is open only in the warm season, usually from late May to October, because of the snow, so check before planning a trip.

   Geiranger, down the hairpins, has a few services, but it is small, and Stryn and Stranda are the nearest towns with reliable fuel, so fill the tank before you climb. Food and coffee are available at the summit in summer, and in the village below, but prices are high. Early morning is the quietest time, with fewer buses and a soft light on the mountains. If the weather is poor, enjoy the plateau and save the summit for another day.

3. Geiranger scenic

   The Geirangerfjord is a narrow cut, around fifteen kilometres long, between cliffs that rise over a thousand metres from the water, and it is among the best-known sights in Norway. The village at its head, Geiranger, is tiny, with only a few hundred residents, but in summer, cruise ships anchor in the fjord one after another and the pier fills with people. UNESCO listed the fjord in 2005, along with Naeroyfjord, and a short walk along the shore brings you to the base of the Seven Sisters waterfall, which pours straight into the fjord from a high ledge.

   For a rider, arriving in Geiranger is the best part of the trip. From Eidsdal in the north, the Eagle Road drops through eleven hairpins to the sea, with a grand view of the fjord from the top at Ornesvingen. From the south and east, the road comes down from the high plateau by Djupvatnet, past remote lakes and snow patches, and through a series of tight switchbacks. The Dalsnibba viewpoint, reached by a private toll road, takes you to about 1,500 metres, with a view straight down to the fjord. Roads here have narrow sections, steep gradients and plenty of campervans, so patience helps, and mountain roads usually open only from May to October, depending on snow.

   The village itself is a good place for lunch or a waffle with brown cheese. Fuel is the thing to watch. Do not rely on finding it at every stop here, and plan to fill up in Stranda, about twenty-seven kilometres away, or in other larger towns on the route. Weather changes quickly, and a fjord can be sunny at the water and wet at the top.

   There is also the ferry to Hellesylt, which carries motorcycles and gives you a different view of the cliffs from the water. Leave early in the morning, when the ships have not yet arrived, and the place feels much closer to what it was.

4. Ornesvingen scenic

   Ørnesvingen is the top bend of the Eagle Road, Ørnevegen, the road that climbs from Geiranger to Eidsdal in eleven hairpins, with a viewing point that looks back down on the Geirangerfjord. The road was opened in 1952, and its steep, tight bends are carved into the mountainside above the water, with a gradient of about ten per cent. It was a great improvement on the old route, and it made Geiranger accessible by road from the north. The name comes from the eagles said to circle the cliffs, though the best-known eagles here now are the ones on the road signs.

   From the viewpoint at Ørnesvingen, you see the fjord laid out below, long and narrow, with dark water between steep walls, and waterfalls pouring down the cliffs. The most famous of them, the Seven Sisters, can be seen from the water but not from here. The farms along the shore, some of them abandoned, cling to ledges high above the water, and it is hard to believe that people lived and worked there. The view is wide and dramatic, and the viewpoint has a car park and a railing, so you can take your time.

   Riding the Eagle Road is a joy for those who like hairpins. The bends are tight but well engineered, with good grip and safe margins, and the climb is steady. Going up from Geiranger, you look back at the fjord as it falls away, and the height grows with each turn. Coaches and campervans use the road in numbers, and they need the whole width at the tightest corners, so wait for them and take your time. In wet weather, the surface is slippery, and in late autumn ice can form in the shade.

   Geiranger has a few shops and a pump, but supplies are limited and prices high, so it is wiser to fill up at Stranda or Stryn. From Eidsdal, a short ferry crosses the fjord to Linge, a pleasant break that lets you rest on the water. In summer, queues can be long. The Geirangerfjord is a World Heritage Site, valued for its beauty and its geology, and the road along it is among the most famous in the world. Go early in the day if you can, for the light and the peace.

5. Gudbrandsjuvet scenic

   Gudbrandsjuvet is a narrow gorge on the river Valldøla, a short way from the road on the way up to Trollstigen, where the water squeezes through a slot in the rock and thunders down in a series of pools and falls. The walls of the gorge are smooth and polished, hollowed out by the swirling water over thousands of years, and the sound is a constant roar. A set of walkways and platforms has been built over and beside the gorge, designed to give a close view without damaging the rock. They are light, simple and made of steel and timber, and they hang over the chasm like a sketch.

   The name comes from a legend. A man called Gudbrand is said to have leapt across the gap, at a place where the gorge is just a few metres wide, to escape his pursuers, and the story has been told in the valley for generations. It is a popular tale, though few people would attempt the jump themselves. The gorge is not very deep by the standards of the region, about twenty metres, but the force of the water makes it feel more dangerous than it is. Stay on the walkways, and do not climb over the rails.

