There are actually more than just 7 mountains in Bergen to hike, but the so-called 7 Mountain hike includes the mountains Damsgårdsfjellet, Fløyen, Lyderhorn, Løvstakken, Rundemanen, Sandviksfjellet, Ulriken. To date, I´ve regularly walked or hiked up/around/down Fløyen, Sandviksfjellet, Ulriken, partially unknowingly Løvstakken. Soon, when time, and hopefully before winter sets in with ice-covered steep paths, I hope to hike Løvstakken from the bottom starting point near the grocery store hiking sign arrow! The number 10 Mulen-Wergeland/new route bus I hope still goes past. Will see hopefully this week. Sure it runs close enough....
http://ut.no/tur/fjellveien-–-stoltzekleiven-–-fløyen
Løvstakken tur season runs April to October, best time. As it´s already September, will get a rush on,). will try this week if time, then post photos.
Løvstakken is about 1564 feet above sealevel. It´s a nice mountain, high for here, but a low mountain to me, as I am used to living in the Colorado mountain towns, which even in town were over 7000 feet above sea level. I like the mountains here, very easy access, but what I would call foothills. Still any chance I get, I like to have a hike up or down or across them. I like not having to deal with altitude sickness, as I would often get for weeks in Colorado when commuting to and from other cities, such as NYC, London, and L.A. Here the mountains are lower, atleast the ones clearly directly surrounding Bergen, that altitude sickness, either in the mountains or town does not to my knowledge pose a problem. There is also no problem, as in Colorado, of extreme static electricity shock when touching anything, due to the lack of oxygen in the air! Another good thing about living here--all the outdoors and nature you can enjoy, mountains, sea, beaches, forest, city....yet none of the negatives, like altitude sickness, lack of public transportation, zero cell phone reception areas, static shock when touching anything metal or doors or shaking hands. Sometimes it´s even hot, blue skies and snowy--one of my fave things about Colorado!:)
As Colorado, most trails here are not marked, or lined with safety rails. You can get maps, and many trails have red marks. It can be easy to get lost even on local mountains, even for locals, but on the other hand there are numerous very public marked paths which are paved, which anyone can use. They´re just usually closer into town, such as walks down from Fløyen.
Back to Løvstakken. Red marks, tiny red arrows or a tiny wooden signs nailed here and there along the trail. About two hours to the top, but it´s a trail ok for including kids. Strollers, no. But babies in backpack type seats on their parents back, or kids who are old enough to walk for a few hours (ours were old enough and with the wherewithall to WANT to and to enjoy this, from ages 3/4! Our youngest could with a bit of help along the way, such as being carried a abit sometimes, or stopping for a rest).
When taking kids, again, I can not emphasize it is fine for young kids, but you must make it enjoyable, not a chore or a getting-as-quickly-as-you-can from point A to point B. Have breaks, to stop and have an apple, for instance. Point out and discuss things along the way ya´ll see. Let the kids show you things, and tell you about things, or talk about what they like, not just you telling them things. Makes it more enjoyable for everyone, gets the kids used to this from a baby/toddler, and makes this an ordinary usual activity, rather than a chore they dred. Nothing ruins a great hike quicker than anyone in the group, especially kids, who feel it is forced upon them, and something to get through as soon as possible. I´m really glad our kids enjoy our hikes, our days of walking around the city, or the woods, or the beach, etc. And, most of all I´m glad they are like me, they want to enjoy it, not just get through it. They like to stop and see things, or enjoy or discuss things along the way. It´s a tradition my father did with me from literally the day I got home from the hospital! His first trip out with me, was swaddling me in winter woolies and blankets (as I was born in the dead of wintertime in a cold climate with about 14 feet of snow on the ground and below freezing temperatures!), put me in a red wagon, which he wheeled around our neighborhood for all our neighbors and their kids to be introduced to me:)
Løvstakken is about 1564 feet above sealevel. It´s a nice mountain, high for here, but a low mountain to me, as I am used to living in the Colorado mountain towns, which even in town were over 7000 feet above sea level. I like the mountains here, very easy access, but what I would call foothills. Still any chance I get, I like to have a hike up or down or across them. I like not having to deal with altitude sickness, as I would often get for weeks in Colorado when commuting to and from other cities, such as NYC, London, and L.A. Here the mountains are lower, atleast the ones clearly directly surrounding Bergen, that altitude sickness, either in the mountains or town does not to my knowledge pose a problem. There is also no problem, as in Colorado, of extreme static electricity shock when touching anything, due to the lack of oxygen in the air! Another good thing about living here--all the outdoors and nature you can enjoy, mountains, sea, beaches, forest, city....yet none of the negatives, like altitude sickness, lack of public transportation, zero cell phone reception areas, static shock when touching anything metal or doors or shaking hands. Sometimes it´s even hot, blue skies and snowy--one of my fave things about Colorado!:)
As Colorado, most trails here are not marked, or lined with safety rails. You can get maps, and many trails have red marks. It can be easy to get lost even on local mountains, even for locals, but on the other hand there are numerous very public marked paths which are paved, which anyone can use. They´re just usually closer into town, such as walks down from Fløyen.
