Preikestolen, Granite cliff at Lysefjord, Norway.
Preikestolen is a granite cliff rising 604 meters above Lysefjord in Norway. At the highest point lies a flat plateau where you can stand and look down while the rock walls around drop vertically and the water shimmers far below.
The rock was formerly called Hyvlatonnå and received its current name around 1900 when the hiking association from Stavanger began organizing trips here. Glaciers from the last ice age shaped the rock edge and left behind cracks and fissures that remain visible today.
The name translates to Pulpit Rock and refers to the flat surface that resembles a raised platform. Many travelers propose here or take photographs because the view over the water feels so open and far-reaching.
The round trip starts at the mountain lodge Preikestolen Fjellstue and covers about eight kilometers with around 500 meters of elevation gain to the viewpoint and back. You should wear good shoes and plan several hours because the path can be rocky and slippery when it rains.
Wide cracks run through the granite and suggest the rock might break off one day, but geologists say the structure has remained stable for ten thousand years. Sherpas from Nepal helped improve the trail in 2013 and applied techniques they know from the Himalayas.
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