Norway Lenght Thru-Hike (Norge på langs)

[Nop]

Hi all,

Some time ago, I´ve been helped wonderfully on this forum: link. The Nordkalottruta / Nordkalottleden was truly great, so thanks again! I feel grateful, considering the advice I got here helped really alot. From the Nordkalottleden, I enjoyed the Norwegian mountains the most. There was alot of snow on the mountains, and lakes were still frozen, it was beautiful. So, I now plan on hiking entire Norway, I think its called ´Norge på langs´? All the information I can find, is this list: link. 

I still know very little about this thru-hike. Is Norge på langs possible to do mainly through the mountains? What would be the correct months to walk, considering I dont want to use skies? Is it even possible without using skies at some point?

Thanks already!

Endret 9. februar 2020 av Nop

[Anders_G]

It's possible to walk mainly in the mountains, but you will often find that some parts are quite difficult as there might not be any marked trails.

Depending on the amount of snow and how fast it melts you should be able to start from south in June. Snow can be expected from the middle of September up north but varies every season.

We walked Norge på langs in the summer of 2018, and it was fantastic! Check out my blog at utentur.com

[+ost]

@Nop which country are you from?

If you check out this page: http://norgepaalangs.info/ and scroll down you will find quite a great number of people who have done the trip both in summer and in winter. Maybe someone from your country too? 

[Nop]

Great, thanks. I found someone whom I am in contact with now through the Norge Pa Langs list, it will certainly help. Lets say I walk Norway from 1 june to 1 september (3 months) from South to North, what temprature´s should I prepare for (considering I hope being above treeline alot)? 

[Anders_G]

You should prepare for everything from -10C to +30C. Normal temperatures would be around 0 at night to +25 during the day. A good source for weather statistics can be found on yr.no and senorge.no.

 

[Nop]

Thanks alot. Besides carring paper maps, I would like to use a map on my smartphone using GPS. Is there any way of getting the Norgeskart (such as link or link) on the smartphone offline? Is that possible?

Also, are there good large planning maps of Norway which can help me look for a route?

[Anders_G]

You can use kartverket and their files from here: https://www.kartverket.no/kart/hele-norge-rett-i-lomma/

DNT sells large planning maps with trails and huts, but I can't find them in their web shop. If you contact them they will probably send you the maps. 

[+ost]

The Norwegian mapping authoroty - kartverket - has released maps for all of Norway in 1:50.000. Use the link Anders- has provided. Most of kartverket.no can be read in English, but the hikingmaps page is in norwegian only.

[Soppelmannen]

Nop skrev (På 16.2.2020 den 19.52):

Thanks alot. Besides carring paper maps, I would like to use a map on my smartphone using GPS. Is there any way of getting the Norgeskart (such as link or link) on the smartphone offline? Is that possible?

Also, are there good large planning maps of Norway which can help me look for a route?

If you pay the one time fee for the norgeskart app, it will let you dowload the map a square at a time, but only in approximatly 30x15 km chunks. Its what I do for my shorter trips, but would take a lot of time to do for the entire country 🙃 Best of luck! 

[Nop]

Hello everyone. When I posted this topic, the world was still pandemic-free. Obviously, it was not a good idea to walk Norge på langs in the summer of 2020. However, the situation of summer 2021 might be more positive!

Thus, I am now again preparing for Norge på Langs. What I plan on doing now, is:

1) Get a large planning map from kartverket
2) Plan the route
4) Get my gear in order
5) Plan food

Regarding 2), I am wondering why most people walk from south to north? Is there a clear benefit in doing so? People someone has some insight on this?
Furthermore, I understand that the Norge på Langs is not one trail, but rather several connected trails. However, I cant seem to find a list with which trails should be connected, Any insights? 

Thank you for your time, again!

[Anders_G]

The snow melts later in the North. Also if you start before all the snow has melted you will walk uphill on snowfree ground and downhill on snow, which is much easier than the opposite as the snow melts quicker on south facing hills. 

[Nop]

Thank you Anders.

I have been looking at your blog. When I look at the route (http://www.utentur.com/2018/10/22/kart-med-ruta-vi-har-gatt/), then you seem to be walking straight north at first, before bending towards ths Sweden borden. As I understood it, the mountain-range is mostly at the border. Would you say that the first few weeks were mostly Forest, or are there mountains to the west of the border (when you are still in the south) as well? 

[Anders_G]

Nop skrev (1 time siden):

Thank you Anders.

