About Njupeskar
The Njupeskar Waterfall (or Njupeskärs Vattenfall or just Njupeskär) was a protected waterfall in Fulufjället National Park in western Sweden.
There was a lot of fanfare concerning this waterfall because it had been declared to be the tallest permanent waterfall in Sweden with a reported cumulative height of 93m of which 70m was said to free fall.
While people have debated the claim about this being the tallest in the country, as you can see in the photo above that this was a really attractive waterfall, especially given its naturesque surroundings.
Njupeskär fell into a narrow ravine flanked by loose rugged rocks flaking off of the steep cliffs.
The ravine was the result of the Njupån cutting into bedrock around a billion years old that was part of the Fulufjället plateau as the stream flowed from Storrörsjön to Lissrörsjön (two lakes at different elevations from each other).
In order to experience this waterfall, I wound up doing a 4km counterclockwise loop hike that started and ended near the Fulufjället Naturum.
The path was pretty much well-defined and dotted with shelters, picnic areas, overlooks, and interpretive signs. So it was definitely designed with the tourist experience in mind.
Since I had a late start to my hike (though I did take advantage of the long Summer daylight hours), I only managed to experience the falls in the shadow of its ravine.
Apparently, only in a very small period of time out of the year, the falls could catch morning light. The rest of the time, it would pretty much be in shadow.
Hiking to Njupeskär – the Northern Half of the Loop
From the well-signed and established car park for Njupeskär (see directions below), I pretty much walked over the bridge into the main visitor area.
This visitor area not only included the naturum (basically a visitor center, exhibit, and museum rolled into one), but it also included a restaurant and a WC facility.
On either side of the naturum, there were trails to the Njupeskär Waterfall though I chose the one to the right of it to do the hike in a counterclockwise direction.
Beyond the naturum, the trail followed along a boardwalk traversing a marshy area surrounded by ponds and open flatlands.
After about 700m, the trail veered around the head of one of the ponds in the marsh, where there was a shelter with picnic tables at a place called Gammelfjällsloken.
Roughly 200m beyond Gammelfjällsloken, I reached a trail junction where the path on the left appeared to circle back to the other side of the loop.
I kept right at this junction to continue the loop, which the signs suggested that I still had another kilometer to go.
At this point, the trail followed the Njupån’s northern banks as the trail roughly climbed for the next 600-700m or so.
I ultimately arrived at the Njupeskärsstugen, which appeared to be some kind of shelter or cabins that might allow for overnighting.
I also managed to get my first good looks at the Njupeskär Waterfall itself.
As much as I wanted to linger here for the views and to relax for a bit, I was getting swarmed by early evening mosquitos so I continued with the loop hike quickly.
After a brief climb, the trail then went down a steep series of steps as it descended into the ravine and a couple of footbridges crossing over the Njupån Stream.
Hiking to Njupeskär – the Waterfall and Southern Half of the Loop
Just beyond the footbridge, I reached another trail junction, where going left would have continued the loop back to the trailhead, but going right went deeper towards the head of the ravine right where the Njupeskär Waterfall made its dramatic drop.
I wound up walking about 150m on this final stretch, where it ended at a lookout.
However, I did manage to scramble on the loose rocks to get a closer look, but I didn’t go as far as what some others had done, which was right into the wet rocks and misty base at the bottom of the falls.
I felt that the experience of the bottom of the falls was atmospheric because the cliff walls closing in around me kind of made for a cathedral-like experience.
Of course, I had to also be cognizant of the inherent rockfall dangers as all the loose rocks around me were the result of them flaking off these very same cliffs.
After having my fill of the waterfall, I then continued to complete the 4km loop, where I managed to enjoy a lookout towards some of the mountains in the distance.
When all was said and done, I returned to the car park in a little over 2 hours after arriving to park here.
Authorities
Njupeskär was in the municipality of Älvdalen near Särna in Dalarna County, Sweden. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you may want to try the local municipality website.
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