Store Haugmelen trailhead by Goro.
Start of forest road towards Store Haugmelen.
Path to Store Haugmelen from Vassløysa.
| Store & Vetle Haugmelen
from Goro Store Haugmelen Vetle Haugmelen |
| Estimated net time | 4-4½ hours | ||
| Difficulty | No difficulties, but the descent from Vetle Haugmelen back to the path is a little cumbersome because of heather and small bushes. | ||
| Drinking water | There are a couple of streams around half-way up and down. | ||
| GSM coverage | Coverage throughout the route (August 2012). | ||
| Parking | Room for many cars at trail head car parks. | ||
| Start height | 490 metres | ||
| Vertical metres | 835 metres for the roundtrip. | ||
| Trip distance | 13.0 km | ||
| GPS-file | X | ||
| Map |
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| Route photo |
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From the round about east of Sogndal where roads 5 and 55 intersect drive road 5 south and east 9.0 km and turn right where signed for "Kaupanger" and "Sogndal lufthavn". Turn left in the round about 200 metres after leaving road 5, drive under the bridge and turn right where signed for "Dalåker". Drive this road uphill 5.0 km, passing a gate after 3.2 km, to a gravel road junction where there are small car parks on either side of the road. Park here.
Start your hike by following the gravel road forking right as you approached the car parks. Stay on this gravel road for 1.9 km, making sure you walk straight ahead (not left) after 850 metres, and turn right onto a forest road just before a gate. This forest road, as well as the gravel road you just left, has dots of red paint on stones and trees. After 1.8 km on this forest road you get to the buildings at Vassløysa, having made sure you fork left 1.4 km along the forest road. When you have passed the stone wall surrounding a cattle field the forest road ends and you should turn right onto a path marked with red paint. Pass below the first building and then turn left and pass it on its right side. Then follow the path right and stay above the next buildings. The path traverses a little before it starts to climb up to the left. This path can be followed all the way to Store Haugmelen's summit, which is marked by a large cairn and a trigonometric point marker.
From Store Haugmelen continue across the summit and head down the north ridge. There is no path here, but hiking is easy. When you get close to the bottom of the ridge turn left and head directly up to Vetle Haugmelen's summit, which is marked by a small cairn.
Descend from Vetle Haugmelen by heading a little west of south to where you re-join the path a little above the buildings at Vassløysa. This part of the hike is a little cumbersome because of heather and small bushes, but is not in any way difficult. When you re-join the path descend back to your car by reversing the ascent route.
After a few days at Håvard's cabin above Nesbyen I hit the road home this Wednesday, stopping outside Sogndal for a hike to both the Haugmelen tops. It was a grey day, but I avoided rain, and apart from the slightly cumbersome route down the south slopes of Vetle it was an enjoyable and rewarding three hours. And infinitely more enjoyable than the five hours drive from Sogndal and back home to Sunnmøre.