Norwegian Mountains

Husdalsfjellet, 734m
Hiklettane, 591m

Fylke/Kommune : Hordaland/Lindås
Maps : 1216-III Stanghelle (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
Primary factor : Husdalsfjellet: 202m
Primary factor : Hiklettane: 137m
Hiked : Apr 2001,Aug 2004
See also : Austlendingen
Husdalsfjellet

Husdalsfjellet

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Introduction

From a mountain perspective, the large massif above the Eikefet tunnel separates Nordhordland from the Masfjorden/Matre/Stølsheimen mountains. The main summit on this massif is known as "Austlendingen". Husdalsfjellet is the southern part of this massif, while Hiklettane is a more anonymous hump on the east side of Husdalsfjellet. While Austlendingen is perhaps normally hiked from the Eikefet tunnel entrance (Nordhordland side), Husdalsfjellet and Hiklettane are normally hiked from Molvik. Austlendingen may also be reached from Molvik, but this is a long route.

While the hike to Hiklettane is quite trivial from Molvik, Husdalsfjellet is perhaps not straighforward. One route runs up the pass between Mulskollen and Husdalsfjellet, and continues to Husdalsfjellet from the south. The path is vague, there is a river crossing (don't know if there is a bridge) and the terrain up to the Husdalsfjellet plateau is complex at times. Accessing Husdalsfjellet from the north is easier, provided you find the right route on grass up the north ridge. Both routes are described on this page.

Primary factor:

(Updated Dec 28 2020)

Husdalsfjellet has two summits. The north top has a 732m contour and measured by Lidar by Petter Bjørstad to 732,8m. Also, according to Petter Bjørstad, the high point is located at N60.66231 E5.53156 and measures 734,2m. The cairn has been measured at 734,1m. This gives the high point a primary factor of 202m towards the higher Austlendingen (812m). The saddle is found in Gryteskardet (the pass between Austlendingen and Husdalsfjellet).

Hiklettane has also two summits. The westernmost is 590m and the easternmost is 591m. The easternmost top has a primary factor of 137m towards the higher Husdalsfjellet. The saddle is found between the two mountains.

Trail descriptions:

Notes: Class ratings are in reference to YDS. Click here for more information.

The trails described below are not necessarily the *easiest* trails to this mountain.

Molvik - Hiklettane - Husdalsfjellet (round-trip, summer)

Difficulty : Class 2
Exposure : No
Comments : For experienced hikers
Distance : Approx. 12,5 round-trip
Time : Approx. 5-6 (w/o pause)
Starting Elev.: Approx. 60m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 950m (total)

Map of the area
Map of the area
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Detailed map
Detailed map
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Access

From Bergen, follow highway E39 towards Førde. Pass the toll station on Nordhordlandsbrua (fee for passenger car per Aug 2004 is NOK 45,-) and continue 22,8Km northbound. Turn right at the "Molvik" sign and proceed 4,8Km. You have now passed the top of a hill in Molvik and you're heading downhill. Turn left onto a narrow road and follow this for 1,3Km until the gravel ends. Find parking on your left.

The route

Hiklettane

Follow the gravel road all the way to Molvikasætri. The road ends here, and a forest trail begins. Follow the trail all the way to the pass between Hiklettane and Husdalsfjellet. No distinct trail runs up here, but it is easy to walk up Hiklettane's northwest ridge. The first (westernmost) of the two Hiklettane summits is the highest. Return the same way down to the trail.

Husdalsfjellet

Opposite of where you hiked up to Hiklettane, follow a distinct grassy hill (w/some boulder) that takes you up to the start of the Husdalsfjellet north ridge. A vague path runs up this hill. If you go all the way to the center ridge, you will have to scramble slick rock upwards. It is better to follow grassy slopes on the side facing Hiklettane, and switchback up to the high ridge. Once on the north ridge, follow it all the way to the high plateau. The first high point you see (w/a small cairn) is not the high point. Once on this point, you see the summit cairn further south.

Descent

My advise is to return the same way you came. If you are an experienced hiker, and like to find your own way, then proceed southbound towards the 623m trig. point. You should be able to see a vague trail with small cairns (standing rocks) leading you down to the east side of lake Stortjørni. Continue a bit south and you will be facing a large drop down. Find a way to bypass on the left. You may see a path that runs down to your right, but this trail runs in the wrong direction (towards lake Husdalsvatnet). Cross a meadow and descend a steep birch forest down to the valley between Mulskollen and Husdalsfjellet. Turn left (east) and attempt to follow a vague path that runs downwards. Just before the steep drop towards the Molvikelvi river, cross a stream and try to stick to the path all the way down. The last obstacle is a high cliff. The path most likely runs down to the left, but you can also get down on the right hand side. Finally, make it across the river and rejoin the forest road. It's only 500-600m up to the parking area.

