To the Top of Lyngmark Mountain
Disko Island is a great place to hike – also for children. But the hike up to the top of Lyngmark Mountain was more challenging than expected, as there was still a lot of snow. And suddenly the weather turned bad.
- Published:
On a July day in 2023, my two sons, aged 10 and 13, and I were climbing the Lyngmark Mountain. It’s the iconic landmark of Disko Island, with its steep, layered rock slopes forming the backdrop to the coloured houses of Qeqertarsuaq town.
Looking at the mountain, it’s hard to imagine that it can be climbed, but it actually can be if you walk around it. However, before we could reach the top at an altitude of over 800 metres, we had to climb a difficult and sometimes steep hiking trail of about 6 km (each way).
At the top of Lyngmark Mountain (Lyngmarksfjeldet in Danish and Akuarut in Greenlandic) is a glacier that can be used for dog sledding – all year round, even in summer. The view from the top is fantastic and the scenery is wild and desolate. Lyngmark Mountain was formed by volcanic activity around 50 million years ago and consists of volcanic rocks, especially basalt (solidified lava), layered in alternating dark and light brownish colours. An impressive sight!
Hiking to Lyngmark Mountain
The hiking trail to the Lyngmark Mountain starts in the northern part of the town. We followed the gravel road out of town in a north-easterly direction until we reached what looked like an old quarry. We had a hard time finding the hiking trail, but then we discovered the first stone with a blue mark on it. We turned left off the gravel road and followed the blue markers over light rocky terrain.
After about half a kilometre off the gravel road, we came to an area with willow thickets. Here we jumped over a small river that runs into the bay and after another half kilometre the first real climb began.
It only went up from there, and in places it was quite steep, so we had to use our hands from time to time to help. It wasn’t difficult, but it was physically demanding. It was therefore obvious to take a rest, which we did several times to enjoy the beautiful views of Qeqertarsuaq town and the large Disko Bay.
We were sweating as we struggled up the mountainside, especially when the sun peeked out from the cloud cover. We’d had a lot of rain the past week we’ve been on Disko Island, but that day it was nice and warm and dry. As long as it lasted.
Because the further up we went, the colder it got. The clouds started to gather and there was a really cold wind coming from the sea. Typical Greenlandic climate, where one minute you’re sweating in the sunshine and the next minute it’s bitterly cold and threatening.
About the hike
From Qeqertarsuaq town to the top of Lyngmark Mountain
Distance round trip: 12 km
Duration: 6-7 hours (walking time without breaks)
Highest point: approx. 820 m
Lowest point: 0 m
Difficulty: Moderate/difficult
This hike goes from the town of Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island to the top of the iconic Lyngmark Mountain (Akuarut).
The trail is marked with blue markers on stones and rocks and is partly on trodden paths and partly on rock and stone surfaces. There are steep climbs along the way where hands may be required. No special climbing equipment is required, but a reasonably good physical condition is necessary.
Be aware of the weather. The mountain should not be climbed in bad weather or low visibility. However, if the weather is clear, you can see all the way to Ilulissat from the top of the mountain and also glimpse islands and icebergs in Disko Bay, which are more than 100 kilometres away.
Snowdrifts and cold at the top
As the weather took a turn for the worse, we had reached an altitude of over 600 metres above sea level and old snow began to accumulate in the terrain. The spring of 2023 had been unusual on Disko Island and many other places in West Greenland, as large amounts of snow fell relatively late. And with a cool early summer, there was still a lot of snow in the mountains.
We now had the choice of walking through snowdrifts, typically the shortest route, or going around them. The snow was wet and heavy, slush-ice-like, so it wasn’t the best, and we had long since got our socks soaked. Going around the drifts was also tricky as there were loose rocks and difficult terrain to climb.
We got higher and higher and I insisted that we go all the way up to the hut (‘Hut 1’ on the map, which is at an altitude of 800 metres). But my kids didn’t quite agree: Maybe it’s fine to turn back now – we already have a great view and it doesn’t matter about the hut.
We couldn’t see the hut until we were relatively close to it. When we finally spotted it, we realised that there was a lot of snow between it and us. So what to do? We couldn’t go around the snow because it went all the way to the edge of the cliff. There were no footprints of others before us as we were probably some of the first, if not the first, to go up that high this year. But we could see the hut, and it wasn’t that far away.
I stepped out into the snow and quickly sank to my knees. Incredibly, I convinced the boys to walk the last bit to the hut. Sometimes we sank down to thigh height and our legs got cold and wet. Sometimes we had to crawl, and other times we had to tumble around in slush-ice. But we made it to the cabin and it was awesome! 🤗
We couldn’t get inside the hut, so we had to stay on the veranda where there was some shelter from the wind. We hurriedly had a drink and a quick snack.
If the weather and conditions had been better, we could have moved on to ‘Hut 2’, which is a holiday cabin located close to the glacier. But that day it looked like the cabin was in the middle of the glacier, so having to struggle through more deep snow in increasingly bad weather was just not an option. Normally, we also could have walked down to the radio towers (‘Viewpoint’ on the map) for a sublime view, which I have done in previous years. But that day this was not possible either.
All three of us were cold, so we left the hut quite quickly to go back down. But that meant going through the same deep snow we came up through! We followed our own footsteps. When we were past the longest stretch of snow, we stopped to put on dry socks (luckily we had some extra ones with us), and it was high time as my youngest son’s feet were freezing cold and aching.
We knew the way down, and of course the descent was much faster than the ascent. Eventually, all three of us got warm again. But it wasn’t long before the dark and threatening clouds finally turned into rain. It simply started to pour, and the last 2-3 kilometres back to the town we were soaking wet. So when we finally arrived at Hotel Disko Island, the hot chocolate tasted better than ever ☕
Recap: The hiking trail to the top of the Lyngmark Mountain is challenging and truly beautiful. It’s suitable for children aged 10 and up. But make sure the weather is good when you set off.
The Volcanic Past of Disko Island
Geologically, Disko Island is much younger and very different from mainland Greenland, where the bedrock is billions of years old. The island was formed by volcanic activity “only” 50-60 million years ago.
Typical of the volcanic past are the many steep basalt mountains that are layered with alternating dark and light bands of different sedimentary and volcanic rocks, often with wide cones of scree in front due to erosion over millions of years.
The volcanic past can also be traced in the island’s many hot springs, but there is no need to fear an imminent volcanic eruption as it has been several million years since the last one occurred. The island is interesting in many ways, not least because of its varied flora. The island is located on the border between Low Arctic and High Arctic, and together with the presence of hot springs, this results in a richer flora compared to other locations at the same latitude. For example, orchids and the edible Angelica thrive on the island.
Disko Island has its own ice cap, with several large glaciers in the high and inaccessible interior. The largest is called Sermersuaq, the “Great Glacier”, stretching 70-80 km in a north-south direction. A smaller one is the glacier on Lyngmark Mountain, which stretches over 8 kilometres.
Source: Nature Guide Greenland
Related posts
- Greenland
- -
With its volcanic past, Disko Island is unique with majestic basalt mountains, hot springs and lush valleys. It’s a great place to hike – also for children. The terrain is...