Lofoten are world-famous for their nature and scenery; dramatic rocky mountains towering over blue waters of fjords, as well as fantastic white-sanded beaches hidden in the islands’ remote corners. Haukland Beach and Uttakleiv Beach in Lofoten are some of the finest examples of archipelago’s hidden gems!
The two beaches make an awesome visit destination as they’re located very near each other and are connected by a coastal path, easy trail over Mannen ridge as well as an under-mountain tunnel. The beaches are also easily accessible by car!
Uttakleiv Beach is especially popular for watching midnight sun, which can be observed directly from your tent or camper (if you’re staying overnight at the local campsite), whereas Haukland Beach is looks even more stunning from nearest viewpoint, Veggen.
Haukland Beach and Uttakleiv Beach are well known because of their beauty, so why not turn the two short beach walks into a day filled with unforgettable experiences and ‘eagle-eye’ views? You could even make it a 2 day adventure and camp overnight at either of them!
Interested? Find out more, below!
How to get to Uttakleiv Beach and Haukland Beach Lofoten, parking information
Both beaches are located along road no Fv826 Uttakleivveien, only 1.5 km apart (by under-mountain tunnel; cars only, no pedestrians), easily accessible by car. They have separate dedicated car parks:
- free car park at Haukland Beach, with changing room (for swimmers) and toilets (summer only). Click here for directions
- paid car park and a make-shift campsite at Uttakleiv Beach, with toilet and basic provisions for camping (at the bottom of page we’ve given all details about camping at Uttakleiv Beach). Click here for directions. Parking charges (2019): car / motorcycle 50 NOK per 3 hours.
Update June 2019 We re-visited Uttakleiv Beach in July 2019 and have to say that it was much more chaotic than during our previous visit in late August 2018. Parking rules seem to change depending on season and number of visitors. In summer 2019 it was impossible to park the car only for a short visit to the beach. It seems that area near the beach has been turned into a large, makeshift campsite now and the lady warden (who also claimed to be landowner) didn’t allow any cars to park for short visit, so she could keep space for more campers.
It left us with a bitter aftertaste and we can’t really say what situation will be when you visit. I guess it depends on the season, however there is still parking available to everybody at Haukland Beach, free of charge. Uttakleiv parking charges are increased annually, and in 2019 were: car/motorcycle 50 NOK per 3 hours (2018: car/motorcycle was 30 NOK per 3 hours)
Please note that there is only one, paid car park in Uttakleiv area (parking on road verges is forbidden), so to avoid expensive parking fees we recommend dropping your car at Haukland Beach and visit Uttakleiv Beach by foot! Read more to find out how!
How to turn two short beach visits into an amazing day out in Lofoten
There are 3 ways of turning a visit to Haukland Beach and Uttakleiv Beach into a great day out. Let’s have a look at the ideas:
- walk from Haukland Beach to Uttakleiv Beach along the coast, and return the same way (or alternatively by one of the below)
- hike from Uttakleiv Beach to Haukland Beach following the zig-zaging path via Mannen ridge (over the tunnel)
- hike from Uttakleiv Beach to Haukland Beach over Mannen ridge, and add a short hike to Mannen summit for an eagle-eye overview of the area, especially for the awesome view to Haukland Beach!
Need a hiking map? Buy Vestvågøy nordeca r/v map here!
Why not add a short hike to Veggen or Mannen?
Mannen mountain is a lower sibling of Veggen, but they both are great viewpoints to the beaches! At 400 masl, Mannen is a shorter and easier walk, hence more visitors decide to conquer it. However, Veggen is a bit higher (489 masl), a bit rougher and steeper than its sibling, but at the same time much quieter. You may think that being so close, the pair offers similar view, right? You couldn’t be more wrong! Check out the separate, detailed articles about Mannen and Veggen!
