Long-distance trails

Vandretur is the Norwegian word for a walk along an established route. When someone says ‘I’m walking the St Olav Ways (Pilegrimsleden)’ or ‘I’m walking Padjelanta’, they are describing a kind of long trip that is qualitatively different from putting together a route through the hut network (hyttenettet) yourself. The route is laid out for you, infrastructure is built around it, and there is often a longer tradition — religious, cultural-historical or tourism-historical — that has shaped how it is used.

The difference from an ordinary long trip is not that the long-distance trail is easier or harder. It is that it has been given a particular form. You walk the route as it is defined, you follow the waymarking that is there, and you take in whatever the infrastructure offers — pilgrim hostels, stage cabins, local traditions. That gives the long-distance trail its own rhythm.

Norwegian and Nordic long-distance trails

Norway has a handful of established long-distance trails that have been built as long-distance trails, not as ordinary mountain walks:

The St Olav Ways (Pilegrimsleden) (Oslo–Trondheim, about 643 km on the main route) is the dominant one. Reactivated as a pilgrim route from the late 1990s, based on the medieval pilgrimages to the grave of Olav the Holy at Nidaros. It passes through cultural landscapes, small villages, dense forest and across mountain stretches. You will find hostels, farms offering accommodation, and simple DNT cabins along the way. The whole route takes 4–6 weeks; most people walk it in stages.

St Olavsleden (Sundsvall in Sweden to Trondheim, about 564 km) is the eastern variant of the pilgrim route, crossing the border at Storlien. A bilingual route, with a lower terrain threshold than the Norwegian mountain-crossing routes, but heavier on logistics because the route crosses two countries.

The Padjelanta Trail (Padjelantaleden) (Norway–Sweden, through Padjelanta National Park) is a more genuine wilderness trip, often in a tent because the hut network is sparse. A classic for those who want a long trip in open plateau terrain.

Kungsleden lies primarily in Sweden, but parts of northern Norway connect to the route through the Padjelanta Trail or other access routes. A classic for Nordic mountain long-distance trips.

Olavsruta (a local name for certain parts of the pilgrim-route system in Trøndelag) is shorter stage routes that people often take as a weekend walk.

In addition there are a number of shorter established long-distance trails — Kongeveien, Telemarksruta, coastal routes in southern and western Norway — that do not have the same national status, but are built for the same use.

What sets a long-distance trail apart from other long trips

There are four things that are particular to long-distance trails:

The route is defined. You follow existing waymarking — pilgrim markers, blue-and-white posts, municipal signs. That means less planning work in advance, but also less flexibility to deviate from the route if the weather turns.

The infrastructure is built for the route. The St Olav Ways (Pilegrimsleden) has hostels open to walkers for a modest fee, often 200–400 kr per night. St Olavsleden has similar systems on both sides of the border. It is not the DNT system, but a network of its own.

There is a social dimension. On established routes you walk in a stream of other walkers. On the St Olav Ways (Pilegrimsleden) you meet German pilgrims, British walkers, locals doing a week. The social experience is part of the trip — if you do not want that, an ordinary long trip in the hut network is better.

The stages are defined. The St Olav Ways (Pilegrimsleden) is divided into 18 stages on the main route, each typically 25–35 km. It is a logistical skeleton that makes planning easier — but it also means you walk where the stages fall, not where the weather suggests.

The packing list — what is different

The long-distance-trail packing list is largely the same as the long-trip packing list, but with a few distinctive features:

Light shoes are often enough — large parts of established long-distance trails run through the lowlands and forest, not in alpine terrain. Trekking shoes or trail shoes are typically enough. Mountain boots are overkill on 80% of the St Olav Ways (Pilegrimsleden).
Socks are critical — you walk many days in a row, and blisters are the most common trip problem
A minimal cooking system — many accommodation places have shared kitchens or serve food
A light sleeping mat for the times you have to spend the night in a shelter or a simple cabin
A pilgrim passport or walking passport if you follow that tradition
Walking sticks or poles — particularly on long flat stretches where steady load helps
Sunscreen and a sun hat — you walk in more open terrain and lower mountains than on a classic mountain trip

For routes that cross mountain stretches (parts of the St Olav Ways, Pilegrimsleden, over Dovrefjell and the Padjelanta Trail, Padjelantaleden, across the vidde) you need the mountain packing list as well.

