Ramnefjellfossen

(Ramnefjellsfossen, Utigårdsfossen, Utigordsfoss, Utigørdsfosse)

Ramnefjellfossen, also called Ramnefjellsfossen or Utigardsfossen, is one of the highest single drop waterfall in Norway. The river Utigardselva drops down over a height of 595 meter but if you count in the upper part then the total height is 818 meter. This height is mentioned in a Norwegian government geological survey.

Ramnefjellfossen is located at the end of the Lovatnet in the Lodalen, Stryn, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. From Loen it is a 14,5 kilometer drive along the Lovatnet until you are in front of Ramnefjellfossen. The last part (from Kjenndalstova) is a toll road but then you already past the best viewpoints.

At the last part of the road, from the bridge at Bodalen, the road goes up and the road is a sort of carved in the mountain. Views are amazing with the green color of Lovatnet in front of one of the tallest waterfalls in the world Ramnefjellfossen.

RamnefjellfossenThere is one small parking at the left side of this small road, but sometimes the road is a little bit wider so you can stop for a quick photo. The views keep on amazing me. You also can go to Kjenndalstova, a restaurant with a tremendous view on Ramnefjellfossen.

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.

Another nice viewpoint (quite unusual) is from the road to Bodalen. Here you can see Ramnefjellfossen from a higher altitude, very special. The road into Bodalen is a tollroad and quite narrow and sometimes very steep.

Ramnefjellfossen is fed by melted snow from the mountain Ramnefjell and the glacier Ramnefjellbreen on an altitude of 1.856 meter. Ramnefjellbreen is 1,9 km long and has a surface of 1.22 km2.

Early summer until midsummer is the best period to visit Ramnefjellfossen. When the weather is warm the flow of the river Utigardselva has a little bit more volume. But Ramnefjellfossen keeps a low volume waterfall. Sometimes it is difficult to determine wether a stream is an official waterfall but Ramnefjellfossen is since a long time listed as one with the names Ramnefjell(s)fossen or Utigårdsfossen.

July 2017 I visited Ramnefjellfossen for the third time and I was there late in the afternoon. Ramnefjellfossen falls towards the east. The backlight bothered me when taking pictures from the roadside. Visiting the waterfall in the morning would be better.

Ramnefjellfossen-drama-boardUnfortunately 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.

KjenndalsbreenFrom Kjenndalstova the road (with a fee) goes further into the valley taking you all the way up to the end of the Kjenndalen. Here you will have a great view on the glacier Kjenndalsbreen (part of Jostedalsbreen) and two waterfalls on each side of the valley. The biggest one on the east side of the valley is named and is called Krunefossen.
From the parking a path leads to the base of the Kjenndalsbreen, a great and impressive view.

When visiting Loen and the Lovatnet there are certainly other great things you can 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!

Tjugenfossen-signTjugenfossenAnother 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.

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About Ramnefjellfossen

CountryNorway
RegionSogn og Fjordane
LocationNesdal-Loen
RiverUtigardselva
Height595-818m
Latitude61.789920
Longitude6.981040
Best visitSummer
Rating

Most nearby waterfalls

WaterfallDistance (linear)Rating
Brengfossen 7 km
Krunefossen 8 km
Hoysteinfossen 10 km
Huldrefossen 11 km
Tinjefjellfossen 11 km