Pleikestolen

NORWAY

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Preikestolen

Preikestolen or Prekestolen, also known by the English translations of Preacher's Pulpit or Pulpit Rock, and by the old local name Hyvlatonnå, is a massive cliff 604 metres above Lysefjorden, opposite the Kjerag plateau, in Forsand, Norway. The top of the cliff is approximately 25 by 25 metres, square and almost flat, and is a famous tourist attraction in Norway.

In 2006 approximately 90,000 people took the 6-km hike to Preikestolen in the four summer months making it one of the most visited natural tourist attractions in Norway.

There is trail from the Pulpit Rock lodge through different mountain landscapes. A trip to Preikestolen from the closest car park and Norwegian Mountain Touring Associations-staffed refuge Prekestolhytta takes about 3-4 hours for a round trip hike. The parking facility and hut are about 1 hours from Stavanger city by ferry and car.

The walk to Preikestolen is partly very steep. The path starts at the Preikestolhytta Youth Hostel at a height of approximately 270 metres, and climbs to 604 metres. The trip is estimated to 2 hours, but that is with children and/or many pauses. It can be completed in 1 hour by experienced hikers. Even though the height difference is only 330 metres, and on the map the trip is only 3.8km (each way), the actual hike is much more as the path goes up and down various ridges.