5 ways to embrace the great outdoors in Norway, from hiking to log cabin stays

Norwegians live by the concept of friluftsliv — literally, ‘open-air living’. The commitment manifests itself in hiking, cross-country skiing, camping and almost any other outdoor activity you can think of, year-round. It’s common to see locals tramping through the snow on a December night, head torches ablaze. Conversely, the midnight sun that illuminates the northern part of the country in the summer means that staying outdoors all night is an option in the warmer months. The term ‘friluftsliv’ was first used by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, in his 1859 poem On the Heights, in which a farmer shuns civilisation for life in the mountains. A 2023 survey by market research company Kantar TNS found that nine out of 10 Norwegians claim an interest in it as a leisure activity.

1. Long-distance hiking

Few countries are as hiker-friendly as Norway, which has well-maintained paths, a right to roam across nearly all of the countryside and a network of comfortable cabins for overnight adventures. It has epic multi-day walking trails, which many Norwegians consider to be rites of passage. These include the week-long Norge På Tvers (Norway Across), which traverses the country for 75 miles from Stjørdal in the west to the Swedish border in the east via river crossings and glacial valleys populated by reindeer herds. If you don’t have time for this, try the three-day Trekanten route (35 miles). It connects three huts in the Trollheim region in central Norway, and reveals mountain summits and shimmering lake views along the way.

2. Kayaking

Norway’s coastline is the second longest in the world, rippled with fjords and ornamented with hundreds of thousands of islands. The best way to experience it is at surface level, in command of your own kayak. You could spend a lifetime exploring the fjords, and plenty of operators offer day trips, but for something different, head to the Lofoten archipelago in northern Norway. Stretching for 100 miles, it’s home to many of the country’s most paradisiacal beaches — some of which, with their ivory sand and coral reefs, look positively tropical. Lofoten Arctic Adventures offers year-round guided tours through the archipelago’s inlets, fjords and harbours, giving you the chance to spot seals, eagles and maybe even whales.

3. Cross-country skiing

The national sport is cross-country skiing: strapping on a pair of skis, grabbing a set of poles and schlepping across the snow. It’s particularly impressive in Jotunheimen National Park, the storied ‘Land of the Giants’, famed for its vertiginous mountain scenery. It has thousands of miles of marked, maintained trails, ranging from gentle routes in the valleys to more challenging ones at higher altitudes. The cross-country ski season runs between November and May, when the snow is consistently deep; visit in spring for long days that let you make the most of the sweeping mountain views. The village of Beitostølen is a good place for beginners to find their ski legs, with a mix of forest, valley and hillside trails.

4. Cycling

Norway is an extremely bike-friendly country. Urban areas are well served by cycle lanes, while the countryside has plenty of trails and downhill mountain-biking parks. Seasoned cyclists have long tested themselves on Norway’s mountain roads, but there are plenty of more accessible trails, too — and e-bikes have made things easier for the less steely-thighed. The country’s best-known cycle route is the Rallarvegen, which follows the path of the Bergen Railway from Finse to Flåm in the south west of the country. Covering 51 miles, the trail is reasonably easy and takes in glaciers, rivers teeming with salmon and trout, and views over fjords and mountains. Haugastol offers rental bike pick-up and drop-off locations at various points along the trail.

5. Staying in the woods

Friluftsliv is about gently immersing yourself in nature just as much as it is about getting active. A fine way to enjoy it is to combine it with hyttekos — ‘cabin cosiness’. Around half of the Norwegian population own a cabin, which they retreat to in the summer months for leisurely walks, river fishing and woodland meditation. Just as important as any outdoor pursuit is the downtime at the end of the day: gathering around a fire, enjoying a meal and relaxing with family and friends. There are cabins for rent all over the country. For something really out of the way, try Øvergården, a log cabin on Leka. The rocky island off Norway’s central coast is famed for a landscape strewn with unusual yellow and red rocks.