Islands / Nesodden / Storsteila
One of the islets in the Steilene group off Nesodden. It is a state-secured public recreation area.
Storsteila is one of the five islets in Steilene, the group lying in the Vestfjorden west of the Nesodden peninsula. From the deck it reads as a low, wooded islet in the cluster with Landsteila, Knerten and the lighthouse islet. Steilene separates the Vestfjorden from the main fairway in towards Oslo.
Seasonal ferry "Undine" from Alværn in summer, or your own boat.
Boats do run here, but the quay is not in Entur’s system — usually a summer service or a private crossing that never enters the national journey planner. Check with the operator before you build a day around it.
Steilene has served as a seamark and as a base for the pilot and lighthouse services on the approach to Oslo. The light itself stood on the neighbouring islet Fyrsteilene from 1837 and was manned until it was automated in 1984. Storsteila has no lighthouse or industrial history of its own in the sources; it belongs to the group as a recreation islet. The name Steilene is traditionally linked to "steile og hjul", the breaking wheel of the old execution ground, a sight that doubled as a warning to passing sailors, but the origin is uncertain.
Storsteila is a state-secured public recreation area (*statssikret friluftsområde*), managed for open access and boating. The islet has a natural harbour where small boats can lie. With the rest of Steilene it is a popular summer destination for boat owners from Oslo and Nesodden.
You land from your own boat or kayak; there is a natural harbour for small craft. In summer the seasonal ferry "Undine" runs from Alværn on Nesodden out to Steilene, and the times should be checked for each season rather than quoted from memory. The sources list no access restrictions specific to Storsteila, unlike the neighbouring islet Knerten, which is a bird reserve.
Steilene is five islets with a function each: the light on Fyrsteilene, the guest harbour on Persteilene and Landsteila, the bird reserve on Knerten, the natural harbour on Storsteila.
The light on the neighbouring islet was built in 1837 and had a keeper until 1984; the keeper's house is now let as a coastal trail cabin (*kystledhytte*) by Oslofjordens Friluftsråd, the regional outdoor recreation council.
Oslo Sea Experience passes Storsteila on its private fjord trips from Tjuvholmen.
The Norwegian version notes which facts were taken from each source: Storsteila på norsk.