About Skykkjedalsfossen
Skykkjedalsfossen (I think it’s pronounced “SKIK-sheh-dahls-foss-un”) was an impressive plunging waterfall deep in the narrow Simadal Valley (Simadalen).
Prior to our visit to this falls, Julie and I were aware of the degree of hydroelectricity harnessing that had been going on thanks to the Sima Power Plant nearby.
That power plant was said to have an output power that was the second highest in Norway at the time of our first visit back in 2005 at 1120 MegaWatts.
So we came in with lowered expectations thinking the falls wouldn’t have much volume.
However, when we saw the falls in person during that trip, we weren’t prepared for its vigorous flow.
Maybe the stream responsible for this waterfall was spared, but the surrounding waterfalls weren’t?
Hydroelectricity in Simadalen
We could only imagine just how much crazier this waterfall (as well as other neighboring waterfalls in the valley) would have been had it been allowed to flow freely!
From looking at the map in Norgeskart (formerly Norgesglasset), we could see that most of the harnessing of watercourses feeding the Sima Power Station at Kjeåsen involved regulation of several major lakes.
The lakes included Rembesdalsvatnet and Langvatnet among others.
Actually, it seemed like Skytjedalsvatnet (the lake directly responsible for this waterfall) was mostly spared from the power diversion, which might explain why it was the only waterfall in Simadal Valley with seemingly normal flow.
In any case, the map also indicated to us that Skykkjedalsfossen was also called Skytjefossen, while further upstream of Skytjedalsvatnet was another waterfall called Skytjedalsfossen.
Our Adventure Roads in Norway book
It could very well be that it was the drop going into Simadalen that we saw that had the 300m drop while the upper tier way further upstream might account for the larger overall drop.
That said, I thought it would stretch the definition of how far apart waterfalls had to be in order to be counted together.
I even thought suggesting this waterfall having a 300m drop was a bit of a stretch, especially when compared against the imposing Vettisfossen, which seemed way taller than this one.
Experiencing Skykkjedalsfossen
Even though this waterfall was roadside, Julie and I were a little annoyed with the power lines getting in the way of our photographs.
So we scrambled beneath the power lines and pylons to improve our view, and the result was the photo you see at the top of this page.
A bonus to our waterfall visit was that we saw a handful of other thinner waterfalls draping along the eastern end of Simadalsfjorden as well as Simdalen.
We didn’t have the energy nor the time to look into identifying each of these smaller waterfalls, but we pretty much treated them as supplemental features to an excursion to Skykkjedalsfossen.
Further up the valley from Skytjefossen, we could see a bare rock wall with some power lines where Rembesdalsfossen was supposed to be.
Instead, there were some thinner waterfalls tumbling around the former location of Rembesdalsfossen.
When I came back to this area in 2019, I actually took the single-lane road all the way to its end, where there was a cul-de-sac to turn around.
It appeared that some people actually camped here though it wasn’t clear to me if that was sanctioned or not.
Neighboring Excursions in Simadalen
Although we didn’t get a chance to do this during our June 2005 and June 2019 visits to Norway, there was said to be a historic farm above the Sima Power Station at Kjeåsen.
Supposedly, it involved going up a narrow single-lane S-tunnel winding its way up to the top of the mountain where there was said to be mindblowing views of the valley and the fjord.
There were also other hikes leading higher up to the Hardanger Plateau though truthfully we would be hesitant to do them knowing that most of the scenery and waterfalls would be compromised from the hydro developments.
That said, maybe we’ll consider doing these side excursions next time…
Authorities
Skykkjedalsfossen resides near the town and municipality of Eidfjord in Hordaland County, Norway. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website or Facebook page.
From Eidfjord, we took a county road (Simadalsvegen or Road 71) that followed Simadalsfjorden east to Simadalen.
Continuing east through the valley, we passed by the turnoff for Kjeåsen and some scattered residential homes before the road started to become narrow and unpaved within the Simadal Valley itself.
After a few minutes of driving on the unpaved road (about 12km from the Quality Inn Eidfjord Hotel), we eventually saw Skykkjedalsfossen to our right besides some hideous power lines and pylons.
If you’re curious, the unpaved road eventually ends at a cul-de-sac near the head of Simadalen a little closer to Rembesdalsfossen (also called Løfallfossen, which was practically trickling due to regulation apparently).
For some geographical context, Eidfjord is about 51km (about 45 minutes drive) southeast of Voss, 70km (over an hour drive) north of Odda, about 90km (under 90 minutes drive) west of Geilo, 310km (4.5 hours drive) west of Oslo and 153km (2.5 hours with a ferry crossing) east of Bergen.
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Nearly 360 degree sweep showing head of Simadalen before panning over to Skytjefossen just as clouds had rolled in and had obscured the falls
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