Urban Hike: Mountain, City, River: 6 hours

This is my most strenuous Urban hike . We'll walk about 10 miles (15 K). This hike we'll take you through a variety of different neighborhoods in Oslo, including the trendy Grunerløkka district where I live. From Grunerløkka, we'll walk through some large parks and into a quiet suburban neighborhood to a trailhead that connects to the Nordmarka, a vast wilderness area that surrounds Oslo. We'll hike through forest up to a great vantage point on the top of the Grefsenkollen Mountain where we can see central Oslo about 1250 ft. (380 m) below. There will be time to relax and picnic or get some food at the café here. Taking a different route back to Oslo, we'll walk down a mountain road that will give us a view of Lake Maridal. Then we take a short bus ride to the Akerselv river at Nydalen and see old factory buildings that were powered by the river, waterfalls and a fish ladder for salmon. We follow the river to downtown Oslo where the tour will end at a point of your choice

This hike will start from a downtown location of your choice. Highlights include: -Grunerløkka District: Built in the late 1800s to house workers from the factories along the Akerselv River: A slum area as late as the 1980's, today it's a trendy area. -Torshovdalen Park: Large park that connects to Oslo's quiet northern suburb. Site of the giant Head sculpture -Grefensenkollen Mountain: We'll hike to the top of this modest mountain and enjoy a panoramic view. Lunch at the café or picnic with food that you brought. -Akerselv River: We'll join the river at Nydalen and walk about 5 km along the river park. We'll see many old red brick factory buildings that have been converted to many modern-day uses and the waterfalls that powered them. Walking time is around 4 1/2 hours, not including stops. We will take the time we need for this walk and there will be no extra charge if we go over 6 hours. The roads and dirt trails are all good, but there may be some muddy sections if raining. Elevation gain about 1250 ft.