The Senja traverse is one of the classic hiking routes in northern Norway, and perhaps one of the more challenging ones if you choose to follow the suggested daily stages by the Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT). The route passes through Ånderdalen National Park and, in our case, stretched from Lysevatnet in the north to Olaheimen in the south. Many believe that this route represents a cross-section of Norwegian nature—and with marshes and lush valleys in the south, combined with mountain plateaus and rugged terrain in the north, it’s hard to argue against that description. Your legs certainly get a workout on days with nearly 1,000 meters of elevation gain while carrying a pack, but just remember: "It’s uphill that builds strong legs."
On this journey, you experience it all—you must be prepared for rugged terrain, long stages, tired legs, and above all, changing and challenging weather. Yet, it’s a nice experience to spend such an extended period outdoors in a beautiful landscape, even when the weather is a bit gray. You don’t need to carry much water for most of the hike, and if you bring a fishing rod, there are exciting opportunities every day. This is a hike most people can undertake with minimal preparation and training, and if you need a guide, just send us an email.
Late summer nights are naturally a huge bonus in early August, adding an extra sense of freedom by allowing you to hike at any time of the day, taking longer breaks by a river for swimming or fishing if you wish. Along with a few large families of mosquitoes that I think followed us all the way from the car at Lysevatnet, insects aren’t too bothersome at this time of year—but it’s still wise to bring insect repellent and something to soothe bites before you hit the sleeping bag.
Not many people have yet discovered Senja, compared to for example Lofoten (and many might add a "thankfully" here). Apart from two Germans, we met the first evening at Telegrafhytta in Heggdalen, we had the mountains more or less to ourselves. Nevertheless, we noticed that the trail in the most vulnerable areas was well-trodden and damaged—a visible difference from our last visit exactly five years ago.
In four and a half days, we covered just over 70 kilometers and ascended nearly 3,000 meters. It’s a great hike to combine with a weekend if you don’t have much vacation time.
Below you’ll find a brief description of the daily stages as we planned them, but there’s room for variations. Anywhere between 4-6 days is reasonable, and if you enjoy fishing and swimming, you might treat yourself to an extra day or two.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask below or in the Guide to Tromso & Senja FB group—wishing you a great trip!
Day 1 - 6.5 km / approx. 100 meters elevation gain
If you don’t know someone in the area who can drive you, you’ll need an afternoon of logistics—mainly to drop off a car at Olaheimen in the south, and then get to the starting point in the north at Lysevatnet. This evening became a bonus since we had initially planned to start early the next day. It was nice to get going.
"The weather was nice, and we planned to spend the night at Telegrafhytta in Heggedalen. This cabin is open year-round and has four beds, a stove, and a small table where you can enjoy your morning coffee."
The trail from the parking lot up to the cabin is fairly well-marked and clearly visible in the terrain for most of this stage. There’s a bit of marsh in the first 2 kilometers, but eventually, you’ll find yourself on a good path through forested terrain. Anything less than good, high hiking boots or gaiters is not recommended, and even then, we had to take a few short detours to avoid getting stuck in the wet parts of the trail. Good hiking boots are recommended for the entire trip—I also brought a pair of "camp shoes" that I used in camp and on dry days.
Arriving at Telegrafhytta around midnight, we found that the German couple had beaten us there, so we found a tent spot a few hundred meters further along the trail. There are many options for setting up a tent near freshwater throughout the hike.
Day 2 - 19 km / 945 meters elevation gain
Today's stage goes through Heggedalen and over Bratthaugen. The original route goes through South Heggedalen, but based on our own experience and what we heard from others just before this trip, it’s wise to avoid the meter-high vegetation on the valley floor if you can. So, we maintained some elevation and took the ascent that led up to the heights, eventually crossing the mountain and descending towards Highway 86 in Svandalen.
The climb up to Brattfejell is steep but manageable, and the top is flat and nice. On the way, there’s a lovely small pond where you can swim and have lunch, about 4 hours into the day.
The fog lay thick out by the coast, eventually creeping inland as we descended towards Senjabu, the only cabin owned by the Trekking Association on the island. Outside Senjabu, we took a longer break before continuing into Trondalen, where we found a good tent spot and a swimming hole that we would use the next day.