Trip Report Aug 29 2004

Yesterday, the weather was quite severe. I was on top of Ulriken and felt the gale. I didn't expect the weather to improve this Sunday, but since I didn't wake up to the sound of rain, I was hoping there would be an opportunity for some outdoor activities. I waited a few hours, and the weather seemed stable. Overcast, but no rain.

I headed northbound, planning to do a hike between Romarheimsdalen and Matre, but changed the plans when I discovered a printout of a GPS map in the side pocket of the seat. I had been planning to do Hiklettane on the Austlendingen massif a while ago, but it never happened. And since there were no clouds on this mountain, I decided to go there instead.

I drove to Molvik and tried to remember back to my hike across Husdalsfjellet a few years ago. The primary mountain is Austlendingen, but the southern part of this massif - Husdalsfjellet - also qualifies as a separate mountain. And hidden on the east side of Husdalsfjellet was Hiklettane. My GPS map didn't cover Molvik and just gave a rough sketch of my hike across Husdalsfjellet. I had to stop and ask about the trailhead, as my memory seemed to fail me. I was told that the forest road (which I remembered) had been extended, and that my plan to hike up to Molviksætri was the right one.

At 13:40PM, I had parked the car and headed up the forest road. I looked up to my left and recalled that I had hiked up to the pass between Husdalsfjellet and Mulskollen on my last visit in 2001. There used to be a trailsign to Mulskollen, but this was no longer there. I started playing with the concept of hiking back across Husdalsfjellet. I was a bit intimidated by the fact that I remembered the trail to be vague. The terrain was quite steep, and there was a river which had to be crossed. There was a lot of water in the river, and I had no recollection of a bridge.

Troll was lagging behind, with his tongue on his ground. I had to walk slow so he could keep up. He was putting on some kind of act. If I had brought along Tika, I'm sure he would have been 50m ahead of me. Eventually, he walked so slow that I had to pick him up and carry him. It took us about an hour to the pass between Hiklettane and Husdalsfjellet. Half an hour earlier, we ran into flock of sheep which decided they should move up the trail. So, for half an hour, the sheep were strolling the trail just ahead of us, randomly shouting out in panic, but without running. "Why can't they just step aside?" was the screaming question, but I reminded myself that I should not get surprised when sheep were involved.

I wasn't quite sure how I should ascend Hiklettane. I saw a steep, but doable route up the west side. I had a feeling that an easier route was available "around the corner", but I didn't bother checking. After a fairly easy 100m vertical meter scramble, I was on Hiklettane. The first hump had to be the summit, but I also visited the easternmost hump to make sure. My GPS indicated that this summit was only a couple of meters lower than the westernmost. The height - 590m - seemed to be correct for the highest of the humps.

By 15:15PM, I left the easternmost of the humps and had decided that I should hike back across Husdalsfjellet. The ridge up to Husdalsfjellet was very distinct and except for some slick rock, the route seemed quite easy. Getting onto the high ridge involved steeper terrain than I had expected. I had to switchback to stay on grass and bypass the slick rock, but was soon on the ridge. From the ridge, I got a good view of the pass between Husdalsfjellet and Austlendingen. Not many routes up to Austlendingen, I concluded. I saw one, and tried to remember the details, should they ever become useful.

We were on Husdalsfjellet 16:10PM. Jacket had come on a while ago. It was quite windy, and there was some light rain, but the weather was surprisingly good. I saw rainshowers in the horizon, all around. Troll was walking on and off, depending on the terrain. On the way down from Husdalsfjellet, I realized I didn't remember anything about terrain. After having passed the 623m trig. point, I saw a trail, and thought I remembered something. My GPS map indicated that below lake Stortjørni, the trail took a bypass towards the east. The trail I was following was heading to the west! Since the trail was quite visible, I decided to stick to it. After all, I could have been hiking off-trail during my last visit. After a while, I realized that this trail was heading to lake Husdalsvatnet, in the opposite direction of the trailhead.

