A Disused Staircase, Not a Hiking Trail
Flørli is a small, almost-abandoned settlement halfway along the Lysefjord, known for one thing: a wooden staircase of 4,444 steps climbing the mountainside behind it. It is routinely described as the longest wooden staircase in the world, and photographs of its endless zigzag through birch and heather have made it one of the more recognisable images to come out of the Lysefjord — often mistaken, at a glance, for a hiking trail in the same category as Preikestolen or Kjeragbolten.
It is not that. The staircase was built as a maintenance walkway alongside the steel pipeline that once carried water down from a mountain lake to Flørli’s hydropower station. There is no trailhead sign network, no marked path variations, no mountain hut partway up — just steps, a handrail in places, and the pipeline running beside them. Climbing it means climbing an old piece of industrial infrastructure, and the entire physical effort of the outing is concentrated in that single, repetitive act of going up (and back down) thousands of wooden steps, rather than in navigating varied terrain the way you would on a typical Rogaland hike.
That distinction matters for how you plan the day. There is no loop, no alternative descent, and no way to shorten the climb once you commit to it other than turning back the way you came.
Why the Staircase Exists
Flørli’s power station was built in the early twentieth century to supply electricity to Stavanger and the surrounding region, at a time when hydropower was transforming small Norwegian fjord communities into industrial sites almost overnight. Water was drawn from a lake high above the fjord and sent down through a pipeline to turbines at sea level, and the staircase was built alongside that pipeline so workers could walk up to inspect and maintain it.
For decades Flørli functioned as a working industrial settlement, with a small resident population tied to the power station. As hydropower technology and grid infrastructure moved on, the station was eventually decommissioned, and Flørli’s year-round population dwindled to almost nothing. What remains today is a cluster of early-twentieth-century buildings at the foot of the mountain, the pipeline itself, and the staircase that once served it — now kept mainly for visitors rather than maintenance crews.
Understanding that history is part of what makes the climb interesting: you are not walking a trail laid out for tourism, but retracing the working route of a hydropower plant that helped power a region now better known for oil than for water.
The Climb, Step by Step
The numbers are the headline: 4,444 wooden steps, gaining several hundred metres of elevation over a comparatively short horizontal distance. That combination — a lot of height in a short span — is what makes the climb feel relentless rather than technical. There is no scrambling, no exposed edge like the final approach to Kjeragbolten, and no drop-off comparable to the plateau at Preikestolen. Instead there is a long, steady, repetitive stair-climb that tests stamina and legs more than balance or nerve.
Most visitors in reasonable fitness take somewhere in the range of two to three hours for the full round trip, though pace varies a great deal — photographers and anyone stopping often for the view over the fjord will take longer. The steps themselves are uneven in places, occasionally slick with moss or damp after rain, and a section of handrail helps on the steeper stretches, but this is still a genuine physical effort rather than a casual stroll. Sturdy footwear with grip is worth taking seriously here, in the same way it matters on any Rogaland trail — see the general packing guidance for hiking in the region before you go.
There are a handful of resting points along the way where the staircase levels briefly or opens onto a view back down the fjord, and these are the natural places to catch your breath and take photographs of the pipeline curving away below you. The top of the staircase reaches the outflow area near the original intake lake, with views back down over Flørli and the Lysefjord that reward the climb, before you turn around and descend the same 4,444 steps to get back.
Flørli Staircase at a Glance
| Detail | Approximate figure |
|---|---|
| Number of steps | 4,444 |
| Round-trip time | 2-3 hours for most fit visitors |
| Terrain | Wooden stairs alongside a hydropower pipeline |
| Technical difficulty | Low (no scrambling or exposure) |
| Physical difficulty | High (sustained, repetitive climbing) |
| Access | Boat only, from Stavanger, Forsand or Lysebotn side |
Getting to Flørli
Flørli has no practical road connection to Stavanger. A very long inland route exists on paper, winding through the Ryfylke interior, but it is not a realistic option for a day trip, and almost every visitor arrives by water instead. Scheduled fjord boats running the length of the Lysefjord often call at Flørli’s small pier, and Flørli also features on the itineraries of several RIB boat tours and combined boat-and-hike departures from Stavanger, Forsand and Jørpeland.
a RIB tour that combines the fjord crossing with the staircase climb is the most direct way to link transport and the hike into one organised outing, useful if you would rather not coordinate a separate boat timetable around your own schedule.
For travellers already planning a wider Lysefjord boat trip, a scheduled sightseeing route such as the boat trip from Forsand that passes below Preikestolen sometimes runs close enough to Flørli to combine the two in outline, though the staircase itself still needs its own stop and its own dedicated time on land. Whichever boat you choose, check departure and return times carefully — missing the return boat at Flørli means a long wait, since services are infrequent outside peak summer.
If you would rather explore the fjord by a faster, more independent route before or after the climb, a RIB fjord tour departing from Sandnes covers more of the Lysefjord’s scenery in less time, for travellers who want the water experience without necessarily climbing the full staircase.
At the Foot of the Staircase: Old Flørli Today
The buildings clustered around the pier at the base of the staircase are what remain of the working power station settlement. Part of the old machinery hall now functions as a small documentation point where you can see original hydropower equipment and get a sense of how the plant operated, and nearby buildings house a modest seasonal café and limited overnight accommodation in converted staff housing.
