Steinfjellet 1398m asl

Mælfjell is the name of the mountain massif and its highest peak (1,413m above sea level) in the Telemark region, just outside the town of Seljord. On the south the much larger Lifjell Massif rises, and the two mountain formations are separated only by the Grunningsdalen Valley and the Grunåi River running at the bottom. On the eastern side of the Mælfjell massif are the Blåtønnfjellet and Heksfjell mountains (another Heksfjell was visited by me last year), both also separated by valleys. Out of all the hiking possibilities available, I chose Mælfjell for my next mountain trip. The reason was quite prosaic: it was the highest mountain in the area. It was only Gaustatoppen that was higher, rises more than 30 kilometers to the north.

To go to Mælfjell you have to consider few things. First is that there is any official trail to the top. The other that the terrain all the way from Slåkådalen valley is difficult. I didin’t realized that when I went to that hike. And in addition there were raining quite a lot during the week before so water was everywhere.

I may warn you as well from choosing the right path. Yes, I mention, that there is no paths there. And it is true. You can’t find any on the map at ut.no web side. But there are still some around Slåkådalen valley. When you take a look on the map, you will notice two patches running from the leisure cottages to the Londalsbekken river. If you consider which patch should you take, I can give you a hint. The dashed one doesn’t exist. I had to go through the swamp for 2 kilometers and I did it with my cell phone in my hand. Ut.no app showed that I am on the path but everything I saw was only a wet grass and a lot of water around. Going back few hours later I decided to check the other option (dottet lineon the map) and this is what I recommend. Nice wooden bridge going through the swamp. This is exactly what you need at this kind of place.

On the upper part of the mountain I struggled with white frost on the stones. There was slippery like on ice and I didn’t managed to go far than to Steinfjellet.

In the end, the trip was not that unsuccessful.A few photos turned out really well, and besides, it’s always better to spend time outdoors and move around a bit than staying indoors.

Download file: steinfjellet_9752917014.gpx