How to get there
The best time to visit the pulpit rock is during the summer, when the weather is perfect and the sky is clear. One can take a ferry from Fiskepirterminalen in Stavanger to Tau. This is a beautiful one hour ferry ride. One can also travel by car to Tau, which will take about the same length of time. From there on, a bus can be taken that travels from Tau to Preikestolhytta. The bus travels everyday in the summer days, and the timings of the bus corresponds with the timings of the ferry. People get off at the Car Park, which is at a height of 270 metres above the sea. From there, it is a 3 hour hike to the Pulpit Rock.
The Hike
It is reckoned that it takes almost 3 hours to get to the Pulpit Rock by hiking from the car park. However, the viability of the hike also depends upon the stamina and energy levels of the people and the photography breaks taken in between. The hike begins with 500 metres of fairly hard slope up the plateau. This is probably the hardest phase of the hike and the next part of the journey is a beautiful walk through the pine woods, which overlooks the Refsvatnet Lake at certain points. This is followed by a climb up a wooded hillside, and some parts are paved, whilst others have been made into easier natural stone steps. The top of this hillside is a beautiful place to see the sunset. Following through a wet boggy area, a raised wooden walkway, and another climb up a boulder field, one completes half the journey and the scenery changes from petty hills to mountains. A climb up this mountain slope leads to a picnic spot (Tjødnane,) with small lakes. Walking further on the red path leads to the Pulpit Rock.
The Walk Down
After enjoying the beautiful view from the Pulpit Rock and taking pictures, the best time to head back is just before sunset. A very popular alternative path to return by is the green path back, and not the same red path that diverges from Tjødnane. The path rejoins the main path at Tjødnane, and leads down the same way that you come up. The bus takes you back from the car park to the ferry.