Såta trail head below Storsetra.
Route from Såta to Valltua and down.
| Såta to Valltua from
below Storsetra Såta Frænavarden Storfjellet Valltua |
| Estimated net time | 5-6 hours | ||
| Difficulty | A short section on Såta's south-west ridge requires scrambling (YDS class 3). However, this can be avoided by descending left of the path, but you'll then have to combat some bush. The rest of the route is technically easy, but some wet sections through the forests must be expected. | ||
| Drinking water | Many sources of running water up to 500m. | ||
| GSM coverage | Coverage throughout the route with some exceptions; through the forest below Såta, a section between Såta and Frænavarden, a section below Valltua, and a little patchy in some other places. (May 2014). | ||
| Parking | Room for several cars at car park by trail head. | ||
| Start height | 182 metres | ||
| Vertical metres | 1180 metres for the roundtrip. | ||
| Trip distance | 15.4 km | ||
| GPS-file | X | ||
| Map |
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| Route photo |
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Assume your starting point is the round about east of Molde centre where roads E39 and 662 intersect. Drive 4.1 km east on road E39 and turn left in the round about, towards Eide. Follow road 64 5.8 km and pay toll (NOK 20 per 2014) when you exit the tunnel. Start measuring from the toll booth.
- At 1.8 km turn left towards Aukra.
- At 5.8 km turn left towards Hol.
- At 8.7 km park by the building at the top of the road (ignore the road forking left).
Start your hike by walking up the forest road that forks left just before the car park. Cross the small bridge when the forest road ends after 500 metres and turn left. Continue on the forest road after a few tens of metres, after you have passed three small cabins. Follow the forest road another 1 km, up to a sharp left hand bend, and make sure you don't turn right onto the signed path after 370 metres. From the left hand bend continue off-path straight ahead and cross the valley after approximately 550 metres. Turn right and aim for Såta's south-west slopes, where you'll pick up a path at 540m. Follow this path up to the summit cairn, where you'll also find a summit registration book.
From Såta head back down the path and continue on this path along Såta's south-west ridge, where you'll find a short steep section requiring the use of hands (but this steep section can be avoided by descending through some bush further left). Ignore the path going left and downhill at 500m, and instead locate the path continuing along the ridge. Follow this path to a fairly flat section at around 430m and turn a little left before a small top (456m). The path now fades away but the terrain down to lake Moldevatnet offers easy off-path hiking. You will pick up another path at the lakes west end, which soon turns right and takes you along the smaller lake Holstjørna. Turn left across a boggy section 60 metres west of Holstjørna and turn left to continue on path at the other side of the boggy area. Follow this path up the valley to 490m and then turn right (west) and head off-path up to the summit cairn at Frænavarden, which also holds a summit registration book.
From Frænavarden continue south-west on the path downhill and then towards top 575m. The path turns right before the summit and takes you east of lake Løvenskartjørna, and then north to Storfjellet, where the summit is marked by a few stones on top of a boulder approximately 1m high.
From Storfjellet continue west and then north on the path, which will first take you across Nonsfjellet before you get to Valltua, which is marked by a big cairn and holds a summit registration book.
From Valltua walk off-path east/south-east and find your best route down the relatively open forest. Turn left when you meet a forest road at 210m and follow this road to a three-way junction by a cabin. There is a good forest road going left, but instead turn right onto a rougher forest road. Follow this road 330 metres and fork left onto a path. This path soon fades away, and the terrain gets quite boggy. Make sure you stay on a south-east direction and you will get to a good forest road. Turn right when you get to this road and follow it back up to your car (approximately 650 metres).
I was determined to bag a few mountains on this Constitution day, and set off to Molde early in the morning to do a slightly long round-trip north of Molde centre. I wasn't sure about all aspects of the route so was prepared for some navigation issues, but it turned out pretty well, and the only minor issue was the boggy section at the end of the hike. I chatted for a while with another hiker (Kjartan) at Frænavarden, but apart from this I didn't have contact with any other hikers.