Berdølofossen

Berdølofossen is easily seen from the road leading through Hjølmadalen near Eidfjord. From Highway 7 in Øvre Eidfjord follow the signs pointing to Hjølmadalen (the street is Hagavegen). The bottom of the falls will be visible on the right as the road makes over a dozen sharp switchbacks up the side of the valley after about 5 1/2km. Additional view of the higher parts of the falls can be found at additional switchbacks further up the hill.Berdølofossen is by far the most accessible of the three major waterfalls found in Hjølmadalen in Eidfjord. The falls cascade about 305 meters (1000 feet) in several significant steps almost literally within arms reach of a twisting mountain road. Unfortunately because the forest around the falls is fairly thick and the falls drop in a rather incongruous way, it is not possible to view the entire series of falls and cascades collectively from any one point. The cataract begins with a large plunging fall, followed by long sloping and very rugged cascades. The formation culminates as the stream splits into two channels and thunders side-by-side in a fall of about 45 meters (145 feet) immediately adjacent to a switchback in the road – where during the spring and early summer a carwash is virtually guaranteed. When we attempted to survey the falls in June 2011, the volume of water pounding over the falls was quite literally earth shaking, and so much spray was being ejected that it was nearly impossible to take a picture - low clouds didn't help the situation either. Additionally the road leading up to the top of the falls was closed about 500m before reaching the waterfall, so we were only able to visit the very bottom of the falls and did not achieve a thorough survey of the entire waterfall.We had previously (and mistakenly) listed this entry as Beraskødalsfossen based on inaccurate maps we had previously had access to. The falls are not known to be officially named but are most often referred to as Berdølofossen after the watercourse. The name we previously used is likely mistaken spelling as well - upstream of the waterfall is an area known as Berastøldalen (spelled with a T and not a K), and there is a named waterfall there called Berastølfossen which may have been the source of our initial confusion.