Skåla, Stryn Hike, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
If you want to get to the top in life, you have to be prepared for some uphill battles. To reach the top of Skåla (1848 m), you won’t find a longer uphill stretch in the whole of Norway. Mount Skåla is poplular both for hiking and for ski touring.
Skåla – this imposingly beautiful giant of a mountain – towers over the village of Loen. A good man-made track winds its way through the rocky terrain a whopping 1848 vertical metres from the shoreline of the fjord. Skålatårnet – the tower at the summit – is not just the kind of DNT (Norwegian Trekking Association) self-service cabin where you spend the night or simply whip up a well-deserved warm cup of coffee on the summit. And in 2016 the new cabin Skålabu opened.
This is a spectacular hike with views of fjords, mountains and glaciers. Nowhere else in Norway will you find a bigger difference in altitude from fjord to summit. Walking here on the old stone-paved paths and stone steps, with fantastic fjord landscapes as far as the eye can see, is a true cultural experience. You can spend the night in the tower, or the new Skålabu cabin at the summit. The tower was originally built as a sanatarium to cure illness, and the place hasn’t lost its remedial qualities, as there can scarcely be anything healthier than fjord views and a cool glacial breeze.
The walk starts at Tjugen 2 km from Loen, almost at Loenvatnet lake, where there is an information board about the walk. The walk starts on a tractor road and continues on a path further up in the forest. The path is well marked all the way. The path is stone-paved in some places, and when you get higher up there are stone steps.
The trip is suitable for people in good physical shape. Special equipment is not required for this trip. Take warm clothes and a packed lunch for a day in the outdoors.
Epic Norway Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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