Ovstebrufossen

( Øvstebrufossen, Øvstefoss)

Øvstebrufossen is a tremendous wild waterfall near Videsaeter (Stryn) in the region Sogn og Fjordane, Norway.

From Stryn drive east to Grotli on road 15, a beautiful road with great views. Twelve kilometer after Oppstryn the road goes up. If you look carefully you already can see a powerful waterfall at the right, in front of you, Øvstebrufossen.

Ovstebrufossen-distanceFurther up you will see a sign Øvstebrufossen  and a parking at the right side of the road. This not far from the Ospelitunnelen. Many people drive on to the Gamle Strynefjellsvegen or Geiranger without stopping….wrong decision. The viewpoint on Øvstebrufossen  is an award winning path. now is that maybe a little to much, but Øvstebrufossen cascades down with an extreme great power.

From the parking you have to walk 50 meter back until you can go down on a stair where the path begins with several great viewpoints. Such a great power of water is sometimes hard to transfer on to a picture. I can assure you that Øvstebrufossen in real is so much more impressive then on the pictures. maybe my video’s are more representative.

Ovstebrufossen-pathAt the first viewpoint the river Videdola tries to squeeze itself through two mountain walls but further on the river will cascade more and you will see a small waterfall. The last viewpoint (keep on walking down until the path ends) is a big drop and is the biggest waterfall. Unfortunately you can only see this waterfall form above.

At least that is what most people think. I had an unsatisfied feeling that I only could see the most beautiful waterfall form above. Back at the car I drove down again for a few hundred meters and I walked through a wild piece of nature to the river. There was no path and sometimes I saw some tracks of people who had been there. This is only for adventures people and not easy to do. After 10 minutes I had my first clean shot on the lower part of Øvstebrufossen but I tried to get closer. After some nice pictures I was difficult to find my way back to the car and it took 20 minutes before I found my car again.

I think Øvstebrufossen is one of the waterfalls that is underappreciated. The total height of Øvstebrufossen  is at least 150 meter high but the biggest single drop is 60 meter. According to Norgeskart the upper part is called Øvstefoss and the lower part (single drop) Øvstebrufossen.

Best time to visit Øvstebrufossen is summertime when there is a lot of snow and ice melting down from the mountains. In summertime there is still a lot of snow on the road to Geiranger (Rv15), but also on the old road to Grotli (Rv258). This is also an area with several glaciers. The river Videdola is fed by melted ice from the glacier Tystigbreen, southeast from Øvstebrufossen near the mountain Nuken (1.833 m). It is possible to make an organised tour on the Tygrisbreen.

There are many other great waterfalls nearby, but very close (at the beginning of the Gamle Strynefjellsvegen at Videsaeter) you can visit Buldrefossen, only 5 minutes away. Buldrefossen is less impressive but the viewpoint from the top is awesome.

Geiranger kayakI already mentioned that is also on the road to Geiranger. Geirangerfjord is one of the most beautiful fjords in Norway. Geiranger is a perfect base for day trips, hikes or boat trips. I can recommend the ferry Geiranger-Hellesylt. It wasn’t cheap but again (fourth time) I enjoyed the boat trip. It can be cold because of the wind, so take a jacket with you. If you are with more then two people you also can rent a boat at Grande camping in Geiranger. In two hour time you can make your own trip and it really fun, certainly with children.

A lot of people take their fishing rod with them when renting a boat. It is allowed to fish freely on sea (fjord) and there is a lot of fish in the fjord. Nice for the bbq! I am not really fund of fishing so I bought Salmon in the supermarket (quit cheap in Norway).

It always nice to know which waterfalls there are in the Geirangerfjord. From Geiranger the first waterfall you see at the right side (after the camping site) is Gjerdefossen. If you drive up to Eidsdal there is a parking at the top of the waterfall. Actually the made a art piece going over the water flow.

A little bit further at the right side you will see Bringefossen. Here you already can see the famous Sju Systre (or Dei Sju Systrene also called seven sisters waterfall). Look at the right side of the top of the waterfalls. Here you see several farms.

On the other side of the Fjord you can see Friaren. The legend of the seven sisters is that the seven sisters dance playfully down the mountain, while the suitor, a single waterfall opposite the seven sisters (called Friaren), flirts playfully from across the fjord. The Suitor tried to propose to the seven sisters on the opposite side of the fjord but never succeeded. Nice story.

After the Sju Systre you will see a low volume waterfall at the right side called Brudesløret (Bridal veil) and on the opposite side of the Geirangefjord Ljosurfossen. There are still many named and unnamed waterfall in the Geirangerfjord but these are the significant ones.

Off cause at Hellesylt you will see the Hellesyltfossen. After the ferry arrives in Hellesylt you still have 10 minutes to visit the waterfall.

Other things to do in and around Geiranger:

Geiranger-walks

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About Ovstebrufossen

CountryNorway
RegionSogn og Fjordane
LocationOspeli, Hjelledalen, Strynfjellet
RiverVidedola
Height70m
Latitude61.937038
Longitude7.260780
Best visitEarly summer-summer
Rating

Most nearby waterfalls

WaterfallDistance (linear)Rating
Buldrefossen 1 km
Tverrelvfossen 5 km
Kvanndalsfossen 14 km
Grinddalsfossen 18 km
Storfossen (Geiranger) 19 km