Gudbrandsjuvet

Gudbrandsjuvet is found adjacent to Rv 63 in Valldalen about 15 kilometers east of Sylte of 35 kilometers west of the junction of Rv 63 and the E136 in Romsdalen. The gorge is well signed and parking is ample.Gudbrandsjuvet is a short, narrow gorge along the Valldøla which features a series of small waterfalls. The total drop of the river within the gorge is approximately 12 meters (40 feet), however the largest individual drops are only about 5 meters in height. At the head of the gorge the river rumbles down a 4-meter fall into a churning pool, with additional smaller cascades in the gorge downstream. Above the top of the gorge, a small portion of the river is funneled into a second channel which runs parallel to the main flow. This secondary channel plunges back into the gorge about halfway along its length in the form of a 5-meter tall plunging fall which has carved through a pothole in the side of the gorge and created a very unique natural arch through which it falls. The area around Gudbrandsjuvet has been developed as a tourist attraction, and tour buses will often be seen parked in the lot adjacent to the river. The entire gorge is accessible by an interesting network of cantilevered walkways and bridges, and is accessible to those in wheelchairs.The gorge apparently gets its name from a story dating back more than 500 years which says a man named Gudbrand and fled from a group of less-than-friendly individuals by jumping across the gorge at its narrowest point. Having escaped his pursuers he was branded an outlaw but he lived out his life in a hut in the valley above Gudbrandsjuvet.