Hjorundfjord Hike: Slogen and the Sunnmøre Alps

• Top choice RIB Hjørundfjord safari from US$157 Duration105 minutes^[4]Rating4.88 from 150 reviews^[4]GuideLive guide in EnglishStopsHjørundfjordenCancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[4] Check availability
• Hjørundfjord cruise from US$115 Duration5 hours^[6]Rating4.58 from 282 reviews^[6]GuideLive guide in EnglishStopsHjørundfjorden, Trandal, Saebo, Urke, ØyeCancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[6] See this tour
• Geirangerfjord RIB from US$104 Duration1 hour^[7]Rating4.94 from 238 reviews^[7]GuideLive guide in EnglishStopsHellesylt, Seven Sisters, Friaren, GeirangerfjordCancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[7] See this tour

Why the Hjørundfjord suits hikers

The Hjørundfjord cuts a long, narrow line through some of the sharpest mountains in western Norway, and it stretches for 35km.^[2] The water is salt, the walls are steep, and the summits above belong to the Sunnmøre Alps, a range of jagged peaks, grassy shoulders and side valleys that run down to small farm settlements. A walk here usually starts at sea level and climbs straight into the mountain, with the fjord in view behind you as you gain height.

Villages sit on the fjord rather than beside a main road, and that shapes the trip. You arrive by boat, sleep in a village, cross the water in the morning and start a route on the other side. For a walking holiday it is a simple rhythm of short boat hops instead of long drives, with a different set of paths every day. Some jetties are little more than a concrete edge and a sign, which is part of the appeal.

The range is high enough to hold snow into the early season, and the lower slopes mix birch wood, grass and the remains of old summer farms. Paths run from gentle valley walks to long, steep summit climbs. That range of options means the fjord works for a mixed group as much as for a determined peak bagger, so one half of a family can take a ridge while the other follows a lakeside track and everyone meets at the same jetty later.

The Slogen hike in the Sunnmøre Alps

Slogen is the classic objective above the Hjørundfjord. It stands 1,564 meters high in the Sunnmøre Alps, with a pyramid shape that plunges directly into Norangsfjord, an arm of the Hjørundfjord.^[1] From the water the profile is unmistakable, a sharp triangle of rock and grass rising straight out of the fjord, and picking it out from the deck of a boat is one of the pleasures of a day here.

The climb is long rather than technical, but it is a proper mountain day. You start low, work up through birch and grass, and the ridge above steepens into rock and exposed ground, narrowing near the top. Wet or windy weather makes that upper section serious rather than pleasant. The reward is a summit view over the whole fjord system, taken in while you eat something and watch the cloud build behind the next valley.

Give Slogen its own day and keep a spare one for it. Cloud can sit on the ridge while the fjord below is sunny, and the summit view is what people remember afterwards. Start early, turn back if the rock is wet or the wind is strong, and treat the upper mountain with more respect than the low valleys need. There is nothing clever about pressing on when the weather turns; the fjord will still be there on the next dry morning.

Morning light on the Sunnmøre Alps above the Hjørundfjord

Other walks and quiet corners

Not every day needs a summit. In Norangsdal, a rock fall from Keipen in 1908 formed Lygnstøylvatnet, and beneath the water you can still see remains of the old road, farmhouse foundations and a gateway.^[9] A flat path runs through the valley past the lake, and the sunken farm landscape gives the walk an unusual, hushed feel that stays with you longer than its short distance suggests.

At Øye, Hotel Union Øye was established in 1891 and gained fame when the aristocracy and luminaries of Europe came looking for nature without giving up luxury and comfort.^[10] Walking through the village you pass jetties and buildings where travellers have arrived by water for a very long time.

Lower routes follow farm tracks and old lanes between villages such as Urke, Sæbø and Trandal. Some end at a jetty, so you can walk one way and take a boat back. These are good half days when the cloud is low, or when legs need something gentler after a summit the day before, and they are also the easiest way to see how life along the fjord actually works.

Boats to the trailheads

In summer there is an express boat service from Ålesund to Øye that stops at Trandal, Sæbø and Urke.^[3] That puts the fjord villages within a straightforward boat ride of the town, and it makes a point-to-point walk possible without a car. Check times before you commit to a route that finishes at a jetty far from your bed for the night.