I have been looking at your blog. When I look at the route (http://www.utentur.com/2018/10/22/kart-med-ruta-vi-har-gatt/), then you seem to be walking straight north at first, before bending towards ths Sweden borden. As I understood it, the mountain-range is mostly at the border. Would you say that the first few weeks were mostly Forest, or are there mountains to the west of the border (when you are still in the south) as well? 

The first week or couple of days is forest after that you are in the mountains of Setesdalsheiene. From here you have mountains all the way (almost) to Trøndelag. 

[+ost]

Nop skrev (15 timer siden):

Furthermore, I understand that the Norge på Langs is not one trail, but rather several connected trails. However, I cant seem to find a list with which trails should be connected, Any insights? 

 

You are quite right, Norge på langs is a concept spurred on the idea that one always should be able to walk the length of ones country. There is no "correct trail", no official trail marking and no stamp to be given in a book, or a permit issued before you leave. You read the map and make up your own idea of where you want to walk. If you don't want to do that work, you have to find someone who has done the trip before you and copy their GPS-track (if they have one and are willing to share). But then you will be doing their version of Norge på Langs, and not yours. So the hard way is to do the work and find the trail you should connect yourself. 

Exampel - Most people turn east (when going north) when they reach Jotunheimen, that way they won't have to cross Trondheimsfjorden. Likewise they cross through Sweden when they get as far north as Sulitjelma, the mountains on the Norwegian side here is quite strenuous with few paths and fare-able mountainpasses. The walk through Sweden on the other hand is well marked, and progress is easy to be made. Typically from Padlejanta to Abisko. 

That being said - the Norwegian Tourist-organization - Den Norsk Turistforening /DNT - (which is a private organization) mark many trails, and if you use the map at ut.no you will get a good oversight of what to expect. That page is in norwegian, but you might find GPS-tracks from Norge på langs there also.  

On this page you can find maps for Sweden.

[Nop]

Thank you kindly for all the useful information, both Anders and Ost. Currently, I am studying the route with the Planleggingskarts (Southern and Northern Norway) of DNT. 
My next questions will be quite a difficult one to answer, and perhaps it is a silly question. Currently, the borders of Norway are still closed, as we are still in the middle of the pandemic. However, if I wish to start walking from the south on the 1th of June, would you believe that the border restrictions will be lifted in Norway? Again, I know it is a silly question, but I dont have a sense of how the situation in Norway is developing.

Currently, I am based in Sweden so I could cross the border through the mountains. However, I dont want to enter Norway if Norway doesn´t want me to enter.

[+Blindgjenger]

My wild guess is a resounding "maybe"! 😉

The authorities say the aim is to have vaccinated the entire adult population "before the summer". Even with the current spreading of the English mutation of the blasted virus I'd think we can hope for a more relaxed regime before June 1st - maybe also helped by the (hopefully) warmer weather.

Then again, I may well be very wrong. Time will show...

[CarstenT]

Nop skrev (På 16.2.2020 den 19.52):

Besides carring paper maps, I would like to use a map on my smartphone using GPS

Hi Nop,
planning a tour is half the joy!
I don't think that any square-foot of the foothills of eastern Sarek has been left out in my own tour scrutiny. I did make a turn-around last summer .. out of proper maps and trail-markings gone missing. I havn't reached the iPhone age yet, so I finally bought the GPS that I really desired when I came home. I didn't realize that modern phones come borne with GPS. Part of the garmin GPS service is a year abonnement on BirdsEye satelite imagery in 1:10.000. Maybe it's available for phones too, I don't know. It's not give-away prices, but you don't get it better. Further: I realized that an old tablet of mine appeared to have an app that stored downloaded google-maps and thus made them available offline too. That would be very nifty since you probably may be out of reach for long stretches (?). Phones and associated apps is not me, but take a look at it.
About temperatures: measured in danish standards: it's cold. I was freezing my ass off waiting for a train one full night in Kiruna. It was mid summer, but that mid-summer was below average summer-temperatures for northern Sweden after all. I hadn't plant for or brought any mountain-clothing. I've met snow in start august in those foothills too. And, on all accounts: mountains are worse.
I hope they'll lower the "closed" to "not advisable", but it's developing in the wrong direction.

... so much more planning joy!

ps ..
You should scout out the "BaseCamp" app posibillities. Maybe it's only make sense if you have digital topgraphic maps or the satelite imagery?

Endret 27. januar 2021 av CarstenT