Naustafossen

Karvatn, More og Romsdal County, Norway

About Naustafossen

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Naustafossen (or Nauståfossen; I think is pronounced “NAUS-toh-foss-un”) was our reward for doing a rather long, out-of-the-way detour towards the Trollheimen Mountains of the Surnadal Municipality.

It was a gorgeous 110m waterfall with a rather unique shape in that it had a tall plunge followed by a round waterwheel-like lower tier.

Naustafossen_004_07032005 - Nauståfossen
Nauståfossen

That lower tier spewed out enough mist to muddy the area around the falls (and wet my camera lens) on both of my visits – once in July 2005 and again in July 2019.

The waterfall sat near the hamlet of Kårvatn (pronounced “KOHR-vaht-n”), which really seemed to be some a collection of some farms (or just a farm).

The name of the hamlet also suggested there was a lake in the vicinity, but there wasn’t one from what I could tell.

When I came back here on a rainy second visit (14 years after my first time), I did notice that the farm seemed to have expanded its tourism infrastructure so it might have been possible to do a farm stay here.

Nauståfossen and Trollheimen

Naustafossen_015_07032005 - Nauståfossen backed by some shapely mountains belonging to the Trollheimen Range
Nauståfossen backed by some shapely mountains belonging to the Trollheimen Range

The mountains backing the falls that you see in the photo above were indeed part of the mountains of Trollheimen (“the Home of the Trolls”).

Trollheimen was known to be a backcountry hiking destination as well as a mountain range unique in that it supported a wide variety of climates.

In addition, we learned that this remote and out-of-the-way place was also said to contain some of the cleanest air and water in Norway.

Naustafossen_059_07152019 - Nauståfossen as seen from the footbridge fronting it on a rainy evening in July 2019
Nauståfossen as seen from the footbridge fronting it on a rainy evening in July 2019

That claim was really saying something considering most of Norway was rural, sparsely populated, and not overly industrialized.

Perhaps that reputation also underscored the wild and undeveloped nature of Trollheimen, even though our experience at Naustafossen merely scratched the surface of what could be experienced in this mountainous area.

Experiencing Nauståfossen

From the car park (see directions below), I walked towards the buildings at the end of the road, which I believed belonged to someone’s farm making up most of the settlement of Kårvatn.

Beyond the road, I crossed a bridge traversing the watercourse Toåa (which Nauståa ultimately fed into), then I followed the signs pointing the way to Nauståfossen.

Naustafossen_002_07032005 - Signs beyond the bridge helping us find the correct path to get closer to Nauståfossen as of our first visit in 2005
Signs beyond the bridge helping us find the correct path to get closer to Nauståfossen as of our first visit in 2005

When I first came here in 2005, the path directly veered right at the fork beyond the bridge.

When I returned in 2019, it appeared that I had to walk a little further before veering right then backtracking closer to the river before continuing on the same trail as before (roughly 300m from the car park).

So that development seemed to have slightly lengthened the hike though not by much (maybe extending the hike by 200m or so).

Nevertheless, it did seem to go deeper into the farm where I recalled encountering a white horse that seemed to think I was part of the cattle to be herded.

Naustafossen_023_07152019 - Looking back at the farm near Nauståfossen, where that white horse was busy corraling the cows
Looking back at the farm near Nauståfossen, where that white horse was busy corraling the cows

The track then pretty much went straight shot alongside the Toåa on what was apparently the Myrvangvegen Road.

During this stretch I was able to see across some parts of the open fields (if trees weren’t in the way) to get contextual looks at Naustafossen backed by some of the knobby mountains of Trollheimen.

Although the path was straight, I recalled encountering some very muddy patches where I really had to watch where I was putting my weight so as to not sink in the muck.

At roughly 600m along this straight stretch, the trail reached a fork opposite where there appeared to be some cabins (which I didn’t recall being there on our first visit in 2005).

Naustafossen_031_07152019 - Lots of muddy patches on the trail leading away from the Myrvangvegen tractor road towards the Nauståfossen waterfall
Lots of muddy patches on the trail leading away from the Myrvangvegen tractor road towards the Nauståfossen waterfall

I wound up taking the spur path on the left, which then traversed through an even grassier wide trail, which also had to traverse even more muddier patches with greater frequency.

These muddy patches ensured that I would move along slowly, and I wondered if this trail could really use a boardwalk or something to minimize the impact on the soil here.

Eventually after another 350m or so on the sloshy trail, I finally arrived at the misty bridge fronting the waterfall.

There was also a spur path that went right into the mist zone at the base of Nauståfossen as well as a climbing ridge trail that promised a more unusual top down view of the falls (though I didn’t go high enough on that trail given the wet conditions).

Naustafossen_063_07152019 - The machinery on the other side of the footbridge before the Nauståfossen waterfall
The machinery on the other side of the footbridge before the Nauståfossen waterfall

Beyond the bridge, I noticed some machinery or gauge of some sort. I wasn’t sure what they were there for, but I did speculate that perhaps it might have harnessed the water power to provide localized power at Kårvatn.

This was my turnaround spot, and I returned back the way I came, which my GPS logs suggested that I had gone 1.4km in each direction.

The whole hike took me about 75 minutes though I did hastily make my hike due to a combination of bad rain, trying not to miss the last ferry, and the onset of darkness.

It was interesting to note that according to my trip notes in 2005 that it only took me 45 minutes to do the entire hike. Clearly, the trail must have been shorter back then (or at least allow for faster travel).

Naustafossen_078_07152019 - Looking back at Nauståfossen on the hasty hike back to the car park while dealing with the persistent rain during my 2019 visit
Looking back at Nauståfossen on the hasty hike back to the car park while dealing with the persistent rain during my 2019 visit

It was quite misty on the bridge, and I felt the views wouldn’t improve beyond it so I didn’t proceed any further even though it clearly looked like the path continued onwards past the bridge.

It was from the bridge that I was able to appreciate the waterwheel of Naustafossen’s lower tier though the upper and taller tier of the falls was a bit harder to see from this closer vantage point.

Authorities

Naustafossen resides in the Surnadal Municipality between Surnadal and Sunndalsøra in Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website or Facebook page.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual members. See Membership Options.
Content is for members. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: surnadal, todal, todalen, todalselva, karvatn, trollheimen, trollheim, sunndalsora, more og romsdal, norway, waterfall



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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