Trifter

The Trollstigen is a beautiful crazy road that winds, twists and turns its way up a ridiculously steep mountain in western Norway and is a huge tourist attraction for the many visitors who dare to drive it each year.

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Trollstigen means Trolls Ladder or Path in Norwegian and this twisty mountain road was built and carved up a mountainside over 8 years and officially opened by Norway’s King Haakon VII in 1936. The road looks just crazy as it makes about a dozen hairpin turns going up the mountainside but I asked my Norwegian friend about it and she said “The road looks a lot crazier than it actually is to drive.” Whatever that means.

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In Norse mythology Trolls are scary looking giants that inhabited wilderness areas like the mountains around the Trollstigen.

With 9% graded inclines the road is steep to say the least and as an added bonus the beautiful 580 foot high Stigfossen waterfall drops right along and under the Trollstigen.

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Stigfossen is one of the most popular waterfalls in Norway because of the easy access to the falls along the Troll Ladder.

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At the top of the road there is a viewing platform where one can look down along the twisty crazy road, the beautiful waterfall and the gorgeous mountain and valley scenery one finds in this part of Norway.

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Trollstigen is generally open from mid to late May until sometime in October when the cold snowy Norwegian winter hands the area back into the waiting arms of the Trolls of Norse mythology. The Troll Ladder is about a 6 hour drive from Oslo and 4 hours from Trondheim and well worth the time if you dare to drive this beautiful crazy mountain road.

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