| |

Hjellefossen (I think is pronounced "YELL-eh-foss-un") is the first of the major unregulated waterfalls we saw in Utladalen. It cascaded down a cliff directly in front of the road leading deeper into the valley. But perhaps what we remembered most about this massive 120m (though I've seen it reported to be 240m, which is rather generous I think) cascade wasn't so much the waterfall itself (which was quite impressive), but it was the place where we got to see a turf-roofed building for the very first time (though we'd later see many more of them through both Norway and Iceland). It turned out that the turf building was a restroom (and one of the cleanest we had ever seen especially considering most restrooms in Nature tend to be dingy and grundgy).Utladalen was our introduction into Jotunheimen National Park. Jotunheimen (pronounced "YOOT-un-hai-mun") I believe translates as "Home of the Giants," which is probably in reference to the tall mountains in the park. But as you can see from this waterfall, the mountains weren't the only things that were tall! Another thing about Utladalen is that it apparently has the highest concentration of unregulated waterfalls in Norway, and the fact it sits in the national park is a good sign that it might remain that way for some time to come. Directions: The nearest town is the aluminum producing Øvre Årdal (Upper Årdal), which is 41km northeast of Lærdalsøyri. From Øvre Årdal, you leave Rv53 and head northeast along a county road 8km into the Utla Valley where a car park sits near Hjelle. There's a car park right across from Hjellefossen next to the turf restroom on the left side of the road.
[Back to top]
Approaching the waterfall from the road
My wife checking out the towering falls
Direct and misty view from the bridge (and cropping out the power lines above)
[Back to top]
View Larger Map
TRIP REPORTSFor more information about our experiences with this waterfall, check out the following travel stories.
GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCES
NEARBY WATERFALLS
Have You Been To This Waterfall?
Share your experience!
Click here to see visitor comments for this waterfall
Click here to see visitor comments for other waterfalls that we've visited in this region
Click here to go to the Comments Main Page
[Back to top]
[Go to the Sogn og Fjordane Waterfalls Page]
[Go to the Norway Page]
[Return from Hjellefossen to the World of Waterfalls Home Page]
|