How hard it is
Pulpit Rock hike difficulty, in the words of the ten guided listings on this site: a moderate climb of about 500 metres, fairly steep at the start, with four to six hours of walking. This page sets out what each listing says about fitness, footwear and the steep parts, and which hike fits your pace, from $136 per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. The Pulpit Rock hike difficulty is moderate by the listings’ own rating: “a good fitness level is needed”, on a trail that is “well-developed but still fairly steep”. For most people the $167 hike with pickup, our top pick, is the one to book: groups of up to 8 and a guide who talks you through the trail before you start. Unsure of your stamina? The private hike at $469 per person sets the pace to your fitness level.
The rating
Moderate is the word the listings use, and none of them grades the climb any higher.
Six of the ten listings put the Pulpit Rock hike difficulty into words. The day hike with pickup is “rated to moderate difficulty, a good fitness level is needed. Please consider your stamina before booking.” The boat-and-hike combo “requires a moderate level of fitness”. The private hike asks for “a decent level of fitness”, and the two-day trip with Kjerag says simply “Physical fitness required”.
Two listings grade by experience rather than by fitness. The quieter-trail hike calls the route “moderate for those new to hiking”, and the $145 winter hike adds that “some hiking experience is desirable, but not mandatory”. Side by side, the Preikestolen hike difficulty rating lands on moderate, and none of the six puts it any higher.
The other four do not grade the climb. The hike with a local guide describes it instead: the trail “starts 270 meters above the sea level and in the beginning is fairly steep, but overall a nice walk”. That is the honest middle of the Pulpit Rock hike difficulty: the hard part comes first.
The climb in sections
Each point comes from a listing, so together they map the Pulpit Rock hike difficulty from the car park to the rock and back down.
The trail is fairly steep in the beginning, says the hike with a local guide. The quieter route opens the same way, with a “short, steep climb from the car park”.
The boat-and-hike combo gives “500 meters of elevation over an 8 km trail that is well-developed but still fairly steep”. The quieter trail climbs around 500 m too, over 9 km round trip.
About 4 hours round trip with a local guide; 2.5 hours up and 2 back at sunrise; 2 to 3 hours each way in winter; 5 to 6 hours on the quieter trail, counting photo and lunch breaks.
Preikestolen stands 604 metres (1,982 feet) above the Lysefjord, and the hike with pickup plans its lunch break with the fjord in view.
The $145 winter hike warns that the “trail may become slippery in some of the more demanding areas”, and supplies crampons if the conditions require it.
The two-day trip adds a second guided hike to Kjerag, with cliffs “soaring 1,000 meters above the fjord”. That listing is not recommended for those with fear of heights.
On the trail
Open rock, a dark start and a rest on the way.
Long, uneven slabs of bare rock with a lake below.
A staircase of boulders lit by headlamps. The sunrise hike sets off very early in the morning and lends headlamps and hiking poles.
Two hikers sit on a rock above a wooded valley and a lake. Reviewers mention time to rest; on group days the pace is the group’s.
Fitness and pace
The listings use three phrases: “a good fitness level”, “a decent level of fitness” and “a moderate level of fitness”. None of them names a distance you should manage beforehand, and the listings give no minimum age. What they do give is time: about 2.5 hours up on the hike with pickup and at sunrise, and about two hours back down. That is the Pulpit Rock hike difficulty in plain terms: a few hours uphill with stops, then the same ground in reverse.
Pace is where the choice of hike changes your day. On the private hike “your guide adapts the experience to your fitness level”. The 4-hour hike from the basecamp near the trail lets you walk at your own pace and pick a route, though its listing describes “hikes in the area surrounding Preikestolen”, either based on your preferences or along one of its recommended routes to the rock, and it has no transfer from Stavanger.
On group days the pace is the group’s. Six of the ten hikes are limited to 8 participants, the basecamp hike to 10 and the boat-and-hike combo to 12. The hike with a local guide gives no group limit.
In their own words
Word for word from reviews on the listings: one person’s day, not a promise about yours.
“Rocky in parts and steep too. But it’s doable if you are half fit.” On the hike with a local guide.
“…3 main points of steep incline steps followed by “flat” areas (still some incline but not as intense)…” Also on the hike with a local guide.
“I will recommend this to physically fit people with a desire to enjoy the vastness of nature.” On the hike with pickup.
“Hiking wasn’t too hard if you have some experience in winter hiking.” On the winter boat-and-hike day.
