Ringedalsfossen, Tyssestrengene, and the Trolltunga Waterfalls

Tyssedal / Skjeggedal, Hordaland County, Norway

About Ringedalsfossen, Tyssestrengene, and the Trolltunga Waterfalls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Ringedalsfossen (or Skjeggedalsfossen) and Tyssestrengene were named waterfalls in the Skjeggedal Valley, and they acted as my excuse to do the Trolltunga hike.

The Ringedalsfossen Waterfall was the most conspicuous of the waterfalls here, and it was said to have a cumulative height of 420m with its highest vertical drop at around 300m (one early source said it was “only” 160m).

Trolltunga_211_06232019 - Distant look at Ringedalsfossen at the head of Skjeggedal Valley and the man-made Ringedalsvatnet
Distant look at Ringedalsfossen at the head of Skjeggedal Valley and the man-made Ringedalsvatnet

The same valley also contained another historically tall waterfall called Tyssestrengene (reportedly 646m tall with a freefall of 312m), but this waterfall had been just about completely sacrificed for hydroelectricity.

I also noticed other attractive waterfalls throughout the excursion, including one tumbling behind the P2 car park.

By the way, I’ll get into the logistics of driving and parking in the directions below.

So with that said, even though this is a waterfalls website and I’m paying homage to them on this page, no one comes here just to see the waterfalls before turning back!

Trolltunga_430_06232019 - This is Trolltunga over Ringedalsvatnet, which as you can see provides for a nice social media photo op, and it's the main reason why I consider it part of the 'Tourist Trifecta' with Preikestolen and Kjerag
This is Trolltunga over Ringedalsvatnet, which as you can see provides for a nice social media photo op, and it’s the main reason why I consider it part of the ‘Tourist Trifecta’ with Preikestolen and Kjerag

Indeed these Trolltunga waterfalls were merely a sideshow even though they gave me the motivation to partake in another long adventure – this time to the protruding overhanging rock called Trolltunga (“the Troll’s Tongue”).

It’s like someone had imagined that the rock resembled the tongue of a troll stuck out over a sheer vertical drop.

Perhaps that’s why the Trolltunga excursion also became quite popular over the years (I never recalled it being this popular on our first visit in Norway in June 2005).

In fact, it became so popular that I think of it as another one of “Tourist Trifecta”, which included Kjerag and Preikestolen, mostly because of its notoriety and popularity internationally, especially in the social media circles.

Trolltunga_054_06232019 - This was an attractive cascade on Mogelielvi (Mogelifossen?) tumbling behind the boom gate controlling the traffic from the P2 lot at Skjeggedal to the restricted P3 lot at Mågelitopp
This was an attractive cascade on Mogelielvi (Mogelifossen?) tumbling behind the boom gate controlling the traffic from the P2 lot at Skjeggedal to the restricted P3 lot at Mågelitopp

So to make a long story short, if you’re going to take the trouble to come up Tyssedal Valley into Skjeggedal Valley, you mind as well do the whole thing.

Even though there is no way you’re going to be alone here (you’re likely to share this place with hundreds or perhaps thousands of people from around the world), it’s worth seeing what all the fuss is about.

Of course, to earn a sighting in person of this Instagram favorite, it involves hiking for 28km in the worst case or as little as 20km at a minimum.

Hiking to Trolltunga

The Trolltunga hike is essentially a very long out-and-back hike covering 10km in each direction with almost a 400m elevation gain from the official trailhead near the plateau at Mågelitopp.

Trolltunga_499_06242019 - The Trolltunga hike is so popular that I can almost guarantee that you're going to share the experience with many other people from around the world
The Trolltunga hike is so popular that I can almost guarantee that you’re going to share the experience with many other people from around the world

If you don’t start your hike from there, you’re looking at hiking the 4km (or 4.3km according to the signs) switchbacking road climbing about 400m in elevation from the P2 car park at Skjeggedal to the official trailhead at Mågelitopp.

That would bring the grand total to 28km with nearly an 800m gain in elevation.

I noticed that it was possible to pay for a shuttle to take the bite out of hiking the switchbacks.

For RVs or other oversized vehicles, there’s also a P1 car park, where you’d have to ride a shuttle to get from there to the P2 car park at Skjeggedal.

