We’ve previously told you about the Dagsturhytter concept—those free cabins designed specifically for day hikes—and today we’re sharing a detailed hiking route to explore the Hekkfjellhytta Dagsturhytta above Eiken. If you missed our explanation of the concept, check out this article. 🙂
It was while browsing Google Maps that we stumbled upon photos of this stunning cabin with its typical scandinavian design perched on a Norwegian mountaintop with a breathtaking view. That was all it took to convince us to come hiking in the area.
Eiken – Start of the hike
The hike starts at the large (free) parking lot next to the white wooden church in Eiken. To reach the actual trailhead, you first walk along the main road and then head up through a residential neighborhood. We don’t usually enjoy these “approach” sections, but in this case, we really enjoyed getting a closer look at the various Norwegian houses. There’s really a concept in Norway where every house comes with several small outbuildings. As we walked by, we could see that some are used as wood sheds, garages, workshops, but also as gyms, offices, or even small detached apartments. It’s funny, because in Switzerland or France we don’t have this style of construction at all, where every house has its own little outbuildings, but apparently it’s really a typically Scandinavian thing.
Note: It’s technically possible to park at the top of the residential area. But personally, I’d recommend the church parking lot instead. Actually, the upper parking lot seems to be used by trucks delivering lumber, and I’m not sure where we could have parked the van without blocking the way… With a small car, why not, but if you have a van or an RV, it’s really much easier to park at the bottom (and let’s be honest, the walk up only takes 10 minutes).
P.S.: Don’t forget to look up! You can see the cabin peeking out from behind the rock from the bottom of the hike. 😉
Hike to Dagsturhytta and Hekkfjellhytta
When you reach the end of the residential area, the walk begins along a sort of wide forest trail. Let’s be honest, even though the view is beautiful, this part isn’t exactly pleasant. In fact, this section seems to be a logging area, and it feels a bit like walking through a forest graveyard with a wide track used by trucks to haul logs back to the road. It’s not unpleasant in itself, but let’s just say it’s not the most scenic part of the walk. Although some funny little sculptures along the trail do make things a tad more interesting.
After walking about 900 meters along this trail, you’ll come to a junction where you can either head directly up to the cabin by taking the trail through the forest, or continue straight ahead to first reach Kyrasfjellet and then the summit of Hekkfjellet.
We chose this second option, and we highly recommend it! The wide trail narrows into a path, and we climb gently up to a sort of large plateau. On one side, there’s a view of Eiken and the valley, and on the other, you can see lots of small lakes.
The trail then continues to the summit, and from there you head back down toward the cabin.
The Hekkfjellhytta Day Hike Cabin and its beautiful bench
Once you reach the summit of Hekkfjellet, it’s just a leisurely 500-meter descent back down toward the cabin. Just before you arrive, we recommend taking a quick break at the bench set up there. Honestly, the Norwegians really know how to put benches in the most incredible spots! We’ll see what we do with these photos, but I promise you we’re starting to build quite a collection of photos of amazing benches. 😉
Getting to the cabin via the upper route is also really nice for the view. So if you take the direct path, we definitely recommend taking a short detour to the summit before heading back down.
At the cabin, you’re immediately charmed by the design and the large picture windows, but you’re also really impressed by the amenities provided free of charge.
A telescope, a wood-burning stove (with firewood provided), a small bookshelf with children’s books and tourist brochures, blankets and pillows, and of course a small broom to make sure you leave the place spotless when you go. 🙂
The Cabin Rules
The rules for the Dagsturhytter are pretty simple, and I think the most important one is simply: RESPECT. The place runs on a self-service basis (meaning there’s no one on site to keep order) and relies on the principle of personal responsibility. To enter the cabin, you must remove your shoes, take your trash with you, and clean up after yourself (crumbs, dirt stuck to your pants that has fallen on the floor, wood chips if you use the logs, etc.). If, like us, you’re hiking with a dog, your four-legged companion must stay outside. That’s not really a problem, though, because there are nice benches set up all around the cabin so you can enjoy the view while staying out of the wind (and the front of the cabin is sheltered from the rain, so if the weather is really bad, the dog can wait here).
Return to Eiken via the direct trail
Once we finished our picnic, we headed back toward the van. Instead of retracing our steps, we decided to take the direct path that goes down in front of the cabin toward Eiken. I should warn you, though—when I say “direct,” I really mean it! The trail literally drops 100 meters over a distance of 300 meters. That said, the path is well-traveled and clearly marked, so no worries there. We’ve been on trails with the same gradient that were way more treacherous in Norway. 😉
After about 700 meters, we come back to the wide forest trail we took on the way up. From there, we follow the same path we took on the way up to get back to the parking lot. But hey, the advantage of the descent is that this time we’re facing the view and can still enjoy it on the way back.
Practical information for the hike (+ map)
In total, the loop described in the article is about 7 km long with 525 meters of elevation gain (both uphill and downhill). We strongly recommend doing the loop (rather than just the round trip to the cabin) because the views of the plateau behind are truly magnificent. The official walking time is about 3–3.5 hours, which seemed a bit generous to us, but at the same time, the scenery clearly invites you to stop often for photos. 😉
Parking: The easiest option is to park in the large parking lot at Eiken (next to the church). There is an information sign for the hike there, and the trail markers also start here. We’ve included the map below so you can find your way more easily.
Well, that’s it for today. This hike is definitely not what you’d call a “classic” in Norway—in the sense that you won’t necessarily find it listed on many websites or in guidebooks—but we really enjoyed it, and we hope you do too.
See you soon for more of our articles on Norway. 🙂
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