Keipen will be one of the tour winners along the Sognefjord
There are a lot of sweat beads before you reach the top of the 1417 meters - but you'll be rewarded for your efforts.
It's not without reason that Keipen has been called "the Sognefjord's answer to Pulpit Rock" - you can see straight down into the Sognefjord if you dare to stick your nose over the edge. The view is indescribably beautiful, and so spectacular that you'll have to hold on tight if you get dizzy from the great heights.
It's a lovely hike, the route that runs from Esebotn right down by the fjord to Keipen at 1417 meters above sea level. This is a hike where you have to be prepared to burn some calories, but it's also a hike that's worth all the effort it takes to get to the top.
The tour starts from Esebotn right down by the fjord.
View from Gulleplet, which you pass on the way up. PHOTO: Keipenstiens dugnadsgjeng
250 volunteer hours on refurbishment
The trail is now being upgraded to make the beautiful views of the Sognefjord more accessible to everyone. The work started last year. A volunteer group spent around 250 hours fixing the trail, administering applications for funding and setting up a paid sherpa team.
- We want to make the trail more popular. We have now started on a new route on the west side of Gulleple, to make this part of the trail a little less exposed. It will also be less boggy and easier to walk," says Einar Inge Målsnes, who has been the project manager for the upgrade.
Four Sherpas from Nepal have refurbished the trail. PHOTO: Keipenstien's volunteers
The Sherpas were flown up by helicopter every day for 2.5 weeks. PHOTO: Keipenstien's volunteer gang
Sherpa help from Nepal
Målsnes is one of the truly committed souls who, together with the volunteer group, managed to raise funds from Visit Sognefjord, Balestrand Municipality and Sogn og Fjordane County Council, among others. This gave them the opportunity to buy construction help from 4 Sherpas from Nepal.
- They are good on steep terrain and work like heroes. We flew them up by helicopter every day for 2.5 weeks so that they could put all their energy into building the trail. It has worked wonders," says Jørgen Hundseth, a key man in the volunteer group.
Now they hope to continue this year, to finish the stairs through the ura under Gulleplet. The path further up is for us the "local Sherpas" to work on.
- We are dependent on more funding, which we hope to receive soon. Then we'll be ready to start again this summer. In addition, we have applied for funding to restore the stone steps in Yglebotn to the way they were in 1885," says Johannes Sjøtun, business manager in Balestrand and responsible for the finances of the project.
- "If the same progress is made this year as in 2016, the trail to Keipen will get a big boost and become a popular hike to a unique viewpoint over the Sognefjord," he adds.
Four men worked for two years to build this buffer road to Langedalen in Høyanger. The road was completed in 1885. PHOTO: Keipenstiens dugnadsgjeng
The year 1885 is carved into a large rock about halfway up Gulleplestølen. PHOTO: Keipenstiens dugnadsgjeng
Lots of history along the trail
This is part of the hiking trail to Keipen, where a collaboration between Balestrand and Høyanger turlag, Balestrand municipality and Visit Sognefjord are working together to upgrade the trail and the cultural history along the trail.
On the way in from the parking lot in Esebotn, you can see the remains of the old stone walls from when Anders Gjerde cultivated his 30 acres in the 1930s, along with a broken silo. This is the only remnant of Gjerde's farmhouse that stood there, but was taken by the Geitaskreda in the winter of 1940.
On the other side of the river, the trail starts up Yglebotn. Here you follow a stone path that was built by the farms of Gjerde and Grøneng in the 1880s. The two farms had two men each for two years to build a road to Langedalen in Høyanger. The road was completed in 1885, and the year 1885 is carved into a large stone by the path about halfway up to where you turn off towards Gulleplestølen.
- "The work they have done on the stonework and stairs is impressive. Now it is in desperate need of renovation in order to be taken care of," Sjøtun points out.
Join a guided tour (NOTE! Demanding)
At Kviknes Hotel, we offer guided tours to Keipen in collaboration with Norgesguidene. Here there is a maximum of 8 guests per guide to give you good security and follow-up. This is a demanding trip that is sometimes exposed, so we recommend all our guests to go with a guide.
The hike is up to 14 km long, with an altitude difference of almost 1500 meters (varies slightly depending on route choice). This is a long hike of around 7-9 hours - but the nature experience is completely unique. With a guide, you'll also learn more about the history of this beautiful valley.