None of this amounts to a developed tourist village — Flørli remains quiet, small and largely unstaffed outside the main summer season — but it gives the outing a second layer beyond the staircase itself: a look at the physical remains of one of Rogaland’s early hydropower projects, at ground level, before or after the climb.
When to Go
Late May through September is the sensible window for climbing the Flørli staircase. Boat services to Flørli run far more often in that period, daylight hours are long, and the wooden steps are more likely to be dry underfoot. Outside those months, boat frequency to Flørli drops sharply, the steps can be wet, mossy or icy, and the climb becomes considerably more hazardous with no real gain in scenery to offset the added risk — the same seasonal caution that applies to the region’s better-known hikes near Preikestolen and Kjerag applies here too.
Even within the main season, Rogaland’s coastal weather can turn quickly, so check the forecast and boat schedule together rather than assuming a sunny morning in Stavanger will hold on the fjord. Rain makes the wooden steps noticeably more slippery, and there is no shelter of any size along the staircase itself.
Combining Flørli With the Rest of the Lysefjord
Because Flørli sits roughly midway along the Lysefjord, it fits naturally into a longer day on the water rather than standing entirely on its own. Travellers already booked on a fjord cruise or RIB safari sometimes add Flørli as a stop, while others treat the staircase as the main event and build a lighter boat itinerary around it.
If you are weighing up how much time to give the fjord versus the staircase, or whether to fold Flørli into a single long day or split it across two, it is worth comparing the different ways of experiencing the Lysefjord before committing. For hikers looking for something with a more traditional trail character on either side of the same fjord, a locally guided hike in the wider Preikestolen area offers a contrasting outing on natural terrain rather than a built staircase, useful if you want to pair two different kinds of walking within the same trip.
Whichever combination you choose, allow real buffer time around boat departures — Flørli’s remote, water-only access is unforgiving of a missed connection in a way that a road-accessible trailhead simply is not.
Practical Notes Before You Go
Bring the same layered clothing you would for any Rogaland hike: Norway’s coastal weather shifts quickly, and the staircase offers no shelter from wind or rain along its length. Footwear with real grip matters more here than the modest technical difficulty might suggest, since worn wooden steps get slick fast when damp.
Carry water and a snack, since there is nothing available partway up the staircase itself, and budget honestly for the day — boat transport, and any guided or RIB option you add on top of it, is the main cost, on top of Norway’s generally high prices for food and drink if you stop at Flørli’s small café. Prices throughout are in Norwegian kroner, not euros, since Norway sits outside the eurozone despite its Schengen membership.
Finally, respect your own turnaround time. Because the only way down is the same 4,444 steps you climbed, starting the descent with daylight and energy to spare is more important here than reaching the very top at all costs.
Flørli Staircase: Common Questions
Is the Flørli staircase a hiking trail or something else?
Neither, exactly. It is a disused wooden service staircase, built to let workers walk alongside the steel pipeline that once fed water down to Flørli’s hydropower station. It has no waymarking, no rest huts and none of the infrastructure of a normal Norwegian hiking trail — you are climbing an old industrial structure, not following a marked path through terrain.
How many steps are there and how hard is the climb?
There are 4,444 wooden steps, commonly described as the longest wooden staircase in the world. The climb gains several hundred metres of elevation over a short horizontal distance, so it is steep and repetitive rather than technical, and most visitors in reasonable shape need roughly two to three hours to reach the top and come back down.
How do you get to Flørli?
Flørli sits on the Lysefjord with no direct road connection from Stavanger, so almost everyone arrives by boat — a scheduled fjord boat, a RIB tour, or a private charter departing from Stavanger, Forsand or the Lysebotn side of the fjord. A very long inland road route exists but is impractical for a day visit.
Can you go inside the old power station?
The original power station buildings at the foot of the staircase have been partly converted into a small documentation area, a café and simple accommodation, so you can see the old machinery hall and pipeline infrastructure at ground level even if you do not climb the full staircase.
What is the best time of year to climb the steps?
Late May through September is the safest window, when the wood is normally dry and boat services to Flørli run more frequently. Outside that period the steps can be wet, mossy or icy, boat departures are far less frequent, and the climb becomes considerably more hazardous.
Is Flørli linked to Preikestolen or Kjeragbolten?
Flørli sits on the same Lysefjord as Preikestolen and Kjeragbolten, and boats sometimes pass close to all three landmarks, but the staircase is a separate outing with its own trailhead, its own difficulty profile and no through-route to either of those hikes.
Do you need to book a boat in advance?
Yes, especially in summer. Scheduled fjord boats and RIB tours to Flørli run on limited timetables and can sell out, and if you arrange your own charter you still need to fix a pickup time, so booking ahead removes the risk of being stranded on the wrong side of the fjord.
Is there anywhere to eat or stay in Flørli?
Flørli has a small seasonal café near the old power station and limited overnight accommodation in converted buildings, but options are few and weather-dependent, so most visitors treat it as a half-day or full-day trip from Stavanger rather than a base for a longer stay.
