Norwegian Mountains

Senafjellet, 479m

Fylke/Kommune : Hordaland/Fusa
Maps : 1215-III Fusa (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
Primary factor : 101m
Hiked : Feb 2005
See also : Aksla
See also : Revurdfjellet
See also : Våganipen
See also : Steinen
Senafjellet seen from Skaaraasen

Senafjellet seen from Skåraasen

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Introduction

Senafjellet is located just south of Baldersheim, and is a close neighbour to the mountains Aksla and Revurdfjellet. Senafjellet also connects to the Våganipen massif, the highest mountain (819m) in Såre Fusa.

The shortest and easiest route to Senafjellet runs from Femanger, and this is the route described on this page. It is also possible to start from lake Botsvatnet. A gravel road takes you from highway 549 to the lake.

A forest path runs all the way from Femanger to the top, but it is vague and easily lost. Navigating in the Fusa forests require that you pay attention to the terrain. GPS signals are often blocked, and there are more features in the terrain than on your map. The features (small valleys, high cliffs, streams, etc.) are however your friends, allowing you to remember details along your way.

It's a fun hike, and the views are good. Go visit Senafjellet, and enjoy the beautiful scenery while driving in the Søre Fusa region.

Primary factor:

Senafjellet (M711: 479m, Ø.K: 478,96m) has a primary factor of 101m towards the higher Våganipen (819m) The saddle is found E of lake Krokvatnet. Ref. Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours), you cross the 380m contours on the high route, but 375m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 378m.

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.

Femanger - Senafjellet (summer/autumn)

Difficulty : Class 1
Exposure : No
Comments : Vague forest path
Distance : Approx. 2,1Km to the top
Time : Approx. 1-1,5 hours to the top
Starting Elev.: Approx. 60m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 450m (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 E16 towards Oslo. At the E16/RV 7 junction (roundabout) at Trengereid, turn right onto RV 7. Follow RV 7 to the RV 7/RV 48 junction after Bjørkheim (approx. 13,9Km from the Trengereid junction). Turn right onto RV48 and follow this road all the way to Kilen (34,7Km).

At Kilen, turn right onto highway RV 549 "Sævareid/Baldersheim" and drive for approx. 16,7Km. Turn right onto a gravel road just after a bridge. Follow this gravel road (which runs to lake Botvsatnet) for 450m. The road forks. Turn right and drive 50m up a hill. Two cars can park up here.

The route

Go back down to the forest road leading to lake Botsvatnet and continue past the Femanger farm until you see a valley up to the left. This is just after the farm. Locate the vague path that runs up this valley. Continue over the top and down to a stream coming down the mountain. Cross the stream and follow a path on the left (west) side of the stream.

When you become level with the stream, turn right and head towards steep cliffs. Two streams unite here. Follow the path up the forest ridge with the new stream down to your left. You're now heading up a small forest ridge that is located between Senafjellet's southeast and southwest ridgest. Maintain a north to northeast direction up the ridge. Gradually descend into the valley down to your right.

When you see this distinct cliff, go towards it, and find a convenient route up to the right. This route tops out on Senafjellet's southeast ridge. Continue up the ridge, pass a small pond (to your left), head across a small forest hill before you can ascend up to the Senafjellet high point. The summit has some rocks on top, but no cairn. Descend your ascent route.

Trip report Feb 05 2005

This Saturday was a truly, truly shitty day. Rain was pouring down on Bergen, but staying home is never an option. The dog looked miserable, lying in the passenger seat. He was all sunshine and smiles before I opened the door back at the house. He ran out and did a sudden halt on the steps. He saw the pouring rain and tried to walk back in reverse, but I told him otherwise. Again, it wasn't Lassie who held me company on the way down to Fusa.

I had set my mind to complete the mountains in Fusa kommune. I had only two left, and Senafjellet would be ticked off the list this Saturday. Rain or no rain. The weather got lighter as we passed Tysse, and after a short while, it had stopped raining. My face had a grin of self-satisfaction as I headed southbound on highway RV48. Arriving Femanger, I drove up to the only farm in the neighbourhood. I knew this farm from my Aksla visit, late 2004. I also knew that the owner was a relative of a colleague of mine. I rang the doorbell, asking about the local trails. After a nice conversation with the owner of the house, I went back to the car to pick up the dog.

Then the rain sat in. An overwhelming shower wiped the grin off my face. In a weak moment I yelled at the dog for not wanting to leave the car. I got a grip on myself and put him in the backpack. I wrapped him in a warm sweater and headed up the mountain 11:30PM. One part of me understood that he would probably chose to stay in the car, given the option. The other part of understood that he would rather want to be with his owner. The latter logic was comprehensible and comforting, although I wasn't totally convinced...

The hike upwards went easy. I followed a faint trail until I was out of the forest and had the various tops in view. From my Aksla visit, I knew which direction the summit was in, and even if the plan wasn't to look for a trail, there was always a faint trail ahead of me. As I got closer to the summit ridge, I wondered if I was in for scrambling. A wall of cliffs looked difficult, but all of the sudden, a very convienient corridor opened up and within minutes, I found myself on the ridge to the summit.

We reached the summit 12:40PM. It was still raining, and the summit stay didn't last long. I let Troll out and told him that I expected him to walk down the mountain. He gave me the - "hell, I'm the DOWNHILL dog" look, and ran down the path, looking back at me now and then - "come on, fool!"

We were back at the car 13:40PM. I had another chat with the guy at the Femanger farm. He was naturally curious about if I had succeeded finding a good route. Changing into dry clothes was the highlight of the day. Troll buried his nose so far up his ass, that I feared he would suffocate. After a minute of heavy breathing and the famous dachs shivering, he seemed to have the body temperature under control.

Pictures from the Feb 05 2005 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 way from Femanger (106KB) 2. Crossing the stream (225KB) 3. Passing cliffs (215KB) 4. Above the forest (200KB) 5. High ridge access below these rocks (117KB) 6. Senafjellet high point (154KB) 7. Limited summit view (387KB) 8. Coastline seen from Senafjellet (103KB) 9. View towards Aksla (157KB) 10. Femangerholmen (191KB)

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Pictures from other hikes:

1. Senafjellet seen on the way to Skaaraasen (180KB) 2. Ilefjellet summit view (541KB)

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