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In plain English
Besseggen is a ridge walk you finish in a day, but where you sleep is a real decision. In Norway's mountains, overnight places come in a few kinds. Some are staffed lodges, where someone cooks breakfast and dinner for you. Others are self-service cabins where you look after yourself. A third kind has no food at all.
Think of a staffed lodge as a small mountain hotel that is only open in summer, and a self-service cabin as a shared holiday house you keep tidy. The nonprofit that runs many of them says that if you turn up, you will have a bed or at least a mattress on the floor, but it still suggests booking if you plan to stay more than a night.
The path itself is under repair. The park's managers say so many walkers have worn the trail above one lodge that it now looks like a stream bed in places. None of this is scary, but it means you should look up current notices before you go and treat the lodge you choose as part of the plan, not an afterthought.
Besseggen Ridge, in Jotunheimen National Park, is Norway's best-known day hike: a narrow spine of rock running between two lakes that sit right next to each other in strikingly different colors, the emerald-green Gjende and the blue Bessvatnet. Most hikers ride the boat across Gjende to the Memurubu lodge, then walk back over the ridge to the Gjendesheim lodge, which means your night's lodging is decided before you ever start climbing.
Why hike here
The reason people come back to Besseggen isn't one viewpoint — it's the whole ridge unfolding as one long payoff. You start at lake level, climb a scramble where you're using your hands on rock with real exposure on both sides, and then the ridge narrows until you can see both lakes at once: Gjende a deep glacial green, Bessvatnet a colder blue, split by a wall of rock that looks too neat to be natural. Weather up there can turn quickly, bright one hour and gray and windy the next. Taking the boat to start at Memurubu also means the hardest climbing comes early, while your legs are fresh, leaving the long descent to Gjendesheim as a chance to look back at where you've been.
Getting there
Jotunheimen sits inland in Norway's mountains, so there's no airport near the trailhead — the realistic route is to fly into Oslo, then drive north into the park. Renting a car in Oslo is the simplest way to handle this last leg, since public transport that far into Jotunheimen is limited; the drive takes you up through the Vågå and Otta valleys before climbing into the park itself. If you're starting the classic route at Memurubu rather than Gjendesheim, you'd still drive to Gjendesheim first and pick up the boat across Gjende from there.
Where to stay
The realistic options, closest-to-the-trail first. Book through the official links — we don't list prices or availability because they change all the time.
For example: Mountain lodges at the start (Gjendesheim) and mid-lake (Memurubu, reached by boat)
Hikers doing the classic point-to-point — boat to Memurubu, then hike back over Besseggen.
The Gjende boat links the two lodges; book beds ahead in summer.
Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT)For example: Cabins, campsites and hotels in the valleys near the trailhead
Hikers basing a night either side of the ridge.
A road base for reaching Gjendesheim.
Nearby-area lodging
Permits & rules
No permit is needed. The classic route rides the Gjende boat to Memurubu and hikes back over Besseggen; the ridge is exposed with one steep scramble, so pick a clear, dry day and check the boat schedule. The park board has issued a 2026 notice about path repair above Memurubu, so check for current notices.
Gear you'll want for this trip
Matched to the terrain and conditions here. Real products — check current price on Amazon.
Lodges, cabins and who runs them
DNT, the Norwegian Trekking Association, lists three kinds of cabin with accommodation: staffed lodges, self-service cabins and no-service cabins.1 Staffed lodges serve breakfast and dinner, many have showers and electricity, and most are open from late June until early September, so a hike outside that window may find them closed.1 Private lodges also exist and may have different standards and booking rules.1 A DNT page on the cabin key names Gjendesheim among the staffed lodges DNT owns.5 Some guides call Memurubu a DNT lodge, which the DNT pages do not say, so confirm who runs the lodge you book, because private lodges follow their own rules.
The trade-off is between certainty and flexibility. DNT says accommodation cannot always be booked in advance, that many cabins keep some beds for drop-in guests and that everyone who arrives gets a bunk or a floor mattress, but it advises booking ahead if you stay two days or more at a staffed cabin.2 Members also get priority on bunks when cabins are crowded.1 For a classic one-night ridge trip in peak summer, that makes booking the safer choice.
A national park with a trail in need of repair
Besseggen lies in Jotunheimen National Park, which was protected on 5 December 1980 together with the Utladalen landscape protection area, covers 1,151 square kilometers and lies mostly above the tree line, according to the park board.6 The board says the protection rules set what is allowed, that some activities need the management authority's permission, and that areas near roads and tourist huts take more use through huts and a network of marked paths.6 Camping and other rules therefore depend on the exact spot, so check the board's regulations for the area you plan to use.
In a 2026 notice the board asked for price offers to repair the Besseggen path in the slope above Memurubu. It says heavy use and long-term wear mean extensive repair is needed, that the path resembles a stream bed in the most eroded places, and that materials will be flown in by helicopter.3 The notice gives no closure dates, so treat it as a reason to check current conditions, not as a warning that the route is shut. It also suggests why sticking to the marked path, and hiking on a dry day, matters here.
What a lodge night does to your pack
DNT's summer gear list gives total weight as 7 to 12 kg for a cabin trip and says it can easily reach 15 to 20 kg for tenting, because a tent, sleeping bag, pad, stove and food come along.4 That is about 15 to 26 pounds against 33 to 44 pounds. For a one-night trip using lodges at both ends, a pack in the range Washington Trails Association gives for a full-day hike, 25 to 30 liters, can be enough if you stay light.7
The list also warns that spring, summer and autumn can bring winter weather in the mountains, so extra warm clothing is essential.4 The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hypothermia can develop above 40°F if you are chilled by rain or sweat, which is easy on an exposed ridge.8 Staying at a lodge does not remove that risk; it only shortens the time you are carrying everything. Confirm bookings, rules and closures with the park board and the lodge before you go.
Common questions
Do I need to book lodging before I go?
Yes — book ahead. Besseggen is one of Jotunheimen's most popular hikes, and the lodges at Gjendesheim (a DNT lodge) and Memurubu can fill up through the hiking season; confirm who runs each one, since private lodges follow their own rules. If you're basing yourself in the Vågå or Otta valleys instead, book those rooms early too, especially for weekends in summer.
Which lodge should I stay at, Gjendesheim or Memurubu?
It depends on which direction you hike. The classic route takes the boat across Gjende to Memurubu, then walks the ridge back to Gjendesheim, so most people end up staying at Gjendesheim before or after and using Memurubu partway through. Either lodge works as a base — check the boat schedule when you plan your stay.
What's the best time of year to hike Besseggen?
Late June through September, once the snow has cleared from the ridge, is the realistic window. Conditions can vary year to year, so check current trail reports before you commit to dates, and expect the trail — and the lodges — to be busiest in the middle of that stretch. Outside this window, snow and ice make the exposed scramble far riskier. The Jotunheimen national park board has also posted a 2026 notice that heavy use has worn the Besseggen path above Memurubu enough to need major repair (no closure dates given), so check its current notices before you go.
Complete gearsets for this trip
Full curated kits built for exactly this kind of hike — what to bring, why, and links to similar gear.
Lodging details are compiled from official parks, refuge associations and reservation systems and can change without notice. We publish no prices, availability or ratings — always confirm current information on the official site before booking or setting out. Product links and the accommodation map are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you; product prices and availability are shown on Amazon, and accommodation prices on the booking site. See our affiliate disclosure.