Trolltunga_079_06232019 - This is the official trailhead for Trolltunga, which sat at the joint of the last switchback leading up to the P3 car park at Mågelitopp
This is the official trailhead for Trolltunga, which sat at the joint of the last switchback leading up to the P3 car park at Mågelitopp

Anyways, I view Trolltunga as primarily a Summer hike since the daylight hours are longer (it doesn’t properly get dark around the Summer Solstice), and the threat of snow is less.

While it’s possible to hike in the off-season between October 1 and May 31, you had better come prepared, get an early start, and arrange for a guide who knows the terrain and the hazards better than you do.

Anyways, the signs here say the trail requires most people about 10-12 hours to finish.

I wound up doing it in 7.5 hours (including a long rest break), but keep in mind that I started from the official trailhead at Mågelitopp and not from the P2 car park.

Trolltunga_593_06242019 - I noticed that if I wasn't successful parking at the P3 car park, there was a shuttle that brought hikers up to the Trolltunga trailhead from the P2 car park
I noticed that if I wasn’t successful parking at the P3 car park, there was a shuttle that brought hikers up to the Trolltunga trailhead from the P2 car park

So I had saved myself around 90 minutes of additional hiking in each direction!

Hiking to Trolltunga: From Mågelitopp to the Top of the Climb

From the official trailhead at Mågelitopp, I followed a fairly straightforward path that was a combination of dirt trail and granite sections with poles or red Ts helping to keep me oriented.

Most of the poles have progress indicators on the signs telling you have far you’ve come and how much more you have to go for the remaining 10km from Mågelitopp.

Trolltunga_082_06232019 - The beginning of the Trolltunga Trail near Mågelitopp involved following snow poles where some of them had progress indicators like this one
The beginning of the Trolltunga Trail near Mågelitopp involved following snow poles where some of them had progress indicators like this one

The initial 1.75km pretty much followed fairly featureless terrain as it passed between remote mountain cabins and offered distant teases of both the Hardangervidda snowfields as well as the Folgefonna Glacier.

Shortly beyond the last of the cabins at a part the maps called Gryteskar, the trail then started a brutally long and steep ascent.

This stretch climbed almost the remaining 400m of total elevation gain (relative to the P2 car park’s elevation), and it did this in a distance of about 1.25km or so.

The difficulty of this climb was something closer to Preikestolen and less like the more technical Kjerag.

Trolltunga_108_06232019 - Before the 3km point, I had to go through a brutally long ascent gaining nearly 400m in about 1.25km. This is the view back towards the flat near Mågelitopp
Before the 3km point, I had to go through a brutally long ascent gaining nearly 400m in about 1.25km. This is the view back towards the flat near Mågelitopp

While the trail did have some potentially hazardous loose rock sections, I found the rock steps and general path to be easily followed.

Towards the top of the climb, the ascent degenerated into more of a granite friction pitch, where I then had to rely on cairns and spray-painted red Ts.

I felt that some of this friction pitch had enough steepness to make things quite uncomfortably dangerous if the granite became wet from precipitation.

Indeed, you definitely need good hiking boots for these kinds of parts.

Trolltunga_109_06232019 - Approaching the summit of the initial brutal climb at the 3km point of the Trolltunga hike. By this point, the footing degenerated more into granite friction pitches with loose rocks
Approaching the summit of the initial brutal climb at the 3km point of the Trolltunga hike. By this point, the footing degenerated more into granite friction pitches with loose rocks

Eventually, at the top of the climb, I soon reached the sign at the 3km point, where the worst of the climbing was now behind me.

Hiking to Trolltunga: From Trombeskar to the Second Rescue Cabin

Beyond the 3km pole at the top of that brutal initial climb, the trail then undulated on mostly “flat” plateau dotted with tarns.

Barely another kilometer or two, the trail then reached a trail junction at what the topographic maps called Trombeskar.

The signs clearly stated to keep right to continue to Trolltunga, but if you’re curious, the trail on the left ultimately went towards Tyssevassbu and the reservoir resulting from the dam regulating the flow of Tysso (the stream responsible for Tyssestrengene).

Trolltunga_138_06232019 - As the Trolltunga Trail started flattening out beyond the brutal initial climb, it skirted between and around alpine tarns like this one
As the Trolltunga Trail started flattening out beyond the brutal initial climb, it skirted between and around alpine tarns like this one

Beyond the junction at Trombeskar, the plateau scenery continued skirting between and around more alpine tarns while approaching the rim of the cliffs overlooking Ringedalsvatnet.

