Glittertind
2,452 m
Norway
Also known as Глитертинден, Glittertinden, +1Also known as
Глитертинден · Glittertinden · Глиттертинд
- Elevation
- 2,452 m
- Prominence
- 986 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 2 check notes
- truncated: first waypoint unresolved, ~2.2 km missing
- unresolved waypoints: Veodalen car park, Glitterbrean
The easier and more popular route: from the DNT lodge Glitterheim (about 1,400 m), reached on foot or by bike from the Veodalen car park, a marked path climbs about 1,075 m north-west over stony slopes to the remnant summit snowfield, which has no crevasses. About 3½ hours up, 7 hours return.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 5.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,066 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,452 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 4h 17m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 2h 52m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Glitterheim has no road access for private cars. Drive the 23 km gravel toll road from Randsverk (Rv 51) or the Hesthagen–Smørli toll road from Garmo to the free car park at the national park boundary in Veodalen, then walk about 1½ hours (or cycle about 45 minutes; bikes can be hired at the car park) along the gravel road to the lodge. Most people sleep at Glitterheim and climb the next morning. From Glitterheim the marked path heads north-west, first on grassy ground and then over steady, moderately steep stony terrain and boulders. At about 2,250 m it turns west onto the summit snow and ice (Glitterbrean) and follows it to the top. The summit snowfield has no crevasses and normally carries a good track, but it can be hard and icy early or late in the season, and the summit can carry a cornice above the steep north face; keep well back from the northern edge. Descend the same way (about 7 hours return from the hut for 12.2 km). The summit ice cap has shrunk dramatically; the Spiterstulen lodge reports it had completely melted by September 2023, so in late summer the top may be bare scree. A traverse over the summit to Spiterstulen is a popular hut-to-hut day of 8–10 hours.
Start
Glitterheim1,385 m
- Train/bus via Otta, or bus via Fagernes, to Randsverk; in high season a bookable Innlandstrafikk bus or taxi runs from Randsverk to the national park boundary in Veodalen.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glitterheim → Glittertinden | 5.8 | 1,066 | 0 | 4h 17m |
Waypoints
- Hut: Glitterheim1,385 m
- Summit: Glittertinden2,452 m
Key Passages
- Gravel road through Veodalen
- Stony north-west slopes above Glitterheim
- Summit snowfield (Glitterbrean)
- Cornice above the north face
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
Norway's second-highest mountain (2,452 m of rock), a broad dome in eastern Jotunheimen whose shrinking summit ice cap once made it a rival to Galdhøpiggen. A long but non-technical walk from the Glitterheim or Spiterstulen lodges.
Glittertind rises between Visdalen and Veodalen in the east of Jotunheimen National Park, about 13 km east of Galdhøpiggen. From the south and east it is a broad, stony dome; to the north it falls away in a steep face above the Grjotbreen glacier. Its summit used to carry a permanent ice cap that added 10–30 m to its height, and for decades the question of whether Glittertind or Galdhøpiggen was Norway's highest mountain depended on whether the ice counted. The rock summit is 2,452 m; the ice cap has shrunk dramatically and the Spiterstulen lodge reports it had melted completely by September 2023.
The usual ascent is from the DNT lodge Glitterheim on the east side, about 1,075 m of ascent on a marked path and a final crevasse-free snowfield. The western route from Spiterstulen is longer, about 1,380 m of ascent, and pairs naturally with Galdhøpiggen from the same base. Traversing the summit between the two lodges is one of Jotunheimen's classic hut-to-hut days.
The summit gives a wide view over the high peaks of Jotunheimen. Expect cold wind and cloud, snow into July, and a cornice above the north face at times.
Climbing Notes
A good day-hiking level of fitness is enough: from Glitterheim plan about 3½ hours up and 7 hours return, from Spiterstulen about 9 hours return. Paths are marked and there are no technical difficulties, but the ground is rough and the summit dome is featureless in cloud, so carry a map and compass or GPS, and keep well back from the northern edge where a cornice can form. Microspikes or crampons are useful when the summit snow is hard, especially in June and September.
Typical plans: drive or take the bookable bus to the Veodalen car park, walk or cycle to Glitterheim, climb the next morning and return; or base yourself at Spiterstulen and climb Glittertind and Galdhøpiggen on consecutive days. The traverse from Glitterheim over the summit to Spiterstulen takes 8–10 hours.
In spring (mid March to after Easter) Glitterheim is staffed for ski touring and Glittertind is a popular ski summit.
History
The first recorded ascent was made in 1841 by Harald Nicolai Storm Wergeland and Hans Sletten. A cabin once stood on the summit but was blown off by a storm onto the Grjotbreen glacier below the north face. The official 1917 map gave the height including ice as 2,481 m; by 2008 the summer-minimum height with ice was 2,465 m, and the summit has been observed almost without ice since 2022–2023, settling the old rivalry in Galdhøpiggen's favour. Glitterheim lodge was built in 1901 and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2026.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; huts closed
- Feb
- Winter; Glitterheim self-service from mid February (DNT key)
- Mar
- Glitterheim staffed from mid March for ski touring
- Apr
- Ski touring; Glitterheim staffed until the week after Easter
- May
- Spring melt; access roads may be closed
- Jun
- Glitterheim staffed from mid June; much snow on the mountain
- Jul
- Main season
- Aug
- Main season; least snow
- Sep
- Glitterheim staffed to mid September, then self-service until mid October; first snow possible
- Oct
- Self-service only until mid October; wintry
- Nov
- Winter; hut closed
- Dec
- Winter; hut closed
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Glitterheim (DNT, 137 beds) is staffed from mid March to the week after Easter and from mid June to mid September; outside those periods a self-service section with a DNT key is open (e.g. 14 September – 15 October 2026). Book on dnt.no. Spiterstulen is a private lodge; book on spiterstulen.no.
- Fees
- Toll on the gravel road from Randsverk to Veodalen (23 km) and on the Hesthagen–Smørli road from Garmo
- Toll on Visdalsvegen to Spiterstulen (payable at the lodge)
- Parking at the Veodalen national park boundary is free
- Rules
- No private cars on the road from the national park boundary to Glitterheim; walk or cycle (e-bikes have been allowed on Glitterheimvegen since a rule change in November 2020)
- Jotunheimen National Park rules apply
- Getting There
Lom (west) or Randsverk / Vågå (east)
Oslo Gardermoen (OSL)
- By car from Rv 51 at Randsverk, 23 km of gravel toll road to the car park at the national park boundary in Veodalen; or from Lom via Rv 15 to Garmo and the Hesthagen–Smørli toll road (about 45 km from Lom)
- From the Veodalen car park: about 1½ hours on foot or 45 minutes by bike on the gravel road to Glitterheim; bikes for hire at the car park
- Train to Otta, then bus to Randsverk in summer (or bus via Fagernes); bookable Innlandstrafikk bus or taxi from Randsverk to Veodalen in high season
- For Spiterstulen: seasonal mountain bus from Lom (22 June – 16 August in 2026)
Hazards
- Cornices
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
2- 1,111 m
SpiterstulenHotelStaffed
Winter season mid March – early May, summer season early June – mid September (12 March – 2 May and 4 June – 19 September published for 2027)
- 1,384 m
GlitterheimHutStaffed
137 beds · Staffed mid March to the week after Easter and mid June to mid September; self-service with DNT key mid February to mid March and mid September to mid October