Top 5 Best Trails in Greenland – Day Hikes
Choosing the most beautiful hiking trails in Greenland is almost impossible – the country is filled with magnificent landscapes, dramatic mountains, and deep fjords, each telling their own story. Yet there are some trails that I am especially passionate about.
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Top 5 best trails in Greenland – day hikes
Here are my top 5 picks for the best and most beautiful hiking trails that can be completed in a day. These are hiking trails that I think best showcase Greenland’s incredible nature, geology, and historical sites.
1 – Ilulissat Icefjord: The wildest view of icebergs
Nothing beats the experience of one of the easily accessible hiking trails to the icefjord in Ilulissat. With its floating landscape of icebergs in all shapes and sizes, the fjord is one of the most spectacular areas in the world, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site of “outstanding universal value.”
On the yellow trail, you get the wildest view of the enormous icebergs, some of which tower almost 100 meters high and weigh up to 1.5 gigatons. In its melted state, such an iceberg could cover Denmark’s water consumption for seven years.
Despite its proximity to the town, nature remains almost untouched, with its characteristic low vegetation of dwarf shrubs, grasses, and Arctic flowers. If you are lucky, you may also see humpback whales swimming by.
Read more about hiking by the icefjord on the yellow trail and blue trail.
2 – Kuannit on Disko Island: Basalt columns, hot springs, and angelica
With its volcanic past, the island of Disko in West Greenland is totally unique, with high basalt mountains, hot springs and lush valleys. On the hike to the Kuannit nature area, you can experience a unique rock landscape of quirky five- and six-sided basalt columns, which were formed 50 million years ago when red-hot lava flows were cooled by seawater.
The springs in the area make it particularly lush and green. The water gives life to colourful flowers, light green mosses and the large, edible angelica. Every summer, the locals gather angelica, which is eaten raw as a snack or used in traditional Greenlandic cuisine.
Read my description of the hiking trail to Kuannit.
3 – Small mountain in the big city: Nuuk surprises with beautiful hiking
With just under 20,000 inhabitants, Nuuk is the largest city in the entire Arctic. At the same time, nature is always close by with beautiful mountains, deep fjords and lush heaths that invite you to go on wonderful hikes.
Even if you don’t have much time in Nuuk, there is both a hike to the top and a hike around the local mountain Quassussuaq, which only takes 2-3 hours to walk.
From the 440-metre-high summit of Quassussuaq, there is a fabulous view of Nuuk’s skyline, the planes taking off and landing at the airport, the fjords and the mountains. You can clearly see the individual houses and cars driving around the streets.
Read more about hiking around and to the top of Quassussuaq.
4 – Narsarsuaq in South Greenland: An exciting journey to the ice sheet
A spectacular hike starting in Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland takes you through incredibly beautiful and varied scenery until you reach the edge of the enormous Kiattuut Sermiat glacier, also known as the Dead Glacier. The English name comes from the fact that the glacier does not actively calve icebergs, but slowly melts, releasing large amounts of meltwater that form the Kuusuaq River.
It is a unique experience to get so close to the Greenland ice sheet and even have the opportunity to touch the glacier ice. However, it requires a bit of climbing to reach the ice itself, and you should never do this alone.
Along the way, you will pass the Hospital Valley, where the US built a military hospital during World War II, but today only a few ruins from that time remain. Later, you will encounter the Flower Valley with its Arctic flora, including Greenland’s national flower, the purple broad-leaved willowherb.
This hiking trail is described with maps and photos in my Greenland hiking guide, which is so far only available in Danish.
5 – Between sea and mountain in Sisimiut: Scenic hike to abandoned village
As an ideal base for nature adventures, fishing and relaxation, the abandoned village of Assaqutaq has become a popular spot for both sailors and hikers. From Sisimiut, you can walk to the village along a 10 km hiking trail, which is beautifully wedged between the striking Nasaasaaq Mountain and the vast Amerloq Fjord.
In Assaqutaq, you should take your time to enjoy the special atmosphere among the historical remains of what was once a lively settlement. It is like being in a ghost town, and when you enter one of the abandoned wooden houses, where the ravages of time have left their mark, you almost fear that a former resident will jump out of a hole in the floor or from the room next door.
This hiking trail is described with maps and photos in my Greenland hiking guide, which is so far only available in Danish.
