At the meeting point of two valleys, Langendal and Austerdal, on the outskirts of Jostedalsbreen National Park lies the trailhead to one of my favourite hiking trails in Norway – the hike to the Austerdalsbreen Glacier Viewpoint.
10 Things to Know About Hiking to Austerdalsbreen Glacier Viewpoint
This hike was one of the best finds on my road trip across Norway. It was easy and offered the most amazing mountain and glacier views I have experienced in this country. This trail should be your first choice if you want a great half-day hike that won’t leave you breathless.
TIP: Are you interested in incorporating this hike into your holiday in Norway? It features on my Oslo to Oslo 14-day itinerary and Ålesund to Ålesund 7-10 day road trip.
Austerdalsbreen Day hike: the stats
- Distance roundtrip: 11 km / 6.8 mi
- Time required: 3.5 – 4 hours
- Total Ascent: 300 m / 990 ft
- Type of hike: Out and back
- When to go: May – October
- Parking: 61.54469, 6.97781
Where is the Austerdalsbreen day hike?
Austerdalsbreen is one of the dozens of glacier tongues from Norway’s largest glacier field – Jostedalsbreen. It is located at the northern tip of Austerdal Valley, which you must cross to get to the viewpoint.
Austerdal Valley is located in the Southern part of the Josterdalsbreen National Park, around a 1-hour drive from Gaupne, a 1-hour drive from Sognalsfjøra, and 40 minutes away from Hafslo.
The map of the Austerdalsbreen hike
Above, you can see my path from the car park across the Austerdal Valley to the glacier viewpoint. I measured the distance, elevation gain, and route with my Garmin Fenix watch, which I wore on this hike.
How challenging is the hike to Austerdalsbreen?
I don’t think there is a hike in Norway that offers so many views and requires so little effort to complete. The hike across the valley and back only amounts to 300 meters of elevation gain over 11 kilometres. There are no sharp ascents, only a few gentle hills to climb.
Navigation is pretty easy, as there is only one path in and out of the valley that is very well-boot-beaten and easy to follow.
The best time of year to hike to Austerdalsbreen
I hiked to the Austerdalsbreen Glacier viewpoint around the middle of July, and the conditions were excellent. However, as with many other day hikes in Norway, you can expect a lot of mud on the trail early in the season.
Because it’s a walk through the valley, it can be done in May and remain open through October. Austerdal is also a popular ski touring and snowshoeing trail during winter months.
How to get to the trailhead of the Austerdalsbreen day hike?
Austerdal Valley is located in a remote setting. Five kilometres from the trailhead, there is a tiny settlement, Veitastrong, with only around 100 inhabitants.
TIP: To get the driving directions to the trailhead, type the Tungestølen parking into your GPS.
The only way to the trailhead is to drive along local road no. 337 from Hafslo. It’s a beautiful drive that mostly follows the shoreline of Veitastrondavatnet Lake.
The lake is a beautiful turquoise colour, and it is fed by the Storelvi River, which originates in the Austerdal and the Jostedalsbreen glaciers.
It’s a narrow and windy road, so take it slow. Campervans can drive on it, but you must watch for traffic from the opposite direction. There are plenty of passing bays to pull over and let the oncoming traffic pass.
The last 5 kilometres follow a private gravel road. Before entry, there is a cattle gate and a toll booth. At the time of writing, the toll was 70 NOK. It was possible to pay by card, but I would still recommend bringing cash, just in case.
The highlights of the Austerdalsbreen hike
When hiking to the Austerdalsbreen Glacier viewpoint, I was in awe from start to finish. First and foremost, I was stunned by how few other people we met on the trail. I am afraid this hidden gem won’t stay that way for long.
We were the only people there when we arrived at the glacier viewpoint. Only 30 minutes later, another couple arrived, and on the way back, we met no more than two dozen other hikers.
I couldn’t help but laugh as all the other tourists were probably waiting hours to take a photo of the Troll’s tongue—the (in)famous Norwegian hike.
Another highlight was the coffee break and a cake we had at the Tungestølen backcountry hut right after we completed the hike.
Facilities along the Austerdalsbreen trail
Visiting the Tungestølen cabin was very high on my Norwegian bucket list. I came across an article about it in a travel magazine a while back and was in awe of its design and location.
The Architecture studio Snøhetta, which designed the cabin, has won numerous awards, and I can safely say that this is the most beautiful backcountry hut I have ever visited.
The cabin belongs to the Norwegian Alpine Club (DNT), and overnight stays are possible. The hut is also open to day hikers who would like to dine there, so we made sure to pop in for a coffee and cake after our hike.
We ate it in the lounge area, next to massive windows with stunning views of Langendal. We even witnessed an avalanche coming down from the Jostedalsbreen glacier.
The hut is on a small hill 200 meters from the parking lot and the trailhead for the Austerdalsbreen hike.
Apart from toilets at the hut, there are also (stinky) toilets circa 500 meters before you reach the car park.
Austerdalsbreen trail description
The hike starts on the other side of the bridge from the Tungestølen parking area. The most challenging part (which isn’t bad) is at the start when you follow a rocky, muddy, undulating trail.
A flock of sheep decided to follow us for a good 500 meters, and they weren’t making anything of the fact that my Australian shepherd dog Jasper was hiking with us.
Once you reach a little wooden bridge, the trail flattens out. For the next 3.5 kilometres, you follow a flat path across the beautiful Austerdal Valley.
The last part of the trail before you reach the viewpoint goes gently uphill. You will arrive at the viewpoint after about 5.5 kilometres or 3.4 miles.
