Estimated net time	2-2½ hours
Difficulty	No difficulties.
Drinking water	Access to running water from the river through Gråsteindalen.
GSM coverage	Coverage at trail head and well into the valley, and at the summit (October 2012).
Parking	Room for many cars at car park by trail head.
Start height	622 metres
Vertical metres	405 metres for the roundtrip.
Trip distance	6.9 km
GPS-file	X
Map		Google Interactive Map
Route photo	Hesjedalshaugen trail head by road 63.   Route towards Hesjedalshaugen from Gråsteindalen.

From the ferry port at Eidsdal on road 63, on the south side of of Norddalsfjorden, drive 16.6 km in the direction of Geiranger. You will find a large car park on the left hand side of the road, just before the road starts going downhill. Park here.

Start your walk by following the gravel road east and north from the south end of the car park. From where the gravel road ends after 1.9 km continue on path marked with red paint another 230 metres to where the path splits into two, with one heading right down towards a bridge across the river and one continuing straight ahead. The route to Hesjedalshaugen follows neither of these paths, but instead you should turn left (north-west) and aim for a distinct rocky area at around 900 metres. Walk left of this rocky feature and then across the small top at 985 metres. From here continue north-west to the summit, which is marked by a proper cairn.

Descend by reversing your ascent route.

14. October 2012

Hiking mate Kjetil had proposed a three-top tour to Eidsdal for this Sunday, and I wasn't hard to convince. The plan was to do Hesjedalshaugen, Blåhornet and Storåsnakken, as three individual hikes. The choice of tops was dictated by the amount of snow in the mountains, which was too little for skiing but too much for comfortable walking above 1000 metres.

We met at the Stranda ferry port, brought both cars across, and drove one car from here. The timing between the ferries is quite acceptable, so we didn't have to wait long for the Linge-Eidsdal ferry, and from Eidsdal it was a straight forward drive to the trail head. But as we drove south towards trail head the weather rapidly changed from fine to grey and with poor visibility, so the expected views of the higher neighbours gradually disappeared.

Walking along the mountain road through Gråsteindalen was a very easy hike, but from where the road ended things soon changed; first with a number of icy patches along the path, and then we got more and more snow as we approached the summit. And from above 950 metres it was sufficient snow for skiing.

Due to the poor visibility, and also another two hikes on the menu, we didn't stay long at the summit, and headed back down via our ascent route.
Photos 14.10.2012