Hiking Mt. Prest in Aurland

A hike to Prest will offer you one of the most untouched and jaw-dropping views overlooking Aurlandsfjord. If you are looking to experience authentic rural Norway, this is the outdoor experience.

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The greatest and most scenic experience in Aurland is hiking to Prest and taking in the view of the Aurlandsfjord and its surrounding ice capped mountains. The hike doesn’t open until the first week of June because until then, frost and snow still covers the mountains. This year we got lucky and the path opened a week before while we were there! This hike is not easy and it’s not a walk in the park. It is very vertical and the physical activity and elevation changes will get you out of breath. But if you are physically fit and equipped to handle this hike…DO IT! You won’t regret it. Even if you only do half the hike.

A little way up from Stegastein Viewpoint you will see a parking lot on the left. Park your car here, while being careful of the sheep and lamb around you, and you will see an entrance path at the end of the lot. That’s where you start. To be quite honest, as soon as you step out onto the mountaintop, you’ll already be stunned by the amazing 180° views of the Aurlandsfjord. Pat and I spent a lot of time gazing out at Aurlandsfjord from this point…and we had not even started the hike! Little did we know the views got even more expansive as you kept hiking up.

It was end of May and the sun was hot. I was not equipped for hiking, as previously mentioned, but was dressed better than I was for Turlifossen. The hike involved a lot of grass and gravel. At some points the path disappeared and you had to find the best way to keep going by climbing up rocks. This is why I recommend that you be physically fit to do this activity since it is a bit dangerous. We were hot, out of breath, sweaty and dirty. At some points the gravel was so vertical we would slip. When you looked up you’d think to yourself…how on earth will I make it up this vertical mountain?! And when you’d reach the top you’d be like that wasn’t as inclined as I thought. It’s scarier than it looks from below.

We reached the second vantage point about an hour 20 minutes into our hike and stopped a while longer to catch our breath. We had not reached the top of Prest (which means Priest) yet. We could see the small booklet and church perched on the top of the mountain. It was probably another 40-minute hike from where we were. As usual though, we were short on time and had to grab lunch and had a ferry to catch at 3:30PM to Bergen. We couldn’t risk being tight on time. We decided to settle for the breathtaking views at this halfway point, and not making it up to Prest. If you have time to make it to the top of Prest, bring some sandwiches and a lot of water so you can enjoy the view from the top. There is a booklet where everyone who has made it up there signs his or her name. We unfortunately, were not able to…but I will make it back there one day and sign my name!

The hike down was a lot faster and easier. It took us half the time to get down. We jumped in our car, said goodbye to the sheep, and made our way down the mountain. We felt accomplished and invigorated. It gave us a different perspective on life, it put us in a certain mentality that is hard to describe. It was relaxing and liberating. I need to say, this was the best taste of authentic rural Norway we got our entire trip. It was one of the main reasons, we will be going back to this beautiful country.

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