Krunefossen
Krunefossen is a typical glacier waterfall coming directly from the glacier. Krunefossen is located near the Lovatnet at the end of the Kjenndalen, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway.
From Loen it is a 20,5 kilometer drive along the Lovatnet until you reach the big parking (end of the road) in front of Krunefossenfossen. The last part (from Kjenndalstova) from the road is a toll road.
You might be confused by the waterfall dropping down at the bridge, 1,5 kilometer for the parking. This is an unnamed waterfall called Sletterkredene but has also a significant volume in summer months.
At the parking you see at the left side Krunefossen cascading down over multiple steps. At the end Krunefossen splits up in two tiers. Unfortunately you only see the lower part (maybe a bit from the upper part) of Krunefossen. I had problems measuring the height because of the distance and height. I think the lower part is 160 meter high (the single drop and the part to the river). I surveyed the map and other pictures of Krunefossen and a total height of 425 meter should be realistic.
Best time to visit Krunefossen should be in summertime with warm weather. A lot of snow and ice should melt down from the glacier Krunebreen,part of one of the biggest glaciers in Europe, Jostedalsbreen with a surface of 487 km². I was quit disappointed when I took pictures of Krunefossen (in July). Volume was not very spectacular and I hoped for some more power. I have seen pictures where Krunefossen is very powerful. Most of them are taken in August, probably after a period of warm weather.
After parking the car at the end of the Kjenndalen it is a short walk to the river (on the left) where you have an even better view on Krunefossen. On the other side of the valley you will also see another waterfall which is unnamed but nice to see. It is recommended to walk down the path to the glacier Kjenndalsbreen. There are probably busloads of tourists but the view is amazing. After visiting the Kjenndalen and glacier there a lot of other things you can do in the valley.
You can go to Kjenndalstova, a restaurant with a tremendous view on one of the biggest waterfalls in the world, Ramnefjellfossen. Unfortunately the Lovatnet and the Ramnefjell is also responsible for a tragic story. In the 20th century in 1905, a large piece of the mountainside broke loose of Ramnefjellet and crashed into the Lovatnet lake. It caused a tremendous flood wave which swept away the small villages Bødal and Nesdal, 61 persons lost their lives. 31 years later a same kind of disaster happened which costed 41 people their live. And in 1950 another landslide broke loose but didn’t caused casualties. The water in the Lovatnet wasn’t deep enough anymore to create a huge wave.
Kjenndalstova is a nice place to have lunch or just a perfect spot for a drink. It is also possible to make a boat trip on a tourist boat or to rent a Boat/Canoe.
When visiting Loen and the Lovatnet there are certainly a lot of nice things to do. My highlight was (years ago) our visit of Bødalen. At the end of Lovatnet there is a small (dust) road (with a fee) going up to a parking at the end of the road near the gorgeous Bødalsbreen. On the way you will meet two great waterfalls: Høysteinfossen and Huldrefossen. From the end of the road you can walk to the Bødalsbreen. On the way you will great views on the valley and a waterfall in front of the Kåpevatnet which I named Kåpefossen. This walk belongs to my top 5 best walks I ever made in Norway!
Another nice walk is the one to the mountaintop Skåla, near Tjugen, just outside Loen. Here you pass a wonderful (hidden) waterfall called Tjugenfossen. The walk to Skåla and Tjugenfossen starts at a big parking (with a fee) 2 kilometer from Loen, heading for the Lovatnet. The parking is so big because it is the trailhead of a very popular hike to the mountain Skåla (1848 m). The view from Skåla should be amazing but the hike seems quite demanding to me.
