Â鶹ԭ´´

Trollpikken is one of Norway's most unusually named natural landmarks. Here's how to visit the famous rock formation near Egersund, and the remarkable story of how it became world famous.

Norway has Trolltunga, the Troll's Tongue. It has Trollveggen, the Troll Wall, and Trollstigen, the Troll Ladder.

And then, near the small town of Egersund in southwest Norway, there is Trollpikken. I'll let you work out the translation.

The phallic rock formation became an unlikely international celebrity in 2017, when somebody cut it off with power tools. A crowdfunding campaign quickly raised the money required to put it back in place, while newspapers around the world competed to come up with the inevitable headlines.

But Trollpikken is more than an amusing name and an even more amusing news story.

The relatively short hike passes through the distinctive rocky landscape of the , an area shaped by ancient magma and the immense forces of the last Ice Age.

Today, Trollpikken remains one of the best-known attractions in the Egersund region. More than 25,000 people visited in 2025 alone.

Where is Trollpikken?

Trollpikken is located just outside Egersund in Rogaland, in southwest Norway. Although the Stavanger region is better known internationally for spectacular hikes such as Preikestolen and Kjerag, the landscape around Egersund is quite different.

Trollpikken lies within the Magma UNESCO Global Geopark, an area notable for its unusual geology and exposed rocky terrain.

The nearest town, Egersund, is well worth some time of its own. Its centre is known for colourful wooden buildings, while the surrounding coastline, lighthouse walks and geopark landscapes make the area a good base for outdoor activities.

Hiking to Trollpikken

Despite all the attention surrounding Trollpikken, reaching it doesn't require anything like the effort involved in hiking to Trolltunga. This is a relatively short, family-friendly hike.

Different official descriptions measure the route slightly differently, but you should expect a round trip of approximately 4-5km from the main parking area. Allow around two hours including time at Trollpikken itself.

The first part of the walk follows a gravel road before joining a marked hiking trail.

From the parking area, follow Kjervallveien uphill for approximately 900 metres. At the signposted junction, the route leaves the road and follows the blue-marked trail through the surrounding countryside.

From here, the landscape becomes more interesting. The trail passes across open rock, through grazing land and around a small pond before Trollpikken finally appears ahead.

It's not a technically difficult hike, but don't underestimate the terrain simply because the distance is short.

Parts of the trail can become muddy, while the exposed rock can be extremely slippery following rain. Hiking shoes or other footwear with good grip are strongly recommended.

Parking at Trollpikken

For most visitors, driving to the dedicated Trollpikken parking area is the easiest option. From Egersund, follow Route 42 towards Krossmoen before turning onto Sletteidveien. Trollpikken is signposted from the main road.

At the time of writing, parking costs NOK 100 per calendar day. Payment can be made at the machine or using EasyPark. The money contributes towards maintaining the trail, parking area, toilets and waste facilities.

There is a toilet at the parking area and typically a kiosk during the summer season. As always in Norway, parking conditions and prices can change, so it's worth checking locally before your visit.

Walking from Egersund

You don't necessarily need a car to see Trollpikken. A longer marked hiking route connects central Egersund with Trollpikken via Vannbassengan, Veshovda and Mjølhusåsen.

The route from town is approximately six kilometres, so this turns a quick visit to Trollpikken into a considerably longer hike.

For visitors arriving in Egersund by train, this provides an interesting option if you have plenty of time. Otherwise, taking a taxi towards the main trailhead before completing the shorter hike is likely to be more convenient.

A landscape shaped by ice and magma

The shape may be what attracts most of the photographs, but Trollpikken is also an interesting geological curiosity.

The surrounding rock is anorthosite, an igneous rock formed from magma deep beneath a mountain range approximately one billion years ago. Anorthosite is also found on the surface of the Moon, which adds another dimension to the often-used description of the Egersund landscape as almost lunar.

Much more recently, glaciers helped create the landscape we see today.

