How to do the Reinebringen Hike in Lofoten

If you’re travelling to Lofoten and looking for the best hiking in Lofoten then the chances are you’ve come across the Reinebringen hike in Lofoten.

This classic Lofoten hike is steep and short with incredible mountain, sea and fjord views.

You’ll hike up the new sherpa steps on the Reinebringen trail and then choose whether to go a bit further past the stairs, or call it a day and enjoy the incredible views from the top of the Reinebringen steps.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Reinebringen hike in Reine, Norway.

Read more: What you should know before your Lofoten trip

Guide to hiking Reinebringen Lofoten

The Reinebringen hike is one of the most popular Lofoten hiking trails.

In the summer it gets super busy and parking is minimal. It’s unlikely you’ll be alone here.

However, visit in November like us and you might be! We, fortunately, had the entire hike to ourselves on a beautiful sunny day in November!

Given the nature of the terrain on this hike, it’s best to try and hike this super early in the morning, or late at night. Luckily, thanks to the midnight sun in Lofoten hiking late at night still means hiking during daylight!

IMPORTANT: Avoid hiking Reinebringen in wet conditions 

If you hike Reinebringen in wet and rainy conditions, not only will you not get much of a view at the top (which is probably why you’ve hiked up here anyway), but the trail will be very slippery.

You’re also adding to trail erosion by making the trail muddy on the final section that doesn’t have stairs.

There is plenty of other hiking in the Lofoten Islands you can do instead.

Read more: Hiking guide for Ryten and Kvalvika Beach

What to know before hiking in Lofoten

There are some important things you should know before going on the Reinebringen hike in Lofoten.

• Always practice leave no trace ethics. Not sure what those are? Get a refresher here.
• Remember to respect the terrain, environment, and other users while you are enjoying the trails.
• Follow the three Ts—trip planning, training, and taking the essentials.
• Don’t leave home without your 10 essentials. They could save your life!
• Do not walk off the trail – this damages the environment which is very fragile and leads to trail closures being put in place.
• Read up on the Lofoten Code of Conduct to minimise your impact.

How to get to the Reinebringen trail head

There is limited parking in Reine and parking can get full during the summer.

There’s some free parking in Reine, Norway just off the main road before you turn left down into Reine. This is where we were able to park during our trip to Lofoten in winter.

This parking lot is small and it’s also a popular photography spot. If it’s full when you’re visiting Reine you can also find pay parking down in Reine by the Circle K, or by the visitors’ centre.

Parking by the Circle K costs 50 NOK an hour and you should budget about 3 hours to complete this Lofoten hike.

If you’ve parked in the free parking, then you’ll need to cross the road and walk alongside the barrier of the E10 (main road) as if you’re walking towards Moskenes.

As you get towards Ramsvik tunnel, you’ll see a hiking path that goes towards the left of the tunnel. Take this walking path until you see the large signpost pointing you up the steps towards Reinebringen.

Reinebringen Stairs

The Reinebringen sherpa steps were completed in 2019 and they make the hike more accessible.

However, don’t be fooled into thinking this is an easy hike in Lofoten.

The stairs are steep and there are a lot of them.

In winter or colder temperatures, they can get very icy and so I’d recommend microspikes to get better traction and avoid falls.

Despite that, this is still one of the best hikes in Lofoten.

The Reinebringen hike has over 1,500 steps that were built by Nepalese Sherpas – just like with the Sherpatrappa in Tromsø and the steps on the Fløya, Svolvaergeita, Djevelporten hike in Svolvaer.

This part of the trail is about 1km long

You’ll pass under the prayer flags and then begin your climb up the Reinebringen stairs.

It takes most people about an hour to hike Reinebringen up to the first viewpoint over Reine, Lofoten at a moderate pace with few breaks.

Once we came out at a viewpoint, we admired the views for a little bit and then took the final few steps which are off to the left.

These steps come to an end quite quickly and then you’re at another beautiful viewpoint.

Walking past the Reinebringen Steps

Once you’ve reached the end of the steps you have the option to continue on towards the true peak of Reinebringen.

I wouldn’t recommend this to most people we went some of the way, but not all the way to the peak.

The path is extremely narrow, has steep exposure and involves scrambling up and over rocks.

If you do decide to carry on, only go as far as you’re comfortable with. This isn’t the time to push past your comfort zone as the risks are huge.

You can also go from the first viewpoint and take a right. This trail is slightly less steep but you should also take a lot of care when hiking it as it’s got exposure and a narrow trail.

Reinebringen trail stats

• Distance: 3.4 km (from the free parking in Reine)
• Duration: 2-3 hours
• Elevation: 470 m (to the main viewpoint)
• Difficulty: Intermediate – strenuous

AllTrails is my go-to hiking app for finding, planning, and navigating while I’m out on the trails. With offline maps on AllTrails+ you can be confident you’re still on the right track, even without mobile signal.

*The AllTrails map goes to the true peak, I wouldn’t recommend going all the way to the peak.

Read more: Guide to the best beaches in Lofoten

What to pack for hiking in Lofoten

What to pack for this hike depends on what season you’re hiking in.

• Check out my day hike packing list here.
• If you’re hiking in summer you should pack sunscreen, sunglasses, layers, water and bug spray as well as everything in the 10 essentials for hiking list.
• Here is what to wear hiking in hot weather
• Check out this post on the best leggings for hiking or what to wear hiking in summer for more details and my gear recommendations.
• If you’re hiking in winter after the snow has started falling you’ll need microspikes at the very least. If there is a lot of snow you will probably need snowshoes.
• You should also take plenty of layers including a fleece layer, a puffy insulated jacket and a wind and waterproof outer layer. Hats and gloves are also necessary as well as a good backpack to keep everything in.
• You should also pack water and some snacks too to keep you going as they’re part of the 10 essentials for hiking!
• Planning a hiking date? Check out what to wear on a hiking date but still look cool.

Can you do the Reinebringen hike in winter?

While there’s nothing to say you can’t hike Reinebringen in winter it’s definitely not recommended.

Going up the steps covered in snow might be easier but coming down them could be lethal.

There are plenty of other things to do in Lofoten in winter instead of the Reinebringen hike.

Can you camp on Reinebringen Lofoten Islands?

No. Reinebringen camping is forbidden as of 2021. There were too many tourists camping up on Reinebringen’s fragile terrain and unfortunately it’s become damaged.

Now you can no longer camp up here.

However, you can find the best camping in Lofoten with this guide!

The space up here is very limited too so I’m not sure how people managed to camp up here in the first place!

Read more: Check out all my hiking guides!

Last Updated on June 2, 2023 by Hannah