How to walk from Haukland Beach to Uttakleiv Beach along the coast
There is a very well maintained coastal track between Haukland Beach and Uttakleiv Beach (see RED trail on a map below). It is a very easy, flat trail adopted from an old coastal road, which was used by locals before the tunnel was built. The track is suitable for prams, buggies as well as wheelchairs. If lucky, one can even spot a pair of eagles circling high in the sky!
- Distance (one way): 4 km, walking time: 30 mins to 1 hour
- Level of difficulty: 1/5 – easy walk, mostly flat, suitable for children and disabled
To return from Uttakleiv Beach one can either retrace their steps along the coast, or alternatively enjoy a short hike over Mannen ridge (see BLUE trail on a map below), or why not actually climb to Mannen summit?
Return via under-mountain tunnel is not recommended! It’s a road tunnel without a sidewalk, dark and narrow. Walking along the tunnel could be dangerous due to amount of traffic!
Hike from Uttakleiv Beach to Haukland Beach over Mannen ridge
To turn the two beach visits into a fantastic day spent in the stunning outdoors, we recommend hiking from Uttakleiv Beach to Haukland Beach (or vice versa) via the lowest point of Mannen ridge (BLUE trail on the map above).
To get to the beginning of this trail, you have to follow the road from Uttakleiv Beach towards the tunnel (600 metres) and turn left, into a dirt road approximately 100 metres before the tunnel. The dirt road passes a white house and turns into a clear path, which climbs gently to the ridge with a small lake. On the west side, the slope is a little bit steeper and the path zig-zags down until it reaches a small paved track. Follow it (to the right) for 400 metres to Haukland Beach.
- Distance from Uttakleiv Beach to Haukland Beach via Mannen ridge: 2.7 km, time 1.5 – 2 hours
- Level of difficulty: 2 – easy hillwalk, good path throughout
Hike from Uttakleiv Beach to Haukland Beach, add a hike to summit of Mannen!
For those who enjoy a good hike and decide to add an adventure to the beach visit, we recommend hiking to Mannen mountain (BLUE trail on map above) on their way to, or from Uttakleiv Beach. Mannen mountain is just over 400 metres high, but a great viewpoint, especially to Haukland Beach! It starts as an easy walk over a dirt trail and good path to the ridge, then an continues to the very summit of Mannen.
It’s a fantastic short hike and we can’t recommend it enough! Hence, make sure to include a hike to Mannen in your Lofoten Itinerary!
Enjoy the views!
- Distance from Uttakleiv beach to Haukland Beach via Mannen mountain 4.5 km, time 3 hours
- Level of difficulty: 2 – easy hillwalk, good path, but can be muddy in places
Why not hike from Uttakliev Beach to Veggen mountain
Veggen mountain (489 masl) stands proud over Uttakleiv Beach and is a fantastic viewpoint to both beaches, Uttakleiv and Haukland. It’s a bit higher, a bit rougher and steeper then its sibling Mannen, but at the same time much quieter.
During our hike to Veggen we only met one other couple; but from Veggen we could spot dozen of hikers on the top of Mannen.
Veggen, however is only accessible from Uttakleiv Beach area, there is no trail descending to Haukland. It’s a relatively short hike (approx. 3 hours total), the path tends to be muddy (detailed article on our hike to Veggen ). One gets well rewarded for their effort thou, view from Veggen mountain is spectacular! With a little bit of luck, keen eye can spot a pair of eagles nesting in the crags of Veggen!
- Distance: 2.4 km, time 3 hours (total)
- Level of difficulty: 3 – moderate, some steep sections
Watch the Midnight Sun at Uttakleiv Beach
Another great idea for your time in Haukland and Utakleiv is watching the midnight sun. What is midnight sun then? In simple words, it’s the occurrence when the sun does not dip under the horizon (also known as ‘white night’ or ‘polar day’).
‘Midnight sun’ occurs in the summer days over the Arctic Circle, the period when you can observe it depends on the altitude. In Lofoten you can watch the sun shining 24/7 from 26 May to 17 July.