During the last Ice Age, enormous masses of ice moved across the region. Water entered cracks in the exposed rock and froze, expanding the cracks further. As the glaciers retreated and the pressure of the ice disappeared, pieces of rock were left behind in unusual positions. Trollpikken is one particularly memorable result.

The wider landscape also contains large boulders transported or shifted by the ice, making the hike worthwhile even before you reach its star attraction.

Why is it called Trollpikken?

Now to the question you've probably been wondering about. Pikk is a Norwegian slang word for penis, so Trollpikken means, more or less, “the Troll's Dick.” Subtle it isn't.

Interestingly, the name isn't some ancient piece of Norwegian folklore.

Local enthusiast Kjetil Bentsen helped popularise the rock formation as a potential tourist attraction in 2017. It had previously been known by other names, including Sabelsteinen, or the Sabre Stone.

With Trolltunga already established as one of Norway's most famous natural attractions, Bentsen came up with something rather more memorable.

As he later explained, some people found the name embarrassing, while many others thought it was funny. Whatever your view, it's difficult to argue with the marketing.

When someone cut Trollpikken off

Unfortunately, Trollpikken's growing fame soon attracted the wrong sort of attention.

In June 2017, hikers discovered that the protruding section of rock had been severed. Drill holes found in the stone suggested the formation had been deliberately vandalised.

The timing was extraordinary. Local tourism interests had only recently started promoting Trollpikken as an attraction.

Suddenly, the disappearance of the very feature they were hoping people would come to see became national news. Then international news.

Local campaigners responded almost immediately. A crowdfunding campaign was launched with a target of NOK 200,000 to restore the rock. Hundreds of people donated and the target was quickly exceeded.

Local contractor Bertelsen & Garpestad became involved in the unusual engineering operation.

The detached section was too heavy simply to lift back into place by helicopter, so a more elaborate solution was required. The rock was eventually hoisted back into position and secured using drilled holes, iron fittings, adhesive and cement.

Less than two weeks after its fall, Trollpikken was standing once again. You could say the operation was a complete re-erection. Which, inevitably, brings us to the media coverage.

When Trollpikken went global

If you're not a fan of double entendres, you may want to skip this section.

The world's media, seemingly led by the British tabloids, followed the vandalism and restoration with great enthusiasm. Few appeared willing to let the opportunity for a suggestive headline go to waste.

Here are just some of the headlines published at the time:

Re-Erection: Norway’s ‘troll penis’ rock formation rises again after vandals snapped it off ()

Penis-shaped rock rises again back up to its former glory thanks to 33 feet of scaffolding, iron wedges and concrete ()

Rise of Trollpikken! Norway re-erects ‘troll penis’ rock ()

Eksperter tror Trollpikken blir turistmagnet / Experts think Trollpikken will be a tourist magnet ()

Norwegians are raising money to give vandalized penis-shaped rock formation a lift ()

Some Dick Destroyed Norway's Beloved Troll Penis Rock ()

Norway's ‘troll penis' re-erected ()

Vandals Have Destroyed Norway’s Most Phallic Rock ()

Workers put penis-shaped rock formation back up in Norway ()

For a rock formation that had been barely known outside the local area just months earlier, there could hardly have been a more effective publicity campaign.

Is Trollpikken worth visiting?

If you arrive expecting an attraction on the scale of Preikestolen or Trolltunga, you may be disappointed.

That's not really the point. Trollpikken is a fun destination attached to a pleasant, accessible hike through one of Norway's more unusual landscapes.

The geology of the Magma Geopark makes the surroundings interesting in their own right, while the bizarre history gives the walk a story you're unlikely to forget.

It also works especially well as part of a day in and around Egersund rather than as a destination requiring an entire trip of its own. And, of course, there's the photograph.

Just remember that this is both a natural formation and part of a protected geological landscape. Stay on the marked route where appropriate, close gates behind you, keep your distance from grazing animals and take everything you brought with you back out again.

After surviving the Ice Age and one encounter with a power tool, Trollpikken deserves a little respect.