   The road here is the Fv63, one of the best motorbike roads in Norway, with long, flowing bends along the river, through forest and meadow. The surface is good, and traffic is moderate, though it can be heavy in summer with coaches and campervans heading for Trollstigen. The approach from Valldal is a pleasure, and the road beyond the gorge begins to climb toward the hairpins. Rain and mist are frequent, so take care on wet corners. In autumn, the leaves on the road can be slippery.

   The nearest places are Valldal, which is small, Stranda, and Åndalsnes, which has about two thousand people and a few more services. It is wise to fill the tank before you set out on the Trollstigen route, and to bring a snack. The best time to visit is in the morning, when the light is soft and the crowds few, or after rain, when the river is full and loud. A visit takes half an hour, and it is a good break on a day of riding.

6. Trollstigen scenic · 858 m

   The Trollstigen is best understood from below. Coming up from Åndalsnes, the road leaves the broad floor of the Isterdalen and rises through birch woods into a narrow valley, where a wall of rock closes in, and then begins to climb in earnest. Eleven hairpins, each with a name or a number painted on the stone, carry it up the slope, and the Stigfossen waterfall, which falls over three hundred metres, crashes beside the road and under a stone bridge, spraying anyone who stops. It is one of the great Alpine-style roads of Scandinavia, and it was a wild feat of engineering for its time.

   Construction began in 1916 and went on for twenty years, with workers building retaining walls by hand and blasting a route through the rock. Hairpin after hairpin is supported by dry stone walls, many of which still stand, and the road opened in 1936. Åndalsnes, at the head of the Romsdalsfjord, is the starting point, a small town of two thousand people with a railway, a harbour, shops and fuel. Just beyond it is Trollveggen, the Troll Wall, the tallest vertical mountain face in Europe, a sheer cliff of about a thousand metres that draws climbers and base jumpers from around the world.

   The riding is steep and tight, with a gradient of up to ten percent and sharp hairpin bends where larger vehicles must swing wide. The surface is smooth, but the road is narrow and the drops are real, so it demands care and a calm attitude, especially in rain, when the stone walls are wet and the cloud closes in. Meeting a coach on a hairpin is common, and it is wise to give way early. Summer weekends are crowded, so aim for early morning or the evening. The road closes for winter, usually reopening in May.

   This stop is the finish of the climb, and there is a small viewpoint above the hairpins with a long view over the valley. The last bends are the steepest, and as you leave them the wide plateau opens before you. Fuel is not available on the road, so fill up in Åndalsnes before starting, and bring a warm layer, because the weather at the top can be cold even in July.

   Stop in the evening, if you can. The long Norwegian summer light turns the rock gold, and the waterfalls glitter as they plunge into shadow. It is hard to look at it without feeling very small.

7. Sogge Bridge finish

   The Sogge Bridge crosses the Rauma river just outside Åndalsnes, and it is the last landmark of a long day on the Geiranger-Trollstigen route. Behind it, the valley of Romsdalen is a deep, steep-sided trench, with the Romsdalshorn, a pyramid of grey rock, rising to about 1,550 metres, and the Trollveggen, the Troll Wall, Europe's tallest vertical mountain face, nearly a kilometre of overhanging rock. Åndalsnes, about three kilometres away, is a small town of two thousand people at the head of the Romsdalsfjord, with fuel, shops, a railway station and a harbour. Climbers have come here for over a century, and BASE jumpers jump from the Troll Wall in summer.

   You have just come down the Trollstigen, the Troll's Ladder, which drops from the plateau in eleven hairpins, with waterfalls pouring beside the road, including Stigfossen, which the road crosses on a stone bridge. It was opened in 1936 after many years of work, and it is one of the most famous roads in the world. At the top, a modern viewing platform of steel and glass hangs over the valley. The gradient is about one in ten, and the hairpins are tight, with narrow lanes where two buses can barely pass. Wet weather makes the surface slick, and fog can hide the bends.

   The road is closed in winter, usually from October to May, and the date depends on the snow. Even in summer, snowdrifts may remain beside the road. In the valley, the weather is milder, but rain is frequent, since the mountains catch the clouds from the sea. Early morning and evening are the best times to avoid the tour coaches, which arrive in big numbers from the cruise ships at Geiranger and Molde.

   At Åndalsnes, the Rauma Railway, one of the great scenic lines of Norway, runs through the valley to Dombås, passing tunnels, bridges and the Kylling Bridge, a stone arch high above the river. The valley is also known for its salmon river, and anglers cast from the banks. The town has a handful of cafes and restaurants, where you can have a waffle, fish soup or a plate of local cheese. Fill the tank here, relax by the water, and look back at the wall of mountains you have just crossed.

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