Packing lists goes through specific variants.

Stages and rhythm

Long-distance-trail stages are often longer than classic hut-to-hut stages in the mountains. On the St Olav Ways (Pilegrimsleden) a typical day stage is 25–35 km — this is because the lowland terrain is flatter and you walk more steadily without large climbs. On the Padjelanta Trail (Padjelantaleden) the stages are 15–25 km in more typical mountain terrain.

That means the long-distance-trail rhythm is a little different:

An early start — often 7–8 in the morning to get the hours before the heat
Long flat stretches demand different legs than steep mountain terrain — your walking is more monotonous, more mental
A break every two hours — your legs need it, and you do not have the viewpoint breaks you get in the mountains
An early evening — reaching the hostel before 17–18 is normal

Many people underestimate how mentally demanding long flat stretches can be. It is not steep or technical, but every kilometre resembles all the others. After day four it begins to make sense, but the first days can be heavy in a different way than mountain trips are.

Long-distance trails on established routes have a marked social dimension. On the St Olav Ways (Pilegrimsleden) you meet the same people several evenings in a row — you walk at roughly the same pace, you stay overnight at the same hostel, you get to know one another. It is one of the traditions imported from better-known long-distance trails such as the Camino de Santiago.

It is a form of companionship that is something other than mountain-hut companionship. It is slower, more talkative, more open to new acquaintances. If you prefer silence and the experience of nature in solitude, a classic long trip in the hut network or a tent trip in less-used areas is better. If you find people to be part of the experience, the long-distance trail is the form of friluftsliv that delivers it best.

Season

The walking season in the lowlands and along established routes is longer than the mountain-trip season:

The St Olav Ways (Pilegrimsleden), St Olavsleden — main season from May to October. May and September are underrated (fewer people, cooler temperatures that are pleasant for long stages)
The Padjelanta Trail (Padjelantaleden) — mountain season, July to mid-September
Shorter local routes (Telemarksruta, coastal routes) — April to November in the lowlands

Winter long-distance trails on established routes are rare and require special planning — hostels are typically closed from October to April.

Ethics and frameworks

Long-distance trails on established routes have their own questions of consideration beyond ordinary leave-no-trace travel:

Respect hostels and hosts — the hostels are often run on a small margin and with voluntary effort
Contribute to the common rooms — wash up, tidy, help out if there are capacity challenges
Private property — established routes often cross private land with permission, but you are walking through other people’s farmland. Close gates, do not enter innmark, keep your distance from dwellings.
Local traditions — the pilgrim hostels often have simple rituals (a shared meal, an evening gathering), which you take part in as you wish

Leave-no-trace travel applies here too, with extra emphasis on respect for landowners and local infrastructure.

Next steps

If long-distance trails are new to you: walk a weekend trip or a week on a shorter stage of the St Olav Ways (Pilegrimsleden) or a local route. It is the simplest way in, beginner-friendly terrain, easily accessible.

If you have walked a shorter stretch and want to go further: plan a longer stage — two weeks over Dovrefjell on the St Olav Ways (Pilegrimsleden), or the whole Padjelanta Trail (Padjelantaleden) in one go. That is where the long-distance-trail rhythm really shows itself.

For those who want to extend to classic long-distance trails abroad, the Camino de Santiago, Hadrian’s Wall, or Kungsleden in Sweden are natural next steps. The experience from Norwegian routes transfers fully.

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Text: Snuitide (2026).