Every hike, current fare
All ten listings, lowest fare first. The effort column quotes each listing.
| Hike | Price | Length | What the listing says about effort | What the price covers | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hike with a local guide | $136 | 6 hours | “Fairly steep” at first, “overall a nice walk” | Bus ride from the Stavanger cruise terminal, local guide, some snacks | 4.8 · 524 |
| Winter hike | $145 | 9 hours | Some hiking experience “desirable, but not mandatory”; slippery in places | Pickup at 7:15 AM, ferry crossing, guide, crampons if the conditions require | 4.3 · 4 |
| Hike from the basecamp | $157 | 4 hours | “Walk at your own pace” | Local guide from the basecamp near the trail; no transfer from Stavanger | 4.6 · 5 |
| Hike with pickup (our top pick) | $167 | 7 hours | “Moderate difficulty, a good fitness level is needed” | Pickup at your Stavanger accommodation, guide, group of up to 8 | 4.8 · 446 |
| Quieter trail | $177 | 7 hours | “Moderate for those new to hiking”; 9 km, 500 m | Pickup in Stavanger or Sandnes, guide, group of up to 8 | 5.0 · 21 |
| Sunrise hike | $271 | 8.5 hours | Not stated; 2.5 h up, about 2 h down | Pickup in Stavanger, guide, headlamps, hiking poles, breakfast buffet | 5.0 · 3 |
| Boat-and-hike combo | $281 | 7 hours | “A moderate level of fitness”; 8 km, 500 m | RIB boat out, minibus back, guide, group of up to 12 | 4.8 · 29 |
| Winter boat-and-hike day | $292 | 9 hours | Not stated | Fjord boat trip, guide, winter hike gear, lunchpack, minibus | 4.7 · 20 |
| Private hike | $469 | 7 hours | “A decent level of fitness”; pace adapted to you | Private pickup from your accommodation or the airport, your own guide | 5.0 · 3 |
| Two days with Kjerag | $1,045 | 2 days | “Physical fitness required”; not for fear of heights | Two guided hikes, fjord boat trip, night in Lysebotn, dinner and breakfast | 5.0 · 2 |
What to bring
Only one listing makes boots a requirement. This is what the others ask for or supply.
The hike with a local guide recommends hiking shoes. The $145 winter hike goes further: hiking boots are required, and can be rented when booking.
The same local-guide listing asks for wind and rain trousers, a wind and rain jacket, a woollen inner layer top and bottom, a knitted hat and a pair of gloves.
Bring food for the day, says the hike with a local guide, even though some snacks are included. The winter hike asks for your own snack, a refillable bottle and warm, windproof, waterproof clothing.
Headlamps and hiking poles on the sunrise hike; winter hike gear on the $292 winter boat-and-hike day; crampons if the conditions require it on the $145 winter hike.
Want the route itself laid out: distance, climb and the steep sections, listing by listing?
The trail, section by section→Matching hike to fitness
The Pulpit Rock hike difficulty is the same rock for everyone; what changes is the pace, the group and what you carry.
The $167 hike with pickup, our top pick: rated moderate, groups of up to 8, and at the basecamp your guide shares insights about the trail and the expected conditions.
The private hike at $469 per person sets the pace to your fitness level, with pickup from your accommodation in Stavanger or from the airport.
The $136 hike with a local guide: about 4 hours of walking round trip, fairly steep at first, snacks included.
The $177 trail: 9 km with around 500 m of climbing and 5 to 6 hours on foot, rated moderate for those new to hiking.
The $1,045 trip with Kjerag asks for physical fitness and is not recommended for those with fear of heights.
The verdict
The Pulpit Rock hike difficulty is moderate, and the listings mean it: a fairly steep start, about 500 metres of climbing and four to six hours of walking. They ask for a good fitness level and hiking shoes. Book the $167 hike with pickup, our top pick, for a group of eight and a guide who briefs you on the trail. Choose the private hike if you want the pace set to you.
Book direct
Four answers to the Pulpit Rock hike difficulty question, with live prices and ratings.
★ 4.8 · 446 reviews
★ 4.8 · 524 reviews
★ 5.0 · 21 reviews
★ 5.0 · 3 reviews
Common questions
Moderate. The hike with pickup is “rated to moderate difficulty, a good fitness level is needed”, and the boat-and-hike combo “requires a moderate level of fitness”. None of the listings that grade the climb puts it above moderate.
The quieter-trail listing rates it moderate for those new to hiking, and the $145 winter hike says some hiking experience is desirable, but not mandatory. The hike with pickup asks you to consider your stamina before booking. The listings give no minimum age.
In parts. The trail “in the beginning is fairly steep”, says the hike with a local guide, and the boat-and-hike combo calls it “well-developed but still fairly steep” over 8 km.
About 500 metres. The boat-and-hike combo gives 500 meters over an 8 km trail, and the quieter route climbs around 500 m (1,600 ft) over 9 km. The rock itself stands 604 metres above the Lysefjord.
Boots are required only on the $145 winter hike, and can be rented when booking. The hike with a local guide recommends hiking shoes.
The winter hike warns the trail “may become slippery in some of the more demanding areas”. Both winter hikes supply traction: crampons if the conditions require it on the $145 hike, and spikes and other seasonal equipment if needed on the $292 boat-and-hike day.
Go deeper
From Stavanger: Pulpit Rock Guided Hike with Pickup
★ 4.8 · 446 reviews · 7 hours