Briksdalsbreen from Briksdal

From the car park at Briksdal, by Briksdal fjellstove, the road climbs east along the Briksdalselva past Kleivafossen to a bridge over the river just past the falls. After it the road and then a footway lead on up the valley to the lake below Briksdalsbreen, where a board explains the glaciers; the ice arm hangs in the gap between the cliffs above the water. The way back crosses the river by a wooden bridge near the lake and keeps to the south side, on a track and path that rejoin the road by the bridge at Kleivafossen, so the walk makes a loop.

It is 5.0 km round with 215 m of ascent; allow about 1¾ hours. The grade is Easy: a road, track and gravel footway with a steady climb. Briksdal fjellstove's own page gives the way to the glacier as 2.5 km, 40 to 60 minutes, a green, easy route, and says a newer footpath on the south side of the river allows a loop.

This route ends at the lake and does not go onto the ice. The Jostedalsbreen national park centre says you can use a guide to do walks on the glacier itself. NVE, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, says the front and sides of a glacier can be unstable and large ice blocks can fall at any time, and asks you to keep a safe distance from the edge of the glacier and behind any safety barriers. The fjellstove's page says the glacier front retreated quickly after 2000 and by autumn 2007 no longer reached into the lake. Troll cars, which the fjellstove's page offers as a ride up the hills, run up the road to a stop at Kleivane about 500 m on foot from the lake, so keep an eye out for them on the way up.

The car park at Briksdal is paid: the fjellstove's page gives the first 30 minutes free and NOK 80 from 30 minutes to 10 hours, paid at the machine when you leave or online within 48 hours. The fjellstove's travel page says the Brebussen runs in to Briksdalen from Stryn or Olden; check the timetable on skyss.no before you rely on a bus.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.