I was quite eager to find the right trail, and traversed the terrain, west to east across dense bush, in order to find the trail. Very annoying, a meadow was just below me, bush free. But I figured my chances of locating the trail would be better in the forest. Trails seem to vanish when they meet meadows. When the terrain started to descend, I concluded that I was very much out of a trail. Ahead of me was a steep forest descent to the valley between Husdalsfjellet and Mulskollen. I decided to forget about the trail and find a good route down. The terrain wasn't difficult, and eventually I reached the valley. I had expected to find a trail there, but I couldn't see any. I traversed the valley, north to south and back again. A few plastic ribbons were hanging from the trees, and at last, I discovered a vague path that I decided to follow. The path, as well as the ribbons, disappeared time after time.

Boom, and I was standing in a waterhole with water well above my knees. The grass I was walking on was by no means solid ground. Troll flew out of the backpack and landed in an adjacent water hole. This was only getting better and better. I was able to more or less follow the path until I had to cross a stream just above a very high waterfall. I realized it was time for descent and prayed that I was able to stick to the trail once across the stream. Not so. The trail was gone. Soon, I was standing on top of a 100m high cliff, looking down on the forest road. And the river. The white river. White - as in - lots of water. I had a feeling I should go left, but decided to go right. There was no way of telling how steep it was, as trees covered the ground. Getting down did however not cause any problems, and soon I was down by the river. The river was quite wide at this spot, which meant the river was more calm. I was able to ford the river quite easily. Water was halfway up to my knees, but there was nothing dramatic about the crossing. Almost no current. Fairly soaked, I was back on the forest road, and 10 minutes later - 18:10PM - back at the car. By now, it had started to rain, and by the time I arrived Bergen, it was raining quite a lot. I was very happy for getting this window of opportunity and making quite a bit out of a grey Sunday.

Pictures from the Aug 29 2004 hike

Move cursor to read notes, and click on the images to see full version.
Some of the thumbnails may have been cropped to fit the format.

1. On the forest road (149KB) 2. Hiklettane come into view (129KB) 3. Restplace for a rainy day (218KB) 4. Husdalsfjellet east face (115KB) 5. Molvikasaetri (143KB) 6. Geitfjellet seen from Hiklettane (110KB) 7. Vike seen from Hiklettane (199KB) 8. East view from Hiklettane (313KB) 9. Husdalsfjellet north ridge (224KB) 10. Southeast view from Hiklettane (217KB) 11. Troll on Hiklettane summit (159KB) 12. Almeskilet seen from Hiklettane (113KB) 13. Hiklettane (173KB) 14. On Husdalsfjellet north ridge (167KB) 15. Gryteskardet (159KB) 16. Hiklettane seen from Husdalsfjellet (159KB) 17. High on Husdalsfjellet (154KB) 18. Gryteskardet (223KB) 19. Troll on Husdalsfjellet (125KB) 20. Husdalsfjellet summit (98KB) 21. Tysse on Osteroy (116KB) 22. Hogafjellet and Tysse (120KB) 23. 623m trig. point (120KB) 24. Mulskollen (195KB) 25. Crossing a stream, falling steep (166KB) 26. Crossing Molvikelvi (185KB)

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Pictures from the Apr 2001 hike

A hike up via the south ridge. It took me about 2 hours (non-stop) to the summit. A very wet hike. Note, this trailhead has changed now. There is no longer a sign towards Mulkollen.

1. Where the trail up the mountain begins. (159KB) 2. On the way up to Husdalsfjellet. (191KB) 3. View of Osterfjord from trig. point 623m. (98KB) 4. A lot of weather that day. (44KB) 5. Husdalsfjellet summit cairn. (78KB) 6. View tow. Husdalsfjellet summit. (103KB) 7. Kjellrusen looks steep and ugly. (268KB)

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Pictures from other hikes:

1. View towards Bergsdalen and Hogafjellet on Osteroy. (187KB) 2. Husdalsfjellet seen from E16 highway. (72KB) 3. Husdalsfjellet seen from Djupedalseggene. (226KB) 4. Husdalsfjellet seen from Osteroy. (165KB) 5. Husdalsfjellet and Kjellrusen seen from Hesjedalsnovene. (55KB) 6. South view from Geitfjellet (574KB) 7. North view from Geitfjellet (397KB) 8. Husdalsfjellet seen from Geitfjellet (202KB) 9. Summit view from Saudalsnovi (1281KB) 10. Storfjelli summit views (584KB) 11. Summit views from Rundesteinen (690KB) 12. South view from Storlifjellet (497KB) 13. South view from Raunefjellet (284KB) 14. Husdalsfjellet seen from Raunefjellet (394KB) 15. East view from Grønetua (part 1/2) (932KB)

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