The best locations for watching the midnight sun are mountain tops and beaches and any other locations with undisturbed view to the north. Therefore, Uttakleiv Beach is just perfect! BUT, as much as you know about it, others do too! Hence the beach gets incredibly busy and crowded every summer night within the ‘midnight sun period’.
For the best experience, we recommend coming to Uttakleiv Beach by foot (from Haukland), simply because there aren’t enough parking nor camping spaces to accommodate all the keen takers! It’s actually unbelievable how many people come to Uttakliev to watch midnight sun! You wouldn’t say it’s the middle of the night, would you?
Below we’re sharing a couple of photographs of midnight sun over Uttakleiv Beach fro our latest visit in 2019
Camping at Haukland Beach and Uttakleiv Beach
Wild camping at Haukland Beach: camping is not forbidden at the large, free car park over Haukland Beach, in fact it’s a good spot to spend a night in a camper. This car park is divided into two sections: there is a height limit barrier at the lower part of the car park (just at the beach edge), however the bigger part near road has no barriers. The grassy area between car park and beach is flat and suitable for tents. One thing to note, however, is that there are no toilets (except summer) and the area is pretty much an open space with couple of houses nearby.
Camping at Uttakleiv Beach: there is a ‘self service’, basic campsite at Uttakleiv Beach, checked twice daily by a warden. The ‘campsite’ is a flat-ish, grassy area at beach end, with some benches and tables provided, as well as a provisional sink & tap with cold water (open air), a two-toilet block and chemical toilet disposal point for campers. As I mentioned, it’s a self-service facility, so to stay overnight at Uttakleiv Beach you have to pay at the ticket machine (small wooden hut, see photo below). Prices in were 2018:
camper 200 NOK / nighttent 120 NOK per 24 hourstent + car 160 NOK per 24 hourstent + motorbike 160 NOK per 24 hours- chemical toilet disposal point 75 NOK
Update June 2019 We re-visited Uttakleiv Beach in July 2019 Uttakleiv parking charges for 2019 have already increased, and were:
- car / motorcycle 50 NOK per 3 hours
- tent 160 NOK
- tent + car or motorbike 200 NOK
- camper / caravan 250 NOK
What we loved about visiting Uttakliev and Haukland beach
It won’t be to anyone’s surprise that we loved the two beaches! We spent two nights at Haukland Beach; first night we enjoyed a lovely warm evening, nice sunset and, 5 minutes later – a torrential rain! Visiting Uttakliev Beach was just as good, it’s a famous spot for photographers – everyone wants to find the famed ‘viking eye’ rocks or capture the midnight sun! The beach itself was a delight, especially at low tide and in the morning sun. We hope to return to these hidden gems of Lofoten (and, as it happened, we did return to Haukland and Uttakleiv beach a year later!)
LOOKING FOR OTHER AMAZING HIKES AND BEACH WALKS IN LOFOTEN?
If you’re looking for other hiking ideas on Lofoten archipelago, check out these amazing hill and beach walks! All include detailed route descriptions and maps:
KVALVIKA BEACH AND RYTEN – why not combine conquering Ryten with a visit to Lofoten’s gem beach – Kvalvika? A great, rewarding hike in Lofoten’s wild mountains.
ROREN AND YTTERSAND BEACH – short and easy hike to Roren, a viewpoint over calm waters of Flakstadoya and Yttersand Beach. Why not enjoy eagle-eye view first, and then descend to the picturesque sandy beach?
MUNKEBU HUT – explore wilderness of Moskenesoya island in the western part of Lofoten archipelago. The hut is located amongst high rocky mountains and makes a perfect day hike, or a great base to explore Munken and further summits.
*Level of difficulty explained: 1– easy walk, mostly flat 2-easy hillwalk, good path 3-moderate, possible some steep sections 4-long hillwalk, possibly some scrambling involved, possibly pathless 5-difficult, possibly pathless, long, requires technical skills
NORWEGIAN DIFFICULTY LEVEL EXPLAINED: GREEN – easy , BLUE -moderate, RED – demanding, BLACK -expert
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