Back to Løvstakken. Red marks, tiny red arrows or a tiny wooden signs nailed here and there along the trail. About two hours to the top, but it´s a trail ok for including kids. Strollers, no. But babies in backpack type seats on their parents back, or kids who are old enough to walk for a few hours (ours were old enough and with the wherewithall to WANT to and to enjoy this, from ages 3/4! Our youngest could with a bit of help along the way, such as being carried a abit sometimes, or stopping for a rest).
When taking kids, again, I can not emphasize it is fine for young kids, but you must make it enjoyable, not a chore or a getting-as-quickly-as-you-can from point A to point B. Have breaks, to stop and have an apple, for instance. Point out and discuss things along the way ya´ll see. Let the kids show you things, and tell you about things, or talk about what they like, not just you telling them things. Makes it more enjoyable for everyone, gets the kids used to this from a baby/toddler, and makes this an ordinary usual activity, rather than a chore they dred. Nothing ruins a great hike quicker than anyone in the group, especially kids, who feel it is forced upon them, and something to get through as soon as possible. I´m really glad our kids enjoy our hikes, our days of walking around the city, or the woods, or the beach, etc. And, most of all I´m glad they are like me, they want to enjoy it, not just get through it. They like to stop and see things, or enjoy or discuss things along the way. It´s a tradition my father did with me from literally the day I got home from the hospital! His first trip out with me, was swaddling me in winter woolies and blankets (as I was born in the dead of wintertime in a cold climate with about 14 feet of snow on the ground and below freezing temperatures!), put me in a red wagon, which he wheeled around our neighborhood for all our neighbors and their kids to be introduced to me:)
On our hikes, we bring/wear suitable clothing, water and/or thermos of hot drinks such as cocoa or coffee. Picnic foods, like homemade sandwiches, washed fruit/fruit salad, raw veggies cut up and/or salad. Camera. Sometimes random things depending upon the month, such as a ball to throw or kick if there will be open spaces to do so, or sleds if there will be snow and areas to sled down, for instance.
The kids usually like to collect things along the trail, such as rocks, a large stick, leaves, or whatever strikes their fancy.
This weekend our 4 year old reminded me we are not allowed to drink the water! (in the streams, as is usual to do here, as the sheep have caused giardia to be a hazard. Hence we now bring our own water for drinking, rather than bringing traditional wooden water cups to scoop out water from the rushing streams and tiny waterfalls everywhere in the mountains).
It is usual here for barnehages to take the kids on walks. So, our kids have started with me since they were babies, toddlers and older, and gone with their barnehages on walks, so they are already, at ages 2.5, 5 and 6 (oops! I forget our 4 year old is now FIVE!), very acclimated to hiking, and already very aware of safety and wilderness rules, such as fire awareness from camp fires, water safety such as not drinking from streams in case of giardia, and using firesticks (tiny dowel-shaped flints with bone or antler handles we use to start fires with).
At the top of Løvstakken there are beautiful panoramic views out towards Flesland (the airport), over Fyllingsdalen, and Bergen.
IMHO: the Main bit about this hike is that as easy as it is to walk up.....I hate the walk down, as it is difficult to find. That is still my problem here, hiking up I´m fine, but hiking down often I can not find the path! rrrr.
Even from our house, which backs up to the forest, with a natural path from the backyard, up and across and back down the mountain, as many times in all seasons as I´ve walked this, I still often end up calling on my cellphone to T to come get me! that I can´t find my way back down to exactly where I want, or am stuck off the edge of a cliff and can´t go anywhere, can´t see from the trees where to go, except that I know which direction, just from my exact location I´m on the edge of the cliff, stuck. The views are spectacular though, the hike is wonderful. I love hiking, without the ropes etc, but again, my problem is, hiking up a jagged steep cliff using tree branches and bits of scrubby heathers to grab onto to steady myself, is radically easier on the way UP, and much more difficult on the way down! Especially in the rain.
So, for Løvstakken, I´d recommend you go with a local or a damn good map or GPS that you know has the trails in exactly, so you have no problem with getting lost. Especially if you go with the kids,)
Two hours is the climb up. then you still have two hours back down again,) Getting lost is not a problem you want to be in, with kids, on the top of a mountain. In winter this will be worse, as there are only a few hours of daylight. Make sure you know where you are, and if there is a chance of walking back in the dark, have some good flashlights, extra batteries, proper clothing, food, water, and cellphones charged! Let people know where you are:)
And if you run into problems, do not be embarrassed to call for help! That is what it is there for! This is for any mountain, any hike, not just Løvstakken.
