Saksaklepp and Veranuten (30.08.2026)

Written by hbar (Harald Barsnes) GSM

Start point Dravladalsvatnet (968m)
Endpoint Dravladalsvatnet (968m)
Characteristic Hillwalk
Duration 6h 50min
Distance 13.7km
Vertical meters 1,238m
GPS
Ascents Saksaklepp (1,491m) 30.08.2026 11:22
Veranuten (1,514m) 30.08.2026 14:32

Saksaklepp and Veranuten

The start of the hike
The start of the hike
Marked trail to Saksaklepp
Marked trail to Saksaklepp
Looking back at the car
Looking back at the car
Veranuten from the ascent
Veranuten from the ascent
Marked trail to Saksaklepp
Marked trail to Saksaklepp
Bjørnafetet in the background
Bjørnafetet in the background
Fredrik starting the final ascent
Fredrik starting the final ascent
Following markers to Saksaklepp
Following markers to Saksaklepp

Petter and Fredrik picked me up at my place shortly after seven for the drive to Tørvikbygd and the ferry to Jondal. After crossing the fjord, we ascended to Dravladalsvatnet where we parked next to the marked trailhead for Saksaklepp and were shortly on our way up the well-marked trail towards the summit. Due to a relatively dense fog, the minor detour to Bjørnafetet was skipped, and a short descent later we could begin the final ascent to the summit, which was reached without any issues.

From Saksaklepp we continued off-trail in the direction of Veranuten, largely following in the footsteps of Guttorm and his GPS track from 2023, with some minor adjustments. This resulted in an overall straightforward route, and while the north face of Veranuten looked steep from a distance, it was actually relatively easy to find a route that was neither exposed nor very steep. The only challenge being the sometimes slippery surfaces. As we got close to the summit of Veranuten we could follow a route marked with small cairns.

Veranuten provided a large cairn, however it is not located at the highest point, which is around 70 meters further south/southeast. After a quick attempt at improving the small cairn at the real summit, we started our descent to the southern tip of Dravladalsvatnet, doing our best to follow the cairns. Despite losing the cairns a couple of times, with the fog partly to blame, the descent was overall straightforward, including an easy crossing of the stream towards the very end. From there, all that remained was the walk along the road back to the car.

In summary, a nice roundtrip that can be recommended. Due to the long off-trail section between the two peaks, where some careful route-finding in rugged terrain is required, the hike is however probably best suited for hikers with a bit of experience, especially in low-visibility conditions like we had during our trip.

Takk for turen, Petter og Fredrik!

Saksaklepp
Saksaklepp
Petter and Fredrik descending from Saksaklepp
Petter and Fredrik descending from Saksaklepp
Off-trail descent from Saksaklepp
Off-trail descent from Saksaklepp
Off-trail descent from Saksaklepp with Dravladalsvatnet to the right
Off-trail descent from Saksaklepp with Dravladalsvatnet to the right
Here we headed left to the small 1289.1 lake
Here we headed left to the small 1289.1 lake
The southeastern end of the 1289.1 lake
The southeastern end of the 1289.1 lake
Descending to the 1059.6 lake
Descending to the 1059.6 lake
The small 1059.1 lake
The small 1059.1 lake
The start of our ascent route to Veranuten. Looks steep...
The start of our ascent route to Veranuten. Looks steep...
...but was actually quite straightforward...
...but was actually quite straightforward...
...and much less steep when getting closer.
...and much less steep when getting closer.
Looking back at the 1059.6 lake. We came up to the right of center.
Looking back at the 1059.6 lake. We came up to the right of center.
Following small cairns for the last part of the ascent to Veranuten
Following small cairns for the last part of the ascent to Veranuten
Approaching the large cairn at Veranuten with the real summit to the right
Approaching the large cairn at Veranuten with the real summit to the right
The large cairn at Veranuten with the real summit in the background
The large cairn at Veranuten with the real summit in the background
Approaching the real summit of Veranuten
Approaching the real summit of Veranuten
The refurbished cairn at the highest point at Veranuten
The refurbished cairn at the highest point at Veranuten
Doing our best to follow the cairns on our way down from Veranuten
Doing our best to follow the cairns on our way down from Veranuten
The last part of the descent from Veranuten
The last part of the descent from Veranuten
The easy crossing of the stream south of Dravladalsvatnet
The easy crossing of the stream south of Dravladalsvatnet
Dravladalsvatnet
Dravladalsvatnet
Looking back at the last part of our descent from Veranuten
Looking back at the last part of our descent from Veranuten
Walking back along the road to the car
Walking back along the road to the car
A final tiny shortcut to get to the car
A final tiny shortcut to get to the car
Start date 30.08.2026 09:38
(UTC+01:00 DST)
End date 30.08.2026 16:29
(UTC+01:00 DST)
Total Time 6h 50min
Moving Time 6h 21min
Stopped Time 0h 29min
Overall Average 2.0km/h
Moving Average 2.2km/h
Distance 13.7km
Vertical meters 1,238m

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