Kjotaafossen

(Kjøtåafossen)

Kjotaafossen (Kjøtåafossen) is one of the nicer waterfalls in the Eikesdalen and is located a few kilometer before Finnset in the region More og Romsdal, Norway.

Eikesdalen is not far away from Åndalsnes but it still takes a two hour drive on road 660/Fv191. First thing you will notice is the Eikesdalsvatnet, a big lake, which is fed by numerous rivers. You have to wait until you are halfway the lake before seeing the biggest waterfall in the Eikesdalen, Mardalsfossen.

July 2017 was the second time I was on my way from Mardalsfossen to Sunndalsøra taking the Aursjøvegen. One of the first waterfalls you see is Kjotaafossen. The waterfall is located in a scenic setting at the Litlevatnet, at the left side of the road.

KjotaafossenFunny thing is that I was very charmed when I saw Kjotaafossen and the second time even more. When I was looking for old pictures of waterfalls I saw some old postcards with Kjotaafossen on it. Coincidence, because it is an unofficial named waterfall and Kjotaafossen is the name I gave the waterfall last time I visited the waterfall.

Best viewpoint on Kjotaafossen is almost in front of the waterfall where a big rock is lying in Litlevatnet. The waterfall is reflecting in the water and the picture is almost unrealistic.

The river Kjøtåna is being fed with melted snow from the mountain Trolltinden (1.601m) and the surrounding mountains. A sequence of lakes is draining the river Kjøtåna but the lakes Trollvatnet, Langvatnet and Kjøtåvatnet are the main suppliers. This makes that there is a consistent flow in the river and Kjotaafossen is quit powerful.

It is hard to tell how high Kjotaafossen is but when surveying the map the visible part is appr. 95 meter high. There is only part of the waterfall visible. Total height of Kjotaafossen should be somewhere near 500 meter.

MardalsfossenEikesdalen is a valley with many big waterfalls and is a visit worthwhile. There is a nice campingsite in Eikesdal, a perfect base to explore the area. The most famous and most beautiful waterfall (in Norway?) is Mardalsfossen with a single drop of 297 meter and a total height of 705 meter. It also a main tourist attraction and really worthwhile to visit.

Other nice waterfalls, further into the valley: Ramnåafossen and Aurstaupetfossen. You will see a lot more waterfalls on the road to Aursjøvegen and at the end of the Aursjøvegen.

After Finnset the unpaved road (Aursjøvegen) starts and adventure begins.You have to pay toll for this part of the road. The dirt road follows the river Aura which lead to Aurstaupetfossen, from the road visible form a distance. There isn’t a real trail from the road to the fall but I have seen photo’s with another perspective then from the road.

SlaettabekkenI drove the Aursjøvegen two times. A beautiful road but its tays a gravel road with parts of poor quality. The first time almost all the way Aursjøvegen was covered in a thick fog. The last time, July 2017, the weather was good and the views on the valley were awesome. Certainly the first part, from Finnset up the mountain. Here you see several waterfalls coming down the mountain but I particularly liked one called Slaettabakken. At first I thought this was the Breimegafossen, but this one is regulated and probably doesn’t exist anymore.

After 1 hour on the Aursjøvegen I wished for a normal road. Luckily at the end there were several waterfalls falling down that distracted me. I was looking forward to my next waterfall, Vinnufjellfossen, one of the highest waterfalls in the world.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Kjotaafossen

CountryNorway
RegionMøre og Romsdal
LocationEikesdalen
RiverKjøtåna (Kjøtåa)
Height95-500m
Latitude62.45455
Longitude8.27408
Best visitEarly summer-Summer
Rating

Most nearby waterfalls

WaterfallDistance (linear)Rating
Ramnaafossen 2 km
Tverrgrovafossen 3 km
Hovlafossen 3 km
Breimegafossen 6 km
Slaettabekken 12 km