Hiking 85 Miles Alone in the Lofoten Islands
Kraig AdamsJul 5–12, 2026 · Solo
- Days
- 6 walking days
- Cost
- buses are priced by zone, and fares add up
- Lodging
- Tent
Europe · Norway
Lofoten Islands
Lofoten Islands, Norway
- Distance
- 84.8 mi136.4 km
- Days
- 6 days6 walking days
- Elevation gain
- 17,858 ft5,443 m
- High point
- 1,985 ft605 m
- Season
- Summer
- Lodging
- Tent
Hikes / Europe / Lofoten Islands
In July 2026 I spent six days hiking alone across the Lofoten Islands in Norway. I got off the overnight ferry at Moskenes, walked about 85 miles with a tent, and finished at a bus stop on the E10 near Borg, on Vestvågøy. Along the way I took a boat across the Reinefjord, rode a lot of buses, slept in a hotel and two rented rooms, and sat out two days of storms.
Kraig Adams
Effort at this pace: Very hard · about 14 mi (23 km) and 2,976 ft (907 m) of climbing a day over 6 days, up to 1,985 ft (605 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.
Where these numbers come from
From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.
From Kraig Adams's GPS
The route, day by day
Elevation0–1,978 ft84.7 mi
From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (Kartverket, EU-DEM) on AWS · Rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors
Tap a day for his map of it
Download GPX2.1 MB · free
Each day and variant (7 files)
- Day 1: Moskenes to Å (14.0 mi / 22.5 km) 325 KB
- Day 2, before the boat: Å to Vindstad (10.5 mi / 16.9 km) 282 KB
- Day 2, after the boat: Kjerkfjorden to Horseid (2.1 mi / 3.4 km) 56 KB
- Day 3: Horseid to Fredvang kryss (12.7 mi / 20.4 km) 328 KB
- Day 4: Skjellfjord kryss to Napp (21.0 mi / 33.8 km) 484 KB
- Day 5: Gravdal to Lauvdalen (19.9 mi / 32.0 km) 525 KB
- Day 6: Lauvdalen to Sletteng kryss (4.7 mi / 7.5 km) 135 KB
The film
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Hiking 85 Miles Alone in the Lofoten Islands
Before you go
The basics
- Start
- Moskenes ferry terminal (ferry from Bodø)
- Finish
- Sletteng kryss bus stop on the E10, near Borg, Vestvågøy
- Usual difficulty
- Tough: long days, mud, some road walking, and weather that decides everything
- Best time
- Summer. I went in July; the midnight sun lasts until about July 17
- Permits
- No permit. Norway's right to roam lets you camp in open country at least 150 m from houses, up to two nights in one spot. Summer no-tent zones around Reine, Vindstad, Å and other busy spots; no tents at Haukland all year
- Getting there
- What I did. I flew from New York to Bodø via Helsinki on Finnair ($898.60, booked in April). In Bodø I bought groceries at Coop Prix on Storgata, and hiking food and a stove fuel canister at the Circle K on Olav V gate. I took the 10 p.m. ferry and got to Moskenes at 1:30 a.m., then walked to Moskenes Camping and pitched my tent under the midnight sun.
Nearest airport: Bodø (then the ferry); home from Harstad/Narvik (Evenes) - Lodging
- Tent
From Kraig Adams's guide
Costs and gear
What Kraig carried
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 2400 · Arc’teryx Beta AR Jacket · Nitecore NB20000 · Nitecore NU20 Classic · my tent, sleeping bag and pad · a gas stove with a canister bought in Bodø, a pot with a long spoon, a soft water bottle · NEMO Hornet Elite OSMO 1P · Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT and 14 more.
From Kraig Adams's guide
Safety
Rescue numbers
- Emergency numbers. 113 for medical emergencies, 112 for police, 110 for fire. For urgent medical help that isn't an emergency, call 116 117 (the out-of-hours doctor, free). Know your location, or read it off your GPS app.
Phone signal
- I used a data eSIM.
- My records don't show where it worked on the trail, so carry offline maps and don't count on signal in the hills.
Insurance
- A GHIC or EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance.
- Get travel insurance that suits your trip, including the hiking you plan.
Bail-out points
- Day 1, Moskenes to Å. You're never far from the E10 today. Buses (lines 300 and 742) stop at Å, Sørvågen and the Moskenes ferry terminal.
- Day 2, Å to Horseid. Before Munkebu, walk back down to Sørvågen. After Munkebu, keep going to Vindstad and take the boat to Reine, which is on the E10 (lines 300 and 742). From Horseid the way out is back to Kjerkfjorden for the boat, or on over the pass on Day 3.
- Day 3, Horseid to Fredvang kryss. Before the pass, go back to Kjerkfjorden for the boat. After the pass, head for the road at Selfjorden. The whole second half follows roads to Fredvang kryss, where lines 300 and 742 stop.
- Day 4, Skjellfjord kryss to Napp. This is the day to shorten. From Nusfjord, walk north to the Nusfjord kryss bus stop on the E10 (lines 300, 742 and 771). That makes it about 13.5 miles.
- Day 5, Gravdal to Lauvdalen. Until Hol you're on roads near Leknes. In the hills, the surest way out is back the way you came, to Hol and Leknes.
- Day 6, Lauvdalen to Sletteng kryss. You're on a road almost the whole way. Sletteng kryss is the bus stop.
From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
Creators who've done it
1 creator so far: Kraig, 6 days, about $2,700, tent.
Hiking 85 Miles Alone in the Lofoten Islands
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Typical: 6 walking days (the hike's facts).
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Answered from the data
Questions people ask
How many days do you need for Lofoten Islands?
I walked 6 days and took 2 rest days for storms, 8 days from the ferry to the last bus. At a normal pace, plan 8 walking days for the same line, plus a spare day or two for weather.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How much does Lofoten Islands cost?
More than you expect. The buses out here are expensive; I've never seen more expensive buses, other than maybe Iceland. Food and hotels are too. I called it "brutally expensive, might have even beat Switzerland on prices." One hotel night in Leknes was $223 and a fish dinner in Å was NOK 597. My flights plus my card spending on the ground came to about $2,700. See what I paid.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
When is the best time to hike Lofoten Islands?
Summer. I went July 5 to 12, 2026. The midnight sun lasts from about May 27 to July 17 at Moskenes, but the weather decides everything, so build in spare days.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Where do you sleep hiking across Lofoten?
Mostly in a tent. Norway's right to roam lets you camp at least 150 m from any house or cabin, but Lofoten has summer no-tent zones around Reine, Vindstad, Å and other busy spots. I also used Moskenes Camping and rooms in Leknes and Gravdal.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How do you get to the start of the Lofoten hike?
I flew to Bodø and took the ferry to Moskenes, which was free for foot passengers in 2026. Buy stove fuel in Bodø, since you can't fly with gas canisters.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How do the buses work in Lofoten?
Buy tickets in the Reis app or pay by bank card on board for a bit more; the buses and boats haven't taken cash since March 2026. Line 300, the Lofotekspressen, runs along the E10 and on to Harstad/Narvik Airport.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.