Next to Gaustadtoppen, Høgevarde is the place in Norway where you have best view to surrounding mountains. It is an easy top to climb and is well suited for children.
The peak is located 1459 meters above sea level. It takes approx. 2 1/2 hours to climb it (more with children) and almost an hour less to go down again.
There are several routes to the top. One of the most popular ones is from Tempelseter. There are two marked trails - a blue of 5.5 km and a white of 7 km.
Although the white-marked trail is somewhat longer, it is probably as fast or faster than the blue-marked trail because it has a smoother climb.
We went blue trail up and white down again and got a nice round trip. The white trail has more moist ground in some places.
Here and there you meet the Northern Wheatear which is a species in the flycatcher family.
From Høgevarde you can see Gaustadtoppen in the south, Hallingskarvet and Hardangerjøkulen in the west, and Jotunheimen and Hemsedalsfjellene in the north. To the east you can see the large eastern forests.
At Høgevarde tourist cabin you can buy kiosk goods in the high season. Just below is a small pond. The cairn is at the top right in the picture below.
It takes approx. 20 minutes to walk from the tourist lodge to the highest point, the cairn. There is a board there with an overview of the mountains you can see.
The Northern Wheatear
The Northern Wheatear
Down the white trail there is a relatively wide path.
More excursions: www.turideer.com
This week's excursion: Høgevarde on Norefjell
Duration: 4-5 hours round trip (slightly longer with children). White trail is 7 km up (14 km round trip), while blue trail is 5.5 km (11 km round trip).
Suitable for: The whole family. No dangerous parties.
Get there: From Oslo, take the E18 towards Drammen. At Sandvika, take the E16 to the right towards Hønefoss. Follow the signs to Noresund. At Noresund, first follow the signs to Norefjell Ski and Spa, then to Eggedal and Tempelseter. Park at Tempelseter and walk the white or blue trail to Høgevarde. Follow the signs.