If you drive, there are ferry crossings between Ytre Standal, Trandal, Sæbø, Skår and Leknes.^[3] A car gets you to valley roads and lets you link trailheads at your own pace, while the ferries and the express boat keep a day on the water simple. Between them you have plenty of choices, so a car is a convenience rather than a necessity.

For a faster look at the fjord, the RIB Ålesund - Fjordsafari Hjørundfjord takes 105 minutes, runs with a live guide in English and stops at Hjørundfjorden.^[4] The boat is quick and open, so you feel the fjord rather than watching it through a window. It makes a good rest day between walking days, and it shows you the valley walls from the water before you climb them.

Weather and when to walk

Ålesund has an oceanic climate, with cold, rainy winters and cool summers.^[5] On the fjord you feel that in the wind and the sudden showers, and the mountains make their own cloud on top of it. Pack for rain as the default and treat any dry spell as a bonus.

Summer brings the boat services, including the express boat from Ålesund to Øye with its Trandal, Sæbø and Urke stops, and it brings the longest days, which suits a long climb such as Slogen.^[3] Outside that season the walking is quieter and the light shorter, so plan shorter routes and start earlier in the day.

Whatever the forecast says, expect change. A calm jetty can turn into a gusty ridge within an hour, and cloud often hides the summits while the water below stays clear. Leave room in the plan for a wasted morning and a brilliant afternoon, and decide on the day which ridge or valley gets your boots.

Sunnmøre Alps hiking: what to pack and expect

Layers work better than one heavy jacket. Take a waterproof shell, a warm mid layer, gloves, a hat and boots with real grip for wet grass and rock. Many paths are steep and grassy, and a loose step near a summit is where grip earns its keep. Cotton is a poor friend on a wet fjord day; wool or synthetic layers keep working when they are damp.

Carry water, food, a map and a charged phone, and tell someone your route and your return time; mobile coverage between the fjord walls can be patchy. A head net for midges, a dry bag for spare layers and a small first aid kit are all light enough to be worth the space in your pack.

Boat rides, spray and rain all end up in the same boots by evening, so a spare pair of socks and a dry layer at the bottom of your pack are small luxuries with a big effect. If you are heading out with a guide or joining a boat, keep your wet gear separate so the rest of your kit stays dry for the next day.

Adding a fjord safari to the walking

The RIB Ålesund - Fjordsafari Hjørundfjord takes 105 minutes and stops at Hjørundfjorden, with a live guide in English.^[4] It is rated 4.88 from 150 reviews, starts from US$157, and offers free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.^[4] As a rest day it works nicely: you see the same walls you have been climbing, only from below.

Wildlife is part of the appeal. Harbour porpoises are the fjord's most common cetaceans, appearing singly or in small groups as they hunt fish near the surface.^[8] Watch the water between villages, because a moving patch of surface is often the first sign, and the animals themselves are gone again in a breath.

Other sailings suit other days. The Hjørundfjord Fjord Cruise roundtrip from Ålesund takes 5 hours and calls at Hjørundfjorden, Trandal, Saebo, Urke and Øye, from US$115, and the RIB Hellesylt Geirangerfjord safari takes 1 hour from US$104.^[6][7] The Fjordsafari with RIB to Hjørundfjord, run with Uteguiden.com, takes 2 hours from US$158.^[11] A slower cruise is kind to tired legs; a RIB is quicker, colder and more exposed to the weather.

Plan the Hjørundfjord hike

1. Choose your trailhead

   Villages along the fjord sit below the Sunnmøre Alps, and boats from Ålesund stop at Trandal, Sæbø and Urke on the way to Øye.^[3]

2. Read the mountain

   Slogen is 1,564 meters of pyramid above Norangsfjord, an arm of the Hjørundfjord. Allow a full day and an early start.^[1]

3. Pack for rain

   Ålesund has an oceanic climate with cold, rainy winters and cool summers; a waterproof shell belongs in your pack on any fjord walk.^[5]

4. Book the water

   The RIB Ålesund - Fjordsafari Hjørundfjord takes 105 minutes and stops at Hjørundfjorden.^[4]

5. Keep a spare day

   Fjord cloud can settle on the summits; build one flexible day into the trip so a good weather window is never wasted.

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