Gaustatoppen

Gaustatoppen is considered the most beautiful mountain in Norway. In good weather, you can see a sixth of Norway from its summit - all the way to the coast and the Swedish border! So what are you waiting for? Set off on your next hike...

20/06/2019

dear(travel)diary,

Gaustatoppen is considered the most beautiful mountain in Norway. In good weather, you can see a sixth of Norway from its summit - all the way to the coast and the Swedish border! We climbed up to this very peak and what did we see? Nothing! Nothing but a gray wall. It was actually already foreseeable before the hike, but we were hoping that it would clear up a bit during the hike - but no way! Unfortunately, the hike wasn't much more than a sporting activity.

Fortunately, we had parked the car at the Gaustabanen parking lot. So we didn't have to walk back down the mountain over snow and scree in the fog, but were able to get on the train(s). And by the way, the ride was an experience in itself! At around €30 per person, it certainly wasn't a cheap pleasure, but it was a thousand times more comfortable than walking down in the bad weather.

Is the most beautiful mountain in Norway beautiful? We don't know. But one thing is certain: the entire landscape around the Gaustatoppen is definitely beautiful. It's worth a visit for that alone!

xx Chiara

The next morning: the gray clouds over the Gaustatoppen are blown away and we can clearly see the mountain peak from the valley. In fact, the Gaustatoppen is a very beautiful mountain when viewed from the valley. Somehow it reminds us a little of a volcano. But we didn't hike up there again.

Our Highlights

Lake Tinnsjå

Lake Tinnsjå is located in the valley in the municipality of Tinn, as seen from Gaustatoppen. Tinnsjå is a larger lake and in some places reminds me of pictures I've only seen in Canada. So the panorama is magnificent! We stopped several times to enjoy the view.

The Gaustabanen

The Gaustabanen mountain railroad was developed in 1953 and was intended for tourist purposes, but was then taken over by the army and secret services during the Cold War. The lift was only opened to the public in 2010 after some renovation work.

The construction of the Gaustabanen is very interesting. A funicular took us down the mountain at an incline of 39 degrees. Once we reached the bottom, we had to change to another funicular, which took us horizontally out of the mountain.

Hike

The starting point for the hike to Gaustatoppen is the parking lot in Stavsro. Unfortunately, this was closed due to renovation work. We therefore had to start the hike from the Gaustabanen parking lot. You can only park your car here for free if you take the Gaustabanen. However, due to the special circumstances, the guys allowed us to park our car there anyway.

The hike from Gaustabanen is probably steeper than from Stavsro. It took us 1 ½ hours to get up from there. The path is well marked with red T's. You can actually find stones with imprints of sea waves on the path. They date back to a time when the sea reached all the way up there.

Where to sleep

On the first night, we spent the night in our car in a gravel pit. It was by a small body of water near the Stavsro parking lot, from where the hike to Gaustatoppen starts. It was very nice there, although the weather was bad.

We spent the second night in an Airbnb. After the cold and wet hike, we (spontaneously) just needed somewhere warm and dry. The Airbnb is only slightly more expensive than a campsite. We had a cozy little room and a small terrace to ourselves. There is also a free parking lot nearby (at Lake Tinnsjå) where you can spend the night, as well as a campsite.

I have put together a list of all the places on Google Maps.

You can find the list here.