It was during this stretch that I started to get partial views of Ringedalsfossen way in the distance.

Towards the end of this flat region (which the topo map calls Store Floren), I noticed some cabins as well as a signposted Rescue Cabin and Mountain Guard.

This was around 2km beyond the pole at the top of the brutal climb near Trombeskar.

Trolltunga_288_06232019 - Between the two mountain rescue cabins (roughly the half-way point of the hike from Mågelitopp), I pretty much witnessed Ringedalsfossen from various angles for almost this entire stretch
Between the two mountain rescue cabins (roughly the half-way point of the hike from Mågelitopp), I pretty much witnessed Ringedalsfossen from various angles for almost this entire stretch

Beyond the mountain cabin, the trail did some more climbing, but it had neither the length nor the severity of what I had experienced earlier on.

As the trail continued to skirt alongside the rim of the valley, I kept getting more views of Ringedalsfossen as the angle became increasingly direct.

This was where the stretch where the picture you see at the top of this page was taken from.

In the mean time, the trail also skirted by some smaller cascades and streams, including a section where the course of a rocky stream actually coincided with the Trolltunga Trail itself!

This was one spot where having Gore-tex boots would come in handy, especially if this stream happened to have high flow.

Trolltunga_289_06232019 - Also between the mountain cabins, I encountered other streams and cascades on the Trolltunga Trail
Also between the mountain cabins, I encountered other streams and cascades on the Trolltunga Trail

The views of Ringedalsfossen would continue throughout this stretch until I went about 4km from the pole near Trombeskar (or 7km from the official trailhead).

That was where I encountered the second rescue cabin perched atop a hill overlooking the Trolltunga Trail, which did another moderate climb at this point.

Hiking to Trolltunga: The Last Third

Beyond the second mountain cabin, the trail briefly followed some power lines before undulating some more.

By this time, Ringedalsfossen starts to hide behind some of the foreground cliffs (one of which I believe belonged to a plateau called Endanut on the topo maps).

Trolltunga_535_06242019 - This was as much of the Tysso Stream that I could see that might belong to Tyssestrengene, but as you can see, I really regretted not figuring out how to improve the Tyssestrengene experience by going onto the Endanut Plateau
This was as much of the Tysso Stream that I could see that might belong to Tyssestrengene, but as you can see, I really regretted not figuring out how to improve the Tyssestrengene experience by going onto the Endanut Plateau

After passing by a not-so-obvious spur onto the Endanut Plateau (I’m still kicking myself for not exploring it and possibly getting a better look at Tyssestrengene), the trail descended into and ascended out of a couple steep gullies with mild dropoffs.

Beyond the gullies (which I believe belonged to part of the Tysso system), the trail then skirted by tarns as well as the walls holding up the stream and causing the Tyssehylen (which I believe the maps identify this reservoir with).

Parts of the trail even goes over or in front of such dam walls.

At this point, I still had one more kilometer to go.

Trolltunga_334_06232019 - Looking towards one of the dam walls holding up the many streams belonging to Tysso, which would have eventually plunged over the cliffs downstream as Tyssestrengene
Looking towards one of the dam walls holding up the many streams belonging to Tysso, which would have eventually plunged over the cliffs downstream as Tyssestrengene

The plateau trail at this point kind of degerated into a granite route-finding scramble.

It was quite easy to lose the trail, especially given the presence of some false paths or some mini-detours that still took you to the same place.

But eventually after going 10km or roughly 4-5 hours or so from the official start, I finally reached both the vista as well as the access to the Trolltunga protrusion.

You’ll know when you made it because there was always a crowd of people here, which got worse the later in the day it became (yet another reason why you’d want an early start).

Trolltunga_349_06232019 - In the final kilometer or so of the Trolltunga Trail where I had to negotiate the granite plateau that required the aid of these red Ts and rock cairns to stay on track
In the final kilometer or so of the Trolltunga Trail where I had to negotiate the granite plateau that required the aid of these red Ts and rock cairns to stay on track

I found it fairly straightforward to get that signature view of the Trolltunga perched over Ringedalsvatnet, but some people did do some daring cliff scrambling to get even lower down for a slightly more “improved” perspective.

