Avoid Crowds at Preikestolen

Every time I have visitors in Norway, I dread the day (usually a Saturday or Sunday) when they say: let's go up Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock ! I am not a big fan of crowds on trails, in fact I hate them quite a bit. However, the hike is a MUST DO for visitors and so I have two tips for people who would like to avoid hiking behind tourists in flip flops:

1. Stay at the camp site down below the night before and hike up really early. Most tourists don't arrive until 9.30am on the first ferry, so if you set off around 8am (or even early, sun rise is at 4.00 am in the summer, so there is plenty of light) you should have enough time to get up there before everyone else.

The first part of the hike is quite steep, but there will be flat(ish) stretches in between. There are some water sources on the way but I recommend you start the hike with full bottles. I have done the hike in different seasons now and several times it was so cold that all the water sources had frozen over!

When you get towards the top you can obviously go straight to the rock if you want to take pictures that will give your parents a heart attack- but there is also a pretty sweet spot that you can go to if you happen to get there later in the day, when the rock tends to get overcrowded, so this is my suggestion

1. As you go back the same path you came there are some huge boulders to the right. If you make your way over to them and scramble over you will find the sweetest and calmest spot to enjoy the view of the Lysefjord and the mountains. It is incredible but most people are too touristy to go there, they just want the picture on the edge but are not that bothered to enjoy the beautiful uninterrupted scenery. It's my favorite lunch and nap spot, so if you like an amazing view away from the crowds, give it a try :-)