Distance

21 km

Near 62.6980899.4207762 Gjevilvasshytta lies 62.6968719.3926733 Rauøra Beach, a beautiful white sand beach with a mountain backdrop. It's very popular with the locals, so be sure to take a swim at the start, or at the end, to celebrate the journey.

The walk from Gjevilfasshytta begins along some Norwegian summer farms. Here they lead the cattle to graze. In the winter, the cattle go back to the stables at a different location. Sheep, as usual, roam freely through the mountains, over the paths, and right across the road to the beach. Car traffic doesn't seem to bother them much, it is the drivers who give way to them instead. The climb from here is steep, but not overly so. To the left the terrain drops more steeply into the valley, without feeling overly exposed. After an hour, you are above the tree line with a beautiful valley on the left.

The path continues above the tree line for a while, with a river crossing offering a chance to get water. Taking water before this point is not recommended due to the presence of livestock nearby. The trail briefly ascends and passes by a reindeer pen, before finally descending belong the treeline. The last part of the trail leads over a gravel road towards 62.8626949.5093614 Jøldalshytta.

Several campsites are available to the left as well as to the right of the bathing area at the lake, which offer shade and direct access to the lake.

Distance

18 km

Here you can choose from 3 paths: a path through the Svartådalen valley, which is 16 km long, the standard route over Geithetta at 1,352 m, which is 18 km long, and a path Trollhetta, with 3 peaks, the highest of which sits at 1,616 m, this path is 20 km long. The path towards Trollhetta splits off early on. Afterwards, at a bridge near a large waterfall, the climb begins, which continues until very close to the end of the stage, after which the path descends steeply and continuously.

The path runs along a mountain stream with a large waterfall and rapids on the left side, until reaching 62.8290839.2391675 Trollheimshytta. Near Trollheimshytta, there are several camping spots by the mountain stream a little further on. A few by a small mountain stream and more by the larger mountain stream with a bridge.

Distance

29 km

After the mountain stream, a swamp begins, which continues for around 5 km, until the path finally begins to ascend above the treeline. Several cabins can be seen in the swamp, and there are several opportunities for taking a swim. Above the tree line, 3 lakes appeared one after the other. At the second lake is the halfway point, and after that, the trail starts to descend, with a small scramble down at a few points, which demands caution, but is generally not technical. The final descent of the stage is much steeper, and runs along sloping rock faces, which seem to have been part of a waterfall, which is now dried up. The last part is on a gravel road toward 62.7814928.8747866 Kårvatn.

Distance

13 km

Although this stage is short, there is a large amount of elevation change, which makes it a strenuous route. The first few kilometers are on a gravel road, with signage only given in the opposite direction. The trail then turns left into the forest. Here a climb begins, fairly constant until the saddle, Bjøråskaret, is reached. Near the saddle, snowfields linger, even in summer. From the ridge, both mountain peaks can be climbed. The path, however, goes down on the other side and offers sweeping view of several waterfalls and mountains peaks. After descending below the treeline, the trail follows a waterfall that has washed away part of the path, which joins the much larger rapids running into Innerdalen. The path follows the river down into the 62.7311118.7452787 Innerdalen valley.

Here there are two options for accomodation, 62.7217228.7751398 Innerdalshytta and 62.7236148.7657399 Renndølsetra. Renndølsetra is the recommended place to stay by tent, with the lakeshore being one of the most scenic camping spots in Norway. Trees offer shade here as well. At Innerdalshytta, camping options are much more sparse.

Distance

24 km

Here there are two options to choose from, the standard route past Langvatnet, or through the Innerdalsporten valley, which is 22 km. From Innerdalen, the path goes up on the other side of the mountain stream you've walked past the previous day. After an initial steep ascent, the trail continues past Langvatnet, topping out at the saddle Medskaret, where the trail joins the trail through Innerdalsporten. After reaching Medskaret, the path descends to Tovatnet. In the middle of the lake, there is a peninsula next to a beach, unfortunately without good camping on the peninsula, but plenty near the lake shore itself. The path continues towards a short gravel road past a hydroelectric power plant to the second beach.

After a short walk over uneven terrain, you reach 62.6936959.09361710 Storli. 62.6932219.09855211 Bortistu Gjestegard offers an icecream and soda break, as well as an amazing restaurant and lodging options. A 4 km roadwalk leads from here to 62.6802589.15086212 Bårdsgarden.

Distance

28 km

From Bårdsgarden, the path to 62.7134019.19525513 Vassendsetra is 6 km. It starts with an uphill climb, alternating between an unpaved road and a hiking trail. Then down over a swamp. Just before reaching Vassendsetra, there is a waterfall with a bridge, which offers an excellent shower/bathing spot. The cabin itself is unmanned and requires a DNT key. There is a water hose available behind the cabin.

From here, you can either continue the standard route over Riaren, which takes 22 km, or take the trail that passes alongside of Gjevilvatnet, which takes 13 km. The second option is shorter, but entirely below the treeline, and has plenty of rocky/swampy sections which are time consuming. There are also several waterfalls on the way, so no need to worry about water supplies here.