Auenhaugen

Norway · NO

Besseggen

Besseggen is Norway's most famous mountain walk, a knife-edge ridge that arcs between two glacier-fed lakes high in Jotunheimen. Tens of thousands of hikers cross it each year, drawn by the dizzying drop from the crest down to deep-blue Gjende on one side and the bright, milky-blue Bessvatnet on the other. The classic route follows the ridge for roughly 14 kilometres, climbing about 1,100 metres on uneven terrain and typically taking five to eight hours including breaks. You don't need climbing equipment, but you do need fitness, good shoes and a fair weather window — the ridge is steep, narrow and exposed to wind, and the best way to do it as a one-way traverse is to ride the Gjende boat from Gjendesheim to Memurubu and hike back along the crest. With paid long-term parking, a shuttle bus, the boat service and three DNT mountain lodges all arranged around the lake, a fully supported day on Besseggen is one of the most accessible big-hike experiences in southern Norway.