About Reinebringen
Reinebringen is a 448-metre mountain that rises almost straight out of the sea above the fishing village of Reine, in the Moskenes part of the Lofoten archipelago. It is a small mountain by Norwegian standards, but the view from its shoulder is arguably the single most photographed scene in Lofoten: the red and white rorbu cabins of Reine scattered across green islets, the still water of the Reinefjord, and a ring of sharp granite peaks closing the horizon. That view is the entire reason the trail exists in the form it does today.
For years the route up Reinebringen was a problem. The mountain is steep and the slope below the viewpoint is loose and grassy; as Lofoten tourism grew, thousands of people a year were scrambling up an eroding, increasingly dangerous path. The local authority's answer was unusual — it hired professional Sherpas from Nepal, the same stoneworkers who build and maintain mountain trails in the Himalaya, to lay a stone staircase straight up the mountainside. The work ran in stages from 2016 to 2021. The result is the Sherpatrappa, the Sherpa stairs: roughly 1,978 hand-built stone steps that carry you from the foot of the slope almost all the way to the viewpoint.
The hike today is short and brutally simple. From the trailhead it is only about 1.1 kilometres of actual climbing, but in that distance you gain around 448 metres of height — almost entirely on steps. There is no flat stretch and no easing-off: it is stairs from bottom to top. Most hikers reach the viewpoint in 45 minutes to an hour, and complete the full round trip — including the walk along the road from the parking — in roughly 2 to 3 hours.
Difficulty is where Reinebringen surprises people. On paper it looks easy: a built staircase, no navigation, no exposure on the standard route. In practice it is one of the most physically demanding of Lofoten's "easy" hikes. Climbing close to two thousand steep stone steps without a break is hard cardiovascular work, and the descent puts real strain on the knees. It is genuinely easy only if you hike regularly; for most visitors it is moderate, and for anyone unused to long stair climbs it is hard.
The stone steps end at a broad viewpoint on the mountain's shoulder — this is where almost everyone stops, and where the famous photograph is taken. The true summit of Reinebringen lies further along a narrow, exposed ridge beyond the steps. That continuation is unsecured and genuinely dangerous; it is not part of the normal hike, and most visitors should treat the stair-top viewpoint as the destination.
Reine itself, spread over islets at the mouth of the Reinefjord, is one of the most striking villages in Lofoten and a worthwhile stop in its own right. The one real headache of the hike is parking: the trailhead sits on the narrow E10 road with very little space, and in the summer high season the small free car park fills early. The stairs are a summer route — from roughly late spring through autumn the steps are dry and the climb is straightforward; in winter, snow and ice turn the same staircase into a serious, slip-prone mountaineering objective that local guides discourage for casual visitors.
Practical tips
Footwear: hiking shoes with good grip. The stone steps become slippery when wet, and the long descent is where most slips happen.
Clothing: dress in layers and always pack a rain jacket and a windbreaker. The staircase and the viewpoint are fully exposed — Lofoten weather can swing from sun to cold, wind-driven rain within a single hike.
Food and water: bring water (there is none on the route) and energy snacks for the climb — a Kvikk Lunsj or another chocolate or cereal bar is the classic Norwegian trail fuel, and the viewpoint is the perfect place to stop and refuel.
Fitness and pace: this is a short hike but an almost non-stop stair climb of nearly 2,000 steps. Set a slow, steady pace, take breaks on the benches built into the staircase, and do not underestimate the descent — trekking poles noticeably ease the load on your knees.
Conditions: check the forecast before you start. Skip the climb in heavy rain, strong wind, snow or ice, when the stone steps become genuinely dangerous.
