Døntefossen

Døntefossen is found opposite the E136 on the west side of the valley about 30 km east of Åndalsnes in Romsdalen. The falls are quite prominent and can be seen for a stretch of several hundred meters of road. There is a pullout across the road from the Rauma River which allows good views of the falls. Note that there are three other waterfalls on the east side of the valley which are all in close proximity to Døntefossen and should not be confused as such.Døntefossen is a tall and prominent but lower volume waterfall found in Norway's famous Romsdalen. Based on one-meter contour topographic maps and aerial imagery, the falls drop for a total of approximately 745 meters (2,445 feet) over a linear run of about 780 meters, broken up in three distinct sections. The uppermost 225 meters of the fall consists of a continuous sliding cascade which descends over slabs of bedrock. Immediately below the cascades is a much steeper horsetail type drop of approximately 200 meters, then after an additional 50-75 meters of cascades, the final distinct drop of about 250 meters plunges to the valley floor. When viewed from the road across the river from the falls, the uppermost cascades are not visible due to the height of the cliffs, and only the final 500 meters or so of the falls will be visible (provided low clouds or fog do not obstruct it from view). The Døntelva is fed by about two-dozen small tarns and lakes perched on a shoulder of the valley, which are in turn fueled by the snowmelt of the mountain above. Though the drainage basin is small and the stream will shrink considerably during the dry season once the snow has melted off, the numerous lakes above the falls ensure a fairly consistent flow feeding into the falls for the majority of the year (though due to the northern latitude, the falls will become frozen during the winter months).