Day 3 - 15 km / 812 meters elevation gain
Today’s journey ends at Kapervatnet, deep within the Ånderdalen National Park, established in 1970. From Trondalen, the hike goes through easy terrain and a good path all the way to Kaperdalen and the ascent towards Istinden. From the road, which lies at about 360 meters, you’ll ascend to 750 meters—here, you cross the border into the national park at the highest point and continue through gradually descending terrain towards Kapervatnet. The view from Istinden at 850 meters is excellent and well worth the detour if you still have energy and interest after a couple of hours of climbing. Up here you will find snow most of the year, but usually hard and nice to walk on.
The views in the following hours are beautiful in good weather, and you can see the well-known Kvænan mountain range in the sunset towards the sea. Reindeer are often in this area at this time of year, so it’s a good idea to keep your dog on a leash.
There aren’t many good tent spots in the area where we ended the day, and we ended up with a spot that, as it turned out during the night, had a bit too much slope. The mosquitoes were particularly bothersome that evening for both of us and the dog, so it was a relief to finally get into the tent for the night.
Day 4 - 10 km / 195 meters elevation gain
We planned this day to be a shorter stage, primarily to reach our shelter for the night—Åndergammen (or Åndergamma) by Åndervatnet.
The hike to Åndervatnet is easy, but the trail is intermittently lost in marsh and thicket. As long as you stay on the north side of Kapervatnet, you’ll quickly find the trail again at the end of the lake. There’s also a good lunch spot here and pools where you can cool off on warm days. In this area, there are almost always people around in the summer who you can ask for directions if you get off track, or just chat with.
The trail continues between Kapervatnet and Åndervatnet, and as you descend towards Åndervatnet, you pass through an ancient pine forest, one of the reasons Ånderdalen was granted national park status in the early 1970s.
Åndergammen deserves a mention of its own. As far as we know, there has been a "gamma" (a traditional Norwegian turf hut) in this area for 100 years, and it was strategically placed for efficient hunting and fishing in the area. The story goes that the parish priest used the gamma as a base for what must have been some of the first tourist activities on Senja when he took English tourists hunting. The gamma was first restored in the 1960s and received a new and much-needed restoration in 2014.
The gamma today is well-maintained, and according to the cabin logbook, it’s well-used both in winter and summer. Although we didn’t sleep very well on the benches in the gamma, it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area and no one else has beaten you to it. The trail to Åndergammen is well-marked, and a night swim in the river you cross just before seeing the gamma is recommended.
Viggo Johansen and Hans Helge Jørgensen have used this area since they were young boys. A few days before we arrived, they took the time to write down some of the history of the gamma and the area in the cabin logbook—an exciting story I thought was worth sharing here. You might want to get some help translating since it is only in Norwegian.
Day 5 - 21.5 km / 915 meters elevation gain
After a somewhat restless night on the benches, we managed to get a fire going, make a good breakfast, and linger a bit by the stove until the worst of the rain had passed. We prepared ourselves for what we believe to be the toughest stage of the trip, as both the length and the elevation gain suggest. Before we left, we threw a couple more logs into the stove for those who arrived late the night before and had to sleep in tents behind the gamma. It looked wet for the youngsters, and you do feel a bit guilty—the gamma unfortunately only accommodates two people, and with a dog on the floor, it’s full. If you plan to stay in open huts or gammas, there’s always the possibility that it will be occupied when you arrive, so bring a tent.
From Åndergammen, you backtrack slightly towards the fire pit at Ånderhytta and find the junction where the trail splits southwards, leading towards Olaheimen. Today’s stage starts more or less with a climb, where the goal is to get over the mountain and down into some forest on the other side. The first part is well-marked, with a gentle ascent to about 500 meters elevation—mostly good trail for the majority of the climb, but some marsh before you reach the top.
The mountain terrain at this stage is generally easy to walk, and the trail winds between mountain lakes in rugged terrain. We took our lunch break at the end of Lutvatnet after about 10 km, and for those with a rod (and fishing license), there are probably good opportunities to catch your own lunch if you set aside time for it.
The descent towards Olaheimen goes through Finnskardalen and along Store Bunkevann. After a short while, you join a forest road used by the cottages in the area, which you follow easily out to the parking lot where your transport awaits. A hot tip—if you don’t smell too bad—is to take a break with a good cup of coffee at Senjaroasters in Stonglandseidet.
Would you consider joining a guided tour across Senja?
Yes - that would be a dream come through
No - it seems to hard
Maybe - I would need more information though.
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