Steinkjer
Municipality · Trøndelag
About Steinkjer
The Stone Age reindeer carving at Bøla, Bardal's rock-carving field, the burial mounds at Egge and Mære church, built around 1200 on what may have been a pagan cult site.
Steinkjer sits on Beitstadfjorden, the northern arm of the Trondheimsfjord, where two rivers meet the sea. Much of the land is flat clay and sand farmland, with forested hills behind it; since 2020 it also takes in old Verran, where the concrete tower of the Malm mines still stands. About 80 % of the town was destroyed by bombing in 1940.
It is where Kystriksveien leaves the E6 for the coast, so it works as a stop of a few hours or a night before the coast road.
Good to know
- Getting there: The E6 runs through town, and Fv17 Kystriksveien starts here towards Bodø. About 2 hours from Trondheim and 1 h 30 from Værnes airport.
- Season: Egge Museum opens in summer only; the kiosk at the top of Oftenåsen is open on Sundays all year and daily around midsummer.
- Sleeping: Guldbergaunet Sommerhotell og Camping in town, Kulturgården Bjerkem, and Kvam Motell & Camping, open all year.
- Food: Bjørka, a self-service farm shop in Sparbu, sells honey and chocolate every day.
What to do and where to stay in Steinkjer
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Bølareinen rock carvingHistory & culture
A life-size reindeer carved around 3400–3200 BC on a former fjord headland, with a 148 cm tall skier, a bear, an elk and a seabird among about 30 figures nearby.
Bøla, Fv763 on the south side of Snåsavatnet, near Stod (about 20 km from Steinkjer town) · 30–60 min · all-year (snow may cover the rock in winter); café summer only
2Bardal rock carvingsHistory & culture
About 400 carvings on one rock face: elk, reindeer, a whale and birds cut by Stone Age hunters, and many Bronze Age boats.
Bardal farm, Sør-Beitstad, about 15 km west of Steinkjer town · 30 min · May–September best; signposted all year
3Elnanslottet hillfortHike
One of Trøndelag's best-kept Iron Age hillforts, on a crag with drops on three sides at the head of Elnandalen, about 6 km there and back with 127 m of climbing.
Start at Øystre Elnangård, Sør-Beitstad · about 1.5 h · March–October
4Oftenåsen and the world's largest garden chairLocal oddity
A 327-step staircase climbs 190 m to a hill over the town, fjord and Leksdalsvatnet, where a giant garden chair claims a world record.
Oftenåsen, on the edge of Steinkjer town (start at Skotvoldgruva parking, Trana) · 1.5–2 h (about 5 km loop via Trolltråkket and Ainnervein) · all-year
5Malm mining towerLocal oddity
A 72 m concrete tower over a 1,177 m shaft is what remains of Fosdalen mines, which employed up to 658 people in 1956 and closed in 1997.
Kjerkbakken, Malm (former Verran) · 30–45 min · all-year (outside)
6Rokne smelting hut by SagfossenHistory & culture
The ruin of a 1777 copper-smelting oven under a modern roof below a waterfall, 250 m from the car park, with a fire pit by the upper falls.
Rokne, Øvre Ogndal, off Fv762 about 25 km east of Steinkjer · 30 min · May–October
7FollaheiaHike
A steep marked path from Follafoss, under the power-station pipeline, to a 644 m top looking over the fjord to Inderøy and Steinkjer.
Follafoss, former Verran (west side of Beitstadfjorden) · about 4 h (about 6 km return) · May–September
8Mære ChurchHistory & culture
A stone church built 1150–1200 on a hill over the Mære mires, above older buildings where excavators found gullgubber, tiny gold-foil figures of pre-Christian gods.
Mæreshaugen, Mære (Sparbu), south of Steinkjer town · 30 min · outside all year; inside mainly on summer opening days and at services
9Eggevammen burial ridgeHistory & culture
A moraine ridge by the old Egge chieftain farm, home of saga figures Kalv Arneson and Trond Haka, with a large ancient burial field of many mounds.
Egge, around the Egge Museum and Egge church, north of Steinkjer town · 30–45 min walk · all-year (best without snow)
10Peilehytta kiosk on OftenåsenFood & drink
A small kiosk hut at the top of Oftenåsen, by the giant garden chair, serving walkers on Sundays all year and every day in midsummer.
Summit of Oftenåsen, Steinkjer town · 30 min (plus the walk up) · Sundays 11–15 all year; daily in midsummer (dates vary)