Norwegian Mountains

Skogafjell, 289m

Fylke/Kommune : Hordaland/Os
Maps : 1115-II Austevoll (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
Primary factor : 211m
Skied : Mar 2005
See also : Ulvenfjellet
Skogafjell seen from highway E39

Skogafjell seen from highway E39

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Introduction

Skogafjell is one of many forest hills south on Bergenshalvøya (Bergen peninsula). The name can be translated to Forest Mountain, but because of high trees, one gets cheated of the views that one may expect from a mountain. Skogafjell is located just northwest of Osøyro, and highway E39 runs just by its foothills.

There are (bound to be) paths on Skogafjell, but I decided to visit the area with snow covering the ground, and can only describe a route which may or may not offer a forest path. Skogafjell is a prominent hill, compared to the surrounding landscape, and well worth a visit.

Primary factor:

Skogafjell (M711: 289m, Ø.K: 289,5m) has a primary factor of 211m towards the higher Ulvenfjellet (316m). The saddle is found in Ulvenkleiva. Ref. Økonomisk Kartverk map (5m contours), you cross the 80m contours on the high route, but not 75m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 78m.

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.

Skogen - Skogafjell (winter)

Difficulty : Class 1
Exposure : None
Comments : Off-trail
Distance : 1Km round trip
Time : Approx. 1 hour to the top
Starting Elev.: 60m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 280m (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 southbound towards Stavanger. From the highway RV580/E39 junction at Nesttun, follow E39 for 14,5Km. You have Skogafjell right in front of you. Turn right onto a gravel road. Follow this road along the highway until it turns right and ends by a house. Another gravel road runs up to the left. Find parking nearby.

The route

A forest road runs at the foothills of Skogafjell, in the northeast direction. Don't follow this road (unless you've learned somewhere that it runs around Skogafjell and then takes you top), but instead, locate an old tractor road up to your left. This tractor road runs southbound up towards Skogafjell. At the top of the tractor road, turn right and follow a valley upwards. Stick with this valley until you're up on the meadow.

Skogafjell has two high points. The first (288,5m) is on the meadow you arrive first. In the order to reach point 289,5m, proceed across the meadow, descend into a small valley and proceed up to the second hill. Locate the unmarked high point. When you see a large rock (see picture below), you're on top. Descend your ascent route. are

Trip report Mar 20 2005

This Sunday was a grey day, with a cloudy sky and light snow/rain. The interest for going skiing in the high mountains did not present itself, and with the deep snow torture in Masfjorden the day before, I wasn't too keen on hiking, either. After watching sports on the TV2 for an hour, I got bored and drove down to Os. The plan was to walk up to Skogafjell. Even if there was deep snow, the hike wouldn't last long. Afterwards, I would drive back to Bergen and hike Ulriken. After that, I could watch more sports and spend the day like most normal people do.

I had brought along Troll (a small dachshund), and hoped that he was able to walk parts of the route. I had no idea about any trails up the forest, but I knew there was a distinct gully on the north side. I parked at the base of Skogafjell and noticed that the snow was too deep and too soft for the dog. I put him in the backpack and headed up an overgrown tractor road. The time was 12:30PM.

On top of the forest road, I headed up a valley, with boulders below the snow. Each step had its nerve, as I didn't know if I would fall right through, or find a rock to step on. After 200 vertical meters, I was tired. There was more snow the higher I got, and the snow was knee-deep in the worst parts. The dog felt especially heavy today.

I reached the top 13:15PM. There was no cairn or other items marking the summit, but it was no doubt that I was on the highest point. The views were minimal, and I wondered why I had taken this trip. Since Skogafjell was below 300m elevation, it was not even on my list of Hordaland mountains. Oh well, at least I been up here, and could claim a winter ascent!

Going down was much easier, and I was back at the car 13:45PM. I plowed snow down the tractor road, so Troll could do a little bit of walking. He has a great downhill technique - sliding on top of the snow with his belly. To get enough speed for the slide, he shows rabbit qualities. We drove back to Bergen and headed up Mt. Ulriken. This time, Troll could walk from the car. It felt a bit weird that the routes up and down Mt. Ulriken, more than twice the height of Skogafjell, had no or minimal snow. We reached the top of Ulriken 15:00PM, and half an hour later, I was back in the sofa watching the sports.

Pictures from the Mar 20 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. Skogafjell seen from highway E39 (200KB) 2. The valley above the tractor road (264KB) 3. On top of Skogafjell (248KB) 4. A glimpse of Os (216KB) 5. Lake Gaassandvatnet (193KB)

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1 2 3 4 5

Pictures from other hikes:

1. View from the southern Hausdalshorga viewpoint (367KB)

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