Lerheimskollen, also known as Kollen, is a rewarding mountain hike in Romsdal with fantastic views over the Romsdalsfjord, the Rødven Peninsula, and Rødvenfjorden. The trail combines moderate climbing with scenic panoramas of the fjord landscape. Map to use: Romsdalsfjella Nord 1:50000.
This mountain hike can be started from several places, we chose the trail that starts from the Holmemdalen valley. We drove the toll road from Holmemstranda up towards Holmemdalen, at the start of the trail there is a small wooden sign marked “Kollen”.
The hike up to Lerheimskollen (Kollen)
We started this mountain hike from the road that goes up towards Holmemdalen. Holmemdalen is a valley at Holmemstranda, on the east side of the innermost part of Rødvenfjorden in Romsdal.
The gravel road up to the car park is steep, narrow and winding, and there is only room for a few cars beside the road where the trail to Lerheimskollen starts.
See the official tour description with a detailed explanation of where you drive from the main road to the car park where the hike starts. This gravel road is not recommended for motorhomes.
It is just over two kilometres to drive from the main road (Fylkesveg 64) up to the parking area and the sign marked “Kollen”.
The first part of the trail goes upwards with a moderate incline through the forest. Gradually the forest becomes thinner, and just below the tree line the trail splits in two.
Here you can turn right and follow a trail towards Lerheimssetra. This is a short detour, and the view from Lerheimssetra down to Rødvenfjorden is just beautiful.
The vegetation in this area is mainly mountain birch, heather and bog and it is a nice and easy terrain to walk on.
From Lerheimssetra you then go back to where the trail splits and follow the marked trail (see sign marked “Kollen”) further towards Lerheimskollen.
Here the trail flattens out a bit. But just above the tree line, the trail becomes steeper again where it slopes to the right up the mountainside.
The view gets better the further up you go. Here you just have to take your time to enjoy the view down to the picturesque villages, the wonderful nature and the beautiful cultural landscape that surrounds the Romsdalsfjord and Rødvenfjorden.
The cairn at the top, perhaps the best view in Romsdal
The last part of the trail is up on the mountain plateau. There the trail flattens out a bit and the terrain is somewhat hilly before you reach the cairn at the top of Lerheimskollen at 766 masl.
The view from Lerheimskollen is out of this world and one of the most beautiful views in Romsdal.
From Lerheimskollen you can see almost the entire Romsdalsfjord and the entire Rødvenfjorden with Klungnes, Gjerdsetvatnet, Innfjorden, Måndalen, Eidsbygda, Rødven and Holmemstranda.
You can see Molde in the distance and actually all the way to the islands at the far end of the Romsdalsfjord, where the fjord and the Atlantic ocean meet.
You can also look “straight down” at Saltkjelsneset Camping from the top at Lerheimskollen. Saltkjelsneset is one of our most beautiful campsites and is a good starting point if you are going fishing in the fjord, visiting Rødven Stave Church or hiking in the mountains.
From Saltkjelsneset, it is a short distance both to the inner part of the Romsdalsfjord and to the Atlantic coast. Romsdalseggen, Vengedalen, Romsdalen and Trollstigen are some of what you can experience in the inner part of the Romsdalsfjord. The Midsundtrappene stairs, Ona Lighthouse and the Atlantic Road are fantastic adventures out on the coast.
The descent from Lerheimskollen
The usual and recommended return from Lerhemskollen is down along the same trail back to the car park where you started the hike.
Total time for the hike, from the car park by the road to Lerheimskollen and back to the car park, is around 3-5 hours. This of course depends on what shape you are in and the weather and the conditions along the trail.
Rødven Stave Church in Rødven
Rødven Stave Church is situated in Rødven down by the beautiful Rødvenfjord which is a branch of the Romsdalsfjord.
It is believed that Rødven Stave Church was built around year 1300 AD, but the stave church has older wood-materials and is probably from between year 1100 and 1200 AD.
Rødven Stave Church is one of two stave churches that have exterior wooden pillars to support and to stiffen the building structure.
Rødven Stavkirke is open for guided tours in the summer and by appointment. See the website of Rødven Stave Church for season and opening hours.
Romsdalsfjord – What to See and Do
From snowy mountains to beautiful coastline of islands and reefs. Experience all this in one day due to the short distance from mountains to coast. Trollstigen, Trollveggen and Rampestreken are great places to visit in the inner part of the Romsdalsfjord, where the fjord meets the spectacular and alpine Romsdal mountains. The Romsdalsfjord is located in the county of Møre og Romsdal, north in Western Norway.
Visit Northwest
Visit Northwest is the official destination company for the Romsdalsfjord, Romsdal and Nordmøre area.
Hotels and accommodation in and near Åndalsnes
The area at and around Åndalsnes in Romsdal has a large selection of hotels and other accommodation options.
