Nasaasaaq Bluff

Dominating the city of Sisimiut (Greenland’s second largest city) stands Nasaasaaq mountain standing at 784m. Located along a long mountain range and terminating at the flat-ish point known as Nasaasaaq Bluff (approx 600m) before a steep rocky spur drops down towards the city. From the city, the summit peak stands impressive and prominent in the landscape. It just invites you chuck your hiking gear on and go for an adventure!

Sisimiut is very popular for tourists who are either starting or finishing the Arctic Circle Trail. A 160km hiking trail through the wilderness of Greenland towards the small airport town of Kangerlussuaq.(and visa versa) Having just finished the extended version of the ACT over 11 days, our group arrived in Sisimiut looking to reward ourselves with a day of rest before leaving on a boat towards Illulisat. However, it would seem the hiking adventure was not quite finished when myself and my hiking companion, Brian from Hong Kong, decided to make good use of the splendid sunny day and immediately head back into the mountains! (who needs rest eh!!)

And what a great decision it was because this was a great day out. The route up to the Bluff is straightforward, waymarked with blue markers with some good signage to show the ways not to go! (a section was redone in 2024 and is clear to follow)

There are some steep sections but no full scrambling. The route for us was made more exciting as the upper parts of the mountain, being early September, were lined a nice layer of crispy snow! The downside to the snow however is that we made the decision to leave the ascent of the mountain summit at 784m as the summit requires some technical scrambling and climbing. There are ropes to assist in this climb but with snow involved and having no proper winter equipment, it was safer to leave and just enjoy the Bluff while still enjoying the majesty of the peak and surrounding landscapes.

Once at the Bluff the views are superb (obviously!). Looking down towards Sisimiut and far south across the massive Amerloq fjord to the icecap jagged peaks in the far distance. You could stay up here for a long time and appreciate being in this part of the world. Greenland is a wild and beautiful place. So very special and unique.

Once you’re ready to descend the route is just returning the same route back to Sisimiut.

A detailed trail description of the route (including gpx file) can be found on the link below. Source from the official Destination Arctic Circle website.

https://hiking.gl/day-hikes/sisimiut/nasaasaaq-trails/

On our return to town, our group reunited as we had one last meal as our ACT group of 6 before Brian departed on his way too adventure in Bulgaria. While the rest of us continued our Greenland adventure by boarding a boat that evening, destination, Illulissat, land of the Icebergs!

Photos of this absolutely amazing place can be found on my other photography pages, link below:

https://www.trailexposure.com/20/289/greenland-ilulissat

Any questions on the trail feel free to ask!