My heart was hammering and my face was the shade of a ripe tomato. As we stopped to catch our breaths and take in the views, we started to laugh. We could still see the carpark. We’d just climbed the first 500-metres of the Pulpit Rock trail and my lungs already felt like they were on fire. We can do this, I thought, as I looked up at the track disappearing into the trees. Only three thousand two hundred metres to go.
According to Norway’s tourism site, the hike to Pulpit Rock, or Preikestolen as it’s known locally, is a ‘medium’ on the effort scale. By most accounts, it’s also the easiest of the three major Lysefjord hikes, followed by the 10.6-kilometre round-trip Kjerag climb (another story) and the 23-kilometre return Trolltunga trek (pass).
If the climb from the Pulpit Rock carpark was anything to go by though, we were in for a tough couple of hours.
Our assault on Pulpit Rock was actually our second attempt. Just a day earlier, under a cloudless sky, we’d set off after a late breakfast for the journey from the town of Stavanger. As we approached the highway turnoff for Pulpit Rock around lunchtime, we found a queue of cars backed up in both directions: the carpark was already full. Groups of people were walking along the roadside, determined to reach the track-head at the carpark, six kilometres up the mountain.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise, really. Summer is short this far north and Pulpit Rock is one of Norway’s most popular hikes, especially on a gloriously sunny day. But with what seemed like half the local population and most of the tourists in the region trying to get onto the trail that afternoon, we vetoed in favour of coming back again tomorrow. Early.
The next morning we arrived bright and early to get a parking spot and begin the hike. Having regained our breath after the first 500-metre scale from the carpark, we set off for the rock. The trail itself is a 7.6-kilometre return hike through tricky, up-and-down terrain.
The climb in altitude is a little over 330 metres, which makes for some steep and challenging legs over a relatively short distance. Fortunately, the climbs are linked by some flatter, breath-catching sections.
We were grateful for the many pauses though: the scenery and greenery along the trail changes constantly, and the epic views are worth every damned muscle ache.
Despite the shock to the system, we settled into a good pace and covered the distance to Pulpit Rock in around an hour and forty-five minutes.
Apart from returning hikers who’d spent the night on the trail, we encountered few people on the path on our way up, and arrived to a near-empty rock.
Preikestolen translates as Preacher’s Pulpit, an apt name for the 10,000 year-old, square granite platform that juts out over the mesmerising Lysefjord. If ever there was a podium for worshipping nature, this is it.
We took turns edging towards the sheer drop and peering down at the glittering Lysefjord 604-metres below, then went in search of a higher vantage point and a spot for breakfast.
What we found was sublime: a rocky promontory with magnificent views over the rock and the fjord. It was just us, a forlorn seagull and a chill wind. Despite people continuing to arrive down below, there was even a moment when no one was on the rock and for one second, we felt like we had the world all to ourselves.
After soaking up the serenity for an hour, we began the trek back down: a two hour affair and an entirely different experience. Hundreds of people were on the trail by mid-morning, with bottlenecks forming along some of the more narrow stretches of path.
By the time we reached the final descent to the carpark, the busy paths were starting to get to us and my knees were screaming. We’d do it again in a flash though: the pains and the crowds were absolutely worth it for the rewards at the top.
Good to know
Getting to Pulpit Rock
Pulpit Rock is an easy 45 minute drive from Stavanger via the Ryfylke tunnel. It costs NOK250 to park at Pulpit Rock carpark for the day. In peak season (April to September) there’s an express bus from Stavanger to the trailhead of the Pulpit Rock hike.
Best time to visit Pulpit Rock
Pulpit Rock can be visited year-round, but April to September is the main season as the weather is generally better and the daylight hours longer. That said, weather should always be a major consideration for the hike as parts of the trail can become slippery in the wet.
Prepping for a hike to Pulpit Rock
Take food and water (stock up before you arrive, there’s not much around the area apart from a pricey restaurant at the carpark). Pack wet weather gear, wear good walking shoes and layer up: we went from sweaty tees to jackets in a matter of minutes. If you’re prone to knee pain, or just like some extra stability on an uneven path, consider taking hiking poles. The return journey is mostly down, uneven, and tough on joints. Check the weather and sunrise/sunset times before you go.
Our tip: Start the hike early to beat the crowds; by mid-morning, it’s seriously busy on the trail and at Pulpit Rock itself.
Happy hiking to Pulpit Rock! Got a question or comment? Drop us a message below. For more epic experiences and itineraries from Norway, check out our Norway page.
Hi. When you say ‘early’ – how early did you start? We have a 5pm flight leaving Stavanger and just want to be sure that if we started at 9am, is that early enough and would it be early enough to miss most of the crowds?
Did you already have knee issues? Keen to do it though. Thanks
Hi there, thanks for your message.
If you have an early start you should be ok getting back to Stavanger.
We’re of average fitness (one of us already had very minor knee issues) and managed the whole thing in around 4 hours with some time spent at and around Pulpit Rock itself. Add 45 minutes each way for the drive and you’re looking at around 6 hours time commitment total, maybe 7 if you want to take your time.
While it’s hard to predict how busy it will be on any given day, the time of year, and even the weather on the day will affect how crowded the hike gets.
We started the hike around 7am in the middle of summer – there weren’t too many people on the way up but on the way back down, between 9 and 10, it was getting very busy.
Hope this helps – it’s a fabulous hike so we hope you can get there.
John and Danielle
Hi,
I am a moderate hiker (wouldn’t say I have lots of experience but relatively fit)
I want to try this with a few friends to make it up there for sunrise, in the middle of June, do you think we need a guide?
There’s not much information out there on this.
Thank you
T
Hi Tanzeer, thanks for your message. Preikestolen is an awesome hike – the trail is well marked and we found it easy to follow, though it was light when we did it so we can’t say whether it would be quite so straightforward in the dark/dawn light, especially if unfamiliar with the terrain. It would be amazing to watch the sunrise at Pulpit Rock, though we’d personally be a bit wary about navigating some of the more challenging sections/cliffside stretches in the dark or low light without a guide. The Preikestolen 365 website has good planning info. Would suggest checking out some hiking forums or talking to locals to help with your decision. Happy planning and we hope you have a fantastic hike!
That is perikestolen hike u r talking about. Pulpit rock is a huge round rock lodges and suspended between two cliffs.
Hi Raash, thanks for your message. Pulpit Rock is actually another name for Preikestolen. It’s called that because the huge, flat, square rock platform looks a bit like a preacher’s pulpit. The round rock that’s suspended between two cliffs is called Kjeragbolten, or the Kjerag boulder – we talk about that in another blog post. They’re both amazing sites at the end of great hikes, with incredible views over the Lysefjord in Norway. Cheers!