Reinebringen
E–01
REINE · MOSKENESØYA
One look from the top explains every photograph you have ever seen of Lofoten: Reine, Hamnøy and Sakrisøy laid out beneath you, the Reinefjord threading between the peaks. The price is honest — a stone staircase of more than two thousand steps — and this guide tells you how to pay it wisely: early, late, or best of all, at sunrise.
The view from the top
Before you climb — the honest part
Parking is the crux
There are several parking areas around Reine, most with fees — and in season they fill fast. Finding a space midday in July is genuinely hard. Come early or late: you avoid both the parking hunt and the crowds. The two areas we use are marked P1 and P2 on the map — both a short walk from the staircase.
Closed in winter
The municipality closes the staircase with a chain outside the season — icy steps here have cost lives, and rescue crews bring people down every year. Treat Reinebringen strictly as a May-to-September hike.
Queue pace in season
On fine summer days, so many walk the staircase that it moves at queue pace in places. It is still worth doing — but the early and late hours belong to those who plan.
Sunrise is the answer
Our favourite version: start in the small hours and stand on top at sunrise. The staircase is at its quietest, parking is easy — and the light on Reine is the finest of the day.
Pick a dry, clear day
Wet or icy stone is slippery and genuinely dangerous, and cloud on the ridge removes the one thing you came for. Good hiking shoes are strongly recommended in every weather — the steps demand them.
Check before you go
The Reinebringen Facebook page posts frequent updates on parking and trail conditions — worth a look the evening before.
Route map
Elevation profile
The route, stop by stop
From the parking to the trailhead
From Reinehalsen (P1), follow the path on the outside of the guardrail along the E10 to the tunnel, then the old road around the outside of the tunnel — the staircase begins near the far tunnel mouth. Information signs stand at both the parking and the trailhead. From P2 the walk is longer but joins the same way in.
The staircase
The trail is the staircase: step after stone step up the mountainside. It exists because the mountain demanded it — the old path was eroding badly and rockfall was injuring hikers, so from 2016 Nepalese sherpas built stone steps up the face as a safety project, completed in stages and recently extended higher still.
Find a steady rhythm rather than a fast one, and keep right so others can pass. There are benches and natural pause spots all the way up — use them, and turn around now and then: the view grows behind you the whole way. And if the staircase says no today, there is no shame in turning around. The view is generous long before the top.
The top — 448 m
The built steps end at about 402 metres; the last stretch to the ridge is bare path of earth and stone — loose when dry, slippery when wet, so take it calmly. Then the postcard opens below: Reine on its promontory, Hamnøy and Sakrisøy strung along the bridges, the Reinefjord running between the walls of rock. Give it time — this is not a view to photograph and leave.
Reinebringen's trailhead lies a 20–30 minute drive from the house — close enough to go at sunrise, when the staircase is at its quietest and the parking at its easiest.
Photos from the trail
Timing it right
Sunrise
The finest version of this hike. Quiet steps, easy parking, and first light on Reine. Bring a headlamp for the start if you walk in the dark end of the season.
Early or late
If sunrise is too ambitious: before mid-morning or into the evening. Midday in high season belongs to the queue.
Season
May to September. Early and late in the season, check conditions — snow lingers on the upper steps some years. Outside the season, the staircase is closed.
Fog on the ridge?
The view is this hike. If low cloud sits on the ridge, save it for another day and walk the coast instead — and remember the sun often shines above the fog on the summits nearby.
Pack check
- Footwear with proper grip — stone steps turn slick when wet
- Wool base layer — plus a dry spare for the top
- Wind- and rain shell
- Water and something to eat
- Hat
- Headlamp (if it gets dark)
Questions we actually get
How hard is Reinebringen really?
It is a stair climb of more than 2,000 steps each way — short in distance, honest in effort. Reasonably fit walkers do it in 1.5–3 hours return. Not technical — just a very long staircase with the best view in Norway at the top.
Can children do it?
Older, trail-used children manage it — the steps are clear and solid. It is not the place for small children: the climb is long, and the final stretch above the steps is bare, loose ground. For the little ones, the gapahuk walk on Volandstind is the better day.
Do I have to go all the way to the top?
No. There are benches and pause spots throughout the staircase, the view is remarkable from halfway, and turning around is a decision, not a defeat. The mountain will be there next time.
Where do I park?
Several areas around Reine, most with fees — and they fill fast in season. The two we use are marked P1 and P2 on the map; both connect to the trailhead on foot. Come early or late.
Can I hike it in winter?
No. The staircase is chained off outside the season after fatal accidents on the icy steps. May to September only.
When should I start?
Sunrise if you can, otherwise early morning or evening. You trade nothing and gain everything: quiet steps, easy parking, better light.
Is it worth it despite the crowds?
Yes — this view earned its fame honestly. Just refuse to do it at the crowd's hour. The staircase at seven in the morning and the staircase at one in the afternoon are two different hikes.