Dølerud is an old cabin from the 1800's that opened through DNT in November 2015 after being renovated with funds from Norwegian hat superstar hotel magnate Olav Thon. It is not too far into Østmarka (the part of the greenbelt east of the city), which makes it an excellent candidate for a day trip.

We went in early April, just as the ski season was ending. We started at Skullerudstua and stopped to eat lunch at Rundvannet (lake). Having eaten, we continued on our way and hiked uphill a bit before coming to a really steep descent within a kilometre or two of the cabin. The photo doesn't quite do it justice. We had to hold on to the trees to navigate our way down.


The rest of the trail was relatively flat. When we got to the cabin, it was still boarded up for winter. We didn't open the window coverings so it was dark but the cabin was really nice inside. Dølerud was my first visit to an "Olav Thon cabin" and I had no idea that the comfort of not one but two couches was within the realm of the possible. The outhouse was also new and fancy (read: clean). A huge improvement over some others we've visited.


After lazing around on the couches for a while we went home the same way we came but stuck to the gravel road when the marked trail pointed back to the forest, as to avoid the steep hill we had come down.

If you're planning a trip to Dølerud there are a few things you should know:

1. Dølerud is close enough to the city to have cell service, 
2. There were some passer-by's in the short time we were there so you might expect some visitors if you are staying overnight, and
3. Østmarka is full of blueberry bushes that are ripe for the picking in June/July through to September. 

Plan accordingly!

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