As for getting your picture taken on the tongue itself, generally people pre-coordinate with others in their own group or even with strangers.

The way it goes is that you leave your camera with someone who hopefully won’t run off with it, and then you go line up in the queue to get onto the tongue.

Once you’ve had your turn and vacate so someone else can get on, then you can go back and pick up said camera from the person who did you the favor.

Trolltunga_479_06242019 - A whole bunch of people waiting their turn to get onto the Trolltunga and having their photo moment
A whole bunch of people waiting their turn to get onto the Trolltunga and having their photo moment

Although I did a little more exploring to see what other ways I could experience Trolltunga, I pretty much turned back from this point.

Apparently, it was possible to keep going to the top of Ringedalsfossen, but I didn’t bother.

At least with the return hike, it was primarily downhill with a few short uphill stretches.

In general, I spent far less time on the return hike (around 3 hours) versus on the way there (nearly 4 hours).

Brief History of Ringedalsfossen and Tyssestrengene

Much of this history part is a cliff-notes version of what you can read on the Kraft Museet site. I’m just going to summarize how things became what they are today.

Trolltunga_017_06232019 - Looking towards the dam holding up Ringedalsvatnet, which was merely one of many resulting hydro developments to satisfy the power needs of the factories in Odda
Looking towards the dam holding up Ringedalsvatnet, which was merely one of many resulting hydro developments to satisfy the power needs of the factories in Odda

While both Ringedalsfossen and Tyssestrengene were both technically still present, they only put on a show in special circumstances (i.e. significant rain and/or heavy snowmelt without clouds getting in the way to block the views).

It used to not be that way as both waterfalls were tourist attractions since the 1820s when British visitors first made their visits.

Inevitably though, the Industrial Revolution was in full effect at the time, and the freeflow of the waters (including the waterfalls) were perceived as being “wasted”.

Despite efforts by the Den Norske Turistforeningen (DNT), which was kind of the Norwegian Sierra Club, to preserve these waterfalls, the temptation was too great by speculators and industrial interests to overcome.

Ultimately, the rights were sold, and Tyssedal made a dramatic transformation into one of the key power generating areas to aid in carbide production in the neighboring town of Odda.

Odda_010_06232019 - There were many ugly factory buildings in the town of Odda, but due to its favorable topology, it became the beneficiary of the hydropower developments in Tyssedal and Skjeggedal to run such industry
There were many ugly factory buildings in the town of Odda, but due to its favorable topology, it became the beneficiary of the hydropower developments in Tyssedal and Skjeggedal to run such industry

In any case, the power stations erected from Tyssedal to Skjeggedal Valley were credited in being instrumental in Norway’s transformation into a formidable industrial power.

Although DNT wasn’t able to successfully save these waterfalls, they did manage to save the waterfalls in Utladalen from regulation, and this included Vettisfossen.

These days, both Tyssedal and Skjeggedal exemplified how Norwegians have taken advantage of their geologically favorable circumstances to their advantage to advance industry and hence lift itself out from being a poor country.

Given this historical perspective, it now made total sense why we noticed so many ugly power hungry factories and quarries all over Odda.

As far as the waterfalls are concerned, both Ringedalsfossen and Tyssestrengene would only flow if there had been significant precipitation and/or at least heavy snowmelt to overflow the dams.

Trolltunga_183_06232019 - Focused only on the drop of Ringedalsfossen, which as you can see, it has seen better days when its stream was allowed to flow freely
Focused only on the drop of Ringedalsfossen, which as you can see, it has seen better days when its stream was allowed to flow freely

Of course, even if such favorable waterfalling conditions occurred, you still have to be able to see them without clouds getting in the way.

Plus, the hiking conditions can’t be too dangerous either.

Indeed, even just seeing either of these waterfalls flow would be a feat onto itself, and that’s why I tended to cap the scenery score to a 3 when they easily could have been strong 4s.

Authorities

Ringedalsfossen and Tyssestrengene (as well as the Trolltunga itself) sat near the town and municipality of Odda in Hordaland County, Norway. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit the Trolltunga AS website. There is also a Facebook page set up where the Mountain Guards provide updates.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: trolltunga, ringedalsvatnet, tyssedal, tyssestrengene, tysso, nybuana, magelitopp, mogelielvi, mogelifossen, skjeggedal, norway, waterfalls, hordaland, odda, skjeggedal



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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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