Most importantly, PLEASE do not walk along the edge of mountains to get photos! or because you don´t realize how high up you are if you fall! Pay attention to where you are. There are no railings, and that is not because there is no danger, it is because, for several reasons actually, not the least of which is people here just like their wilderness natural. It´s not just here, even when I lived in the US, the wilderness areas were natural. I often enjoyed myself, say in Amarillo, having breakfast dangling my legs over the edge, feet swinging happily eating my breakfast over an abyss, high above the canyon below, enjoying the views of hawks flying below high over the highest trees below me, stories down from my feet. I was careful, and liked that it was natural, but maybe, looking back now, I see how it could have been dangerous.
Now, when I see people dangling over some of the highest mountains in Norway, I cringe, and can barely look at it even in photographs, that they are over the edge, leaning over the edge of something so high, with nothing below! It makes me queasy, the pit in my stomach knot up,)
Guess I´m getting old,)
Enjoy the mountains, just be careful too. (yep, there´s that motherly tone: sure have fun be careful!)
The kids usually like to collect things along the trail, such as rocks, a large stick, leaves, or whatever strikes their fancy.
This weekend our 4 year old reminded me we are not allowed to drink the water! (in the streams, as is usual to do here, as the sheep have caused giardia to be a hazard. Hence we now bring our own water for drinking, rather than bringing traditional wooden water cups to scoop out water from the rushing streams and tiny waterfalls everywhere in the mountains).
It is usual here for barnehages to take the kids on walks. So, our kids have started with me since they were babies, toddlers and older, and gone with their barnehages on walks, so they are already, at ages 2.5, 5 and 6 (oops! I forget our 4 year old is now FIVE!), very acclimated to hiking, and already very aware of safety and wilderness rules, such as fire awareness from camp fires, water safety such as not drinking from streams in case of giardia, and using firesticks (tiny dowel-shaped flints with bone or antler handles we use to start fires with).
At the top of Løvstakken there are beautiful panoramic views out towards Flesland (the airport), over Fyllingsdalen, and Bergen.
IMHO: the Main bit about this hike is that as easy as it is to walk up.....I hate the walk down, as it is difficult to find. That is still my problem here, hiking up I´m fine, but hiking down often I can not find the path! rrrr.
Even from our house, which backs up to the forest, with a natural path from the backyard, up and across and back down the mountain, as many times in all seasons as I´ve walked this, I still often end up calling on my cellphone to T to come get me! that I can´t find my way back down to exactly where I want, or am stuck off the edge of a cliff and can´t go anywhere, can´t see from the trees where to go, except that I know which direction, just from my exact location I´m on the edge of the cliff, stuck. The views are spectacular though, the hike is wonderful. I love hiking, without the ropes etc, but again, my problem is, hiking up a jagged steep cliff using tree branches and bits of scrubby heathers to grab onto to steady myself, is radically easier on the way UP, and much more difficult on the way down! Especially in the rain.
So, for Løvstakken, I´d recommend you go with a local or a damn good map or GPS that you know has the trails in exactly, so you have no problem with getting lost. Especially if you go with the kids,)
Two hours is the climb up. then you still have two hours back down again,) Getting lost is not a problem you want to be in, with kids, on the top of a mountain. In winter this will be worse, as there are only a few hours of daylight. Make sure you know where you are, and if there is a chance of walking back in the dark, have some good flashlights, extra batteries, proper clothing, food, water, and cellphones charged! Let people know where you are:)
And if you run into problems, do not be embarrassed to call for help! That is what it is there for! This is for any mountain, any hike, not just Løvstakken.
Most importantly, PLEASE do not walk along the edge of mountains to get photos! or because you don´t realize how high up you are if you fall! Pay attention to where you are. There are no railings, and that is not because there is no danger, it is because, for several reasons actually, not the least of which is people here just like their wilderness natural. It´s not just here, even when I lived in the US, the wilderness areas were natural. I often enjoyed myself, say in Amarillo, having breakfast dangling my legs over the edge, feet swinging happily eating my breakfast over an abyss, high above the canyon below, enjoying the views of hawks flying below high over the highest trees below me, stories down from my feet. I was careful, and liked that it was natural, but maybe, looking back now, I see how it could have been dangerous.
Now, when I see people dangling over some of the highest mountains in Norway, I cringe, and can barely look at it even in photographs, that they are over the edge, leaning over the edge of something so high, with nothing below! It makes me queasy, the pit in my stomach knot up,)
Guess I´m getting old,)
Enjoy the mountains, just be careful too. (yep, there´s that motherly tone: sure have fun be careful!)
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