Stjørdal
Municipality · Trøndelag
About Stjørdal
Pose under Hell station's 'Gods-Expedition' sign, then visit Hegra Fortress, which held out 25 days in 1940, and the Bronze Age carvings at Leirfall.
Stjørdal is the broad lower valley of the Stjørdalselva, where the river has cut down through clay and sand to leave terraces of farmland, one of Trøndelag's largest farming districts. The town sits at the river mouth beside the airport, and the Skatval peninsula reaches out into the fjord to the north.
With the E6 and the E14 crossing here, it is an easy first or last day: the castle at Steinvikholm, or the toll road up Forbordsfjellet for the view.
Good to know
- Getting there: The E6 and E14 cross at Stjørdalshalsen, beside Værnes airport; Fv705 to Selbu starts at Hell. About 35 minutes from Trondheim, 50 from Levanger.
- Season: Steinvikholm is open late June to mid-August, with an outdoor opera in August; Hegra Fortress museum runs mid-May to early October.
- Sleeping: Ersgard Gårdshotell, a farm hotel about 5 km from Værnes and open all year, plus Midtkil Camping (all year) and Flora Camping up the valley.
- Food: Limousin and Wagyu beef from the self-service farm shop at Steinvik, and coffee from the small Langøra roastery at Hjelseng Gård.
What to do and where to stay in Stjørdal
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Hell Station 'Gods-Expedition' signLocal oddity
The freight shed at Hell station still carries its old 'Hell Gods-Expedition' sign (old Norwegian for freight handling), and summer visitors step off trains just to photograph it.
Hell station, Hell village, south of the Stjørdalselva mouth · 15 min · all year
2Hegra FortressHistory & culture
A 1908–1910 hilltop fort where about 250 volunteers, including one woman, held out for 25 days against the Germans in 1940; tunnels, trenches, gun posts and a museum.
Above Hegra village, about 15 km east of Stjørdalshalsen · 1.5–2 h · Grounds open all year until the road closes for winter; museum and café mid-May to early October, Wed–Sun 11–16
3Steinvikholm CastleHistory & culture
The stone castle Archbishop Olav Engelbrektsson built on a fjord islet in 1525–1532, reached by a wooden bridge and used for an outdoor opera every August.
Steinvikholmen, Skatval side of the Trondheimsfjord · 1 h · Summer: about 27 June–16 August, daily 11–17
4Leirfall rock carvingsHistory & culture
About 900 Bronze Age figures on five rock faces, with footprints, boats, horses, a sun sign and a procession of 13 people; signed parking on site.
Leirfall, Hegra, north side of the Stjørdalselva by the Solemsbekken stream · 30–45 min · April–October (snow-free)
5Hell climbing cragActivity
Norway's best-known sport crag, a conglomerate wall with 167 bolted routes from grade 4 to 9a+ minutes from Værnes; wear a helmet even when watching from below.
Hell, by the E14 and the Stjørdalselva · spring–autumn
6Forbordsfjellet and SvartkamhyttaViewpoint
A 590 m hill with a toll road up from Skatval, views over Stjørdalen, Åsenfjorden and Trondheim, and an easy 3 km gravel path to the open Svartkamhytta hut.
About 4 km north-east of Skatval, north of Værnes · 1 h (3.1 km return to Svartkamhytta) · all year (path), toll road in summer
7StorvikaSwim
Stjørdal's busiest beach, a sheltered sandy cove between rocks with two climbing walls, where tents and hammocks may stay up to two nights under the right to roam.
Storvikavegen 136; park at the industrial area and walk in · all year (toilets summer only)
8Værnes ChurchHistory & culture
One of Norway's oldest stone churches, a Romanesque long church on St. Olavsleden; on weekdays you can usually borrow the key at the museum next door.
Kirkevegen 101, Værnes, just east of the airport · 20–40 min · all year; weekdays 08–16
9StorskarvenHike
Stjørdal's highest summit (1,171 m) in Skarvan og Roltdalen national park, an 18 km day hike from Sunndalen farm, about half of it on duckboards.
South of Sona, Skarvan og Roltdalen national park · 7 h (18 km return, 840 m up) · June–September
10Stjørdal Museum VærnesHistory & culture
The old Værnes parsonage holds Martin Moe's large antiques and natural-history collection, with a 19th-century English-style garden and a Viking Age burial mound.
Prestmovegen 2, Værnes, next to Værnes church · 1 h · Museum Mon–Fri all year, longer hours in summer; café summer season only