Store Kågtinden
1,230 m
Norway
Also known as Kågen, KågtindenAlso known as
Kågen · Kågtinden
- Elevation
- 1,230 m
- Prominence
- 1,230 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Apr–May
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate 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? 7 check notes
- danger scan: Storbukta → Storbuktvatnet: connector line 253 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Storbuktvatnet → Store Kågtinden: straight line 1711 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Storbuktvatnet → Store Kågtinden: sustained 57° > 35° on a straight line
- last routed vertex 1930 m from the summit (closed by connector, straight)
- 32% straight-line fallback
- Storbuktvatnet → Store Kågtinden: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 35° between the endpoints, 1.7 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Storbuktdalen dam, South-west ridge, Bruttodalen (OSM match off-route)
Sources differ: Krevende (demanding) (ut.no)
The marked route up the highest point of Skjervøy and Norway's third-highest island summit: from sea level at Storbukta along an old waterworks road into Storbuktdalen, past Storbuktvatnet, then across a huge boulder field and up the south-west ridge, marked with cairns and red paint. About 1,220 m of ascent and 13 km return.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 5.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,240 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 1,230 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 4h 50m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 3h 12m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Park where county road Fv866 crosses Storbuktelva, about 500 m south of the Skjervøy bridge (large parking area just south of the old construction road; or at the fish-hatchery turn-off a little to the north). Follow the old waterworks road, closed to traffic, up Storbuktdalen to the dam at about 200 m, take the right-hand branch for about 500 m, and leave it where red marks show the way. An intermittent path heads west, staying fairly high on the valley side, past a small lake and along the north side of Storbuktvatnet (319 m) to the mouth of Bruttodalen. From about 400 m the ground becomes a huge boulder field, marked with cairns and paint. In Bruttodalen the route climbs diagonally west across the south side of Kågtind towards the col between Redotinden and Store Kågtinden, then traverses up for just under 1 km to the south-west ridge and follows the ridge, also scree, to the summit. Markings are easy to lose in low sun. Allow about 7 hours for the return trip (a fast runner has done it in under 3). Descend the same way, or follow the ridge from the summit down into Bruttodalen: easier underfoot but longer and unmarked. Water is rarely available above Bruttodalen.
Start
Storbukta9 m
- Bus towards Skjervøy from the Langslett junction on the E6; ask to be dropped at Storbukta.
- Parking at the trailhead
Waypoints
- Parking: Storbukta9 m
Roadside parking near the start of the old waterworks road
- Feature: Storbuktvatnet318 m
Pass on the north side
- Summit: Store Kågtinden1,230 m
Key Passages
- Old waterworks road to the Storbuktdalen dam
- Boulder field from about 400 m
- Diagonal traverse across the south side
- South-west ridge
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 63%Overview
The highest point of Kågen and of Skjervøy municipality (about 1,229 m), and Norway's third-highest island summit. A long, bouldery sea-level hike in summer and a classic Arctic ski peak in spring, with a 1,200 m couloir down its north-east side.
Kågen is a mountainous island in Skjervøy municipality, northern Troms, linked by bridge to the small town of Skjervøy. It carries six summits over 1,000 m; Store Kågtinden (often just Kågtind or Kågen) is the highest, behind only Møysalen on Hinnøya and Langlitinden on Andørja among Norwegian island peaks outside Svalbard and Jan Mayen.
The summer route from Storbukta on the east side is marked with cairns and paint but is mostly pathless boulder and scree above 400 m, which makes it a long day despite the modest height. In winter and spring Kågen is a ski-touring destination: the east route is skied at 15–35°, the north-east couloir Nordrenna gives close to 1,200 m of continuous skiing down to Isbuktvatnet, and foreign groups are often ferried by boat to Nyvoll on the west side.
The summit view takes in the Lyngen Alps to the south, Arnøya, Arnøyhøgda and Laukøya to the north, the Kvænangen peaks and Uløya.
Climbing Notes
Summer: about 13 km and 1,220 m of ascent; ut.no allows 7 hours return. Good mountain boots are essential for the long boulder field; carry all your water above Bruttodalen. The markings are easy to lose in low sun or fog, so take a GPS track.
Winter and spring: parts of all three routes are avalanche-prone; check varsom.no and carry transceiver, shovel and probe. The final metres to the summit can feel very exposed in winter, and big cornices form over the long drops; keep back from the edge. Nordrenna (20–45°) needs stable snow and can be icy at the top even in June; the lake ice on Isbuktvatnet is usually crossable until mid-May.
Season
Best Apr–May- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Good
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Good
- July: Best
- August: Best
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Polar night
- Feb
- Ski touring; short days
- Mar
- Ski touring
- Apr
- Prime ski-touring month
- May
- Spring skiing under the midnight sun from mid-May
- Jun
- Late ski season in the gullies; snow on the upper route
- Jul
- Summer hiking season
- Aug
- Summer hiking season
- Sep
- End of the summer season
- Oct
- First snow
- Nov
- Dark and stormy
- Dec
- Polar night
Access & Permits
- Rules
- The old waterworks road into Storbuktdalen is closed to vehicles
- Getting There
Skjervøy
Tromsø Airport (TOS); Sørkjosen Airport (SOJ) is closer
- By car on Fv866 towards Skjervøy; park where the road crosses Storbuktelva, about 500 m south of the Skjervøy bridge
- Bus towards Skjervøy from the Langslett junction on the E6
- For Nordrenna, park on the road to the Storstein ferry quay or at the quay itself
Hazards
- Avalanche
- Cornices
- Weather
- Exposure