What to bring and wear on the Austerdalsbreen day hike
Since this is a Norwegian hike, I highly recommend coming prepared for all weather conditions. After spending two summer seasons in Norway, I concluded that the word ‘summer’ should not be in the Norwegian dictionary.
Even though it was a relatively warm day in July, the cold air from the glacier when we stood at the viewpoint quickly caused us to reach for our down jackets and beanies.
Black Diamond Trekking Poles
I never leave on a trail without a pair of my trusted Black Diamond Carbon Z Poles. At 300 grams a pair, they are hard to compete with.
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Hanwag Hiking Boots
My longest-lasting pair of hiking boots (and I went through quite a few) is the Hanwag Alverstone. They were perfect for muddy Norwegian trails.
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HydraPak Hydration Bladder
There is no better way to stay hydrated on the trails than to have constant and direct access to your water without taking your backpack off. Thanks to its slim design, the hose coming out of the side of the bladder, and a magnet clip that makes the hose attachment easy, I find the HydraPak the best water bladder on the market.
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Merino Wool Socks
I always carry two pairs of socks in my day pack and always have them on me during multiday backpacking trails. Merino wool fibres and their unique properties are resistant to odours.
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Hardshell Rain Jacket
You would be mad not to bring a rain jacket on a hiking holiday trip to Norway. Patagonia’s sustainability efforts make it my go-to outdoor clothing brand.
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Osprey Hikelite 18 Liter Backpack
Osprey backpacks have accompanied me since the humble beginnings of this website. I think they offer the perfect fit without sacrificing their usability.
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Where to stay nearby
Of course, staying in the Tungestølen hut would be the best option, and I recommend you try to make a reservation here.
Alternatively, I recommend basing yourself in Gaupne or Sogndal, mainly if you follow one of my Norway itineraries. It will be a great place to explore other nearby hikes, which I will describe in the next paragraph. After the hike, you can drive there to the Austerdalsbreen Glacier viewpoint.
If you travel around Norway in a campervan like me, consider spending the night at the Sandvik campsite in Gaupne. It’s in a lovely setting and has excellent facilities.
If you are travelling in a regular car, below are a few hotel choices nearby.
Best Value
Great and central location in Gaupne with easy access to shops and restaurants
For Luxury Fans
Sogndal Fjordpanorama ‘The Atmosphere”
3 Beautiful cabins with amazing views of the Sognefjord. You can also book ‘The View’ cabin or the ‘Fjordpanorama’ cabin.
Other hikes and activities to experience nearby
Nigardsbreen glacier hike
Nigardsbreen is the most famous and popular amongst visitors glacier arm of the Jostedalsbreen glacier field. You can join a guided tour and hike on the glacier or follow the trail to its viewpoint like me. I go into more detail in my visitor’s and hiker’s guide to Nigardsbreen Glacier.
Molden hike
Molden is a very popular day hike with the best views over Lusterfjord. Fed with water from glaciers of the Jostedalsbreen (including Nigardsbreen), Lusterfjord is a beautiful turquoise colour, particularly on a sunny day.
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This hike left us exhausted with aching legs and sore feet, despite the relatively low level of elevation gain it is definitely NOT EASY and not the nice relaxing amble we expected. Much much harder than either Innerdalen or Litlefjellet (rated moderate by Marta) that we enjoyed and completed easily.
This is confirmed by the map in the very nice to be recommended cabin which rates it as a medium blue grade and suggests 5 hours (not 3.5-4). We took just over 5.5 with 30 mins at the glacier.
We did this walk in mid June the weather was cloudy with light rain showers. I’d say leave this walk for a blue sky day after a long dry spell. The mountains in the valley were dark and grey in these conditions making for a long tedious trudge.
But not much chance to look around anyway as full concentration is required on the path to avoid ankle twists, trips, slips and wet feet. 75% is stony and rocky including large sloping boulders to cross which require good grip on sturdy boots. 15% requires picking a route across boggy wet areas and crossing a myriad of streams. Only 10% is flat gravel the only chance to have a nice relaxing amble.
On reaching the cairn at what you think will be the viewpoint (probably from 30 years ago) you find that at least another 500 meters is required to get a reasonable view. It is great to see the glacier but some may say that it is little reward for such high effort (on a dull day).
Hope this helps others, I would recommend moving this to your Moderate category Marta
Hi Pete. Thanks for your input. I am honestly very surprised you found it that hard. From your description I was wondering whether you took the same route. Particularly with your comment about 75% being stony and rocky. The hike to Austerdalsbreen is certainly not a walk, it is a hike, but since most of it leads through a flat valley (apart from the beginning and the end) I was wondering where does 75% came from. With that said I still think the effort/views ratio is fantastic. Your comment goes to show how weather and current conditions can influence how you feel about a particular hike. I wouldn’t want to compare Austerdalsbreen to Litlefjellet. They are two completely different routes. Litlefjellet is super short, but I put it into a moderate category because of the short scramble in the middle (some people are totally freaked out by something like this).
I do appreciate your input and will definitely leave your comment here for others to read and draw their own conclusions. I hope the rest of your trip was amazing!
You don’t have to be a member of DNT – the Norwegian Alpine Club in order to stay at Tungestølen or other cabins they own. But if you are a member your stay there is cheaper than if you aren’t a member. So to conclude – anyone can stay there if they have availability!
Hi Anne. Thanks a lot for the info. That would be amazing news. I found conflicting information about it particularly regarding certain huts. Could you let me know the source where you got your information so I can double check it then make changes in my article. Thanks a lot!