About “Heggheimsfossen” (“Stigen”)
“Heggheimsfossen” was a waterfall that only recently was I able to correctly identify its watercourse.
During our June/July 2005 trip to Norway, Julie and I definitely noticed this obviously significant waterfall tumbling down the eastern wall of the valley Våtedal as we were passing northwards from Førde to Byrkjelo.
Yet it always surprised and bugged me that it never seemed to have an official place name attached to it.
For many years, I had incorrectly thought it was by the town of Egge so I used to name it “Eggefossen.”
Recently, I managed to find some long lost GPS tracks and waypoints, correlated them with my notes and photos, and then with the updated Norgeskart.
During this re-discovery exercise, I learned that the falls was on a watercourse that drained the lake Støylsvatnet by Heggheimstøylen.
Ultimately, it joined the Votedalselva River near a place name labeled “Stigen” (the ladder).
In any case, we’ll follow what was already in the literature and give it the name “Heggheimsfossen” even though I wondered if this waterfall could very well be called “Stigen”.
Whatever the case may be with its nomenclature, it was definitely tall (said to be over 400m tall) and had pretty significant volume.
Julie and I managed to spot it from a distance by some side road near Larsøyna, but the rest of the closer photos we had of the falls were the result of Julie rubbernecking from the car taking photos as I was slowly passing by it.
I didn’t recall that there was any place to pull over and stop for it, and perhaps that was the main reason for its relative obscurity.
When we drove through this valley in the opposite direction in 2019, it wasn’t as easy to spot.
So I have to believe that only northbound drivers on the E39 would be most likely to spot this waterfall.
Authorities
“Heggheimsfossen” resides in the Jølster Municipality. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website or Facebook page.
Julie and I noticed this waterfall as we headed north on the E39 about 6km past the Rv5 and E39 junction in Skei.
According to my map, it was about 1km north of the hamlet of Klakegg.
For some geographical context, Byrkjelo was 20km (under 30 minutes drive) north of Skei, 40km (about 45 minutes drive) southwest of Olden, 57km (about an hour drive) southwest of Stryn, 63km (about an hour drive) northeast of Førde, 81km (over an hour drive) north of Sogndal, 132km (about 2.5 hours drive) southwest of Geiranger, and 238km (under 4 hours drive with a ferry crossing) northeast of Bergen.
Find A Place To Stay
Related Trip Reports
Related Top 10 Lists
No Posts Found
Related Itineraries
Trip Planning Resources
Nearby Accommodations
Featured Images and Nearby Attractions
Visitor Comments:
Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...
Heggeheimsfossen July 3, 2021 1:08 am - I really liked this waterfall each of the 6 times I passed it. It is extremely attractive from the beginning of the Vatedalen, but was a bit disappointing closer up, since the road almost touches it and you get a lot of foreshortening as you pass it. Impressive at a distance! ...Read MoreVisitor Reviews of this Waterfall:
If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall
Nearest Waterfalls
