Hallarfossen

In Sunndalsøra take Highway 62 to the west/south end of town and turn south onto Litldalsvegen (signed for Litldalen) and follow it for about 14km to where the falls can be seen from the valley below in tandem with neighboring Styggfossen. Continuing another kilometer up the road to the first switchback will allow for up-close views of the upper half of the falls. Note that Litldalsvegen becomes the Aursjøvegen about 7km from Sunndalsøra, at which point there is a toll to proceed (NOK 50 for cars as of 2011).The main headwall of Litldalen features a pair of waterfalls cascading side-by-side, one of which can be very closely approached thanks to its proximity to the Aursjøvegen, a winding mountain road which traverses the Døvrefjell-Sunndalsfjella plateau between Sunndalsøra and Eikesdalen. Hallarfossen, found along the Litldalselva just below where the Aursjøvegen crosses the river for the last time, is a long sloping cascade style waterfall with a total drop of approximately 225 meters. Unfortunately due to the way the road switchbacks away from the falls, and the fact that the flow of the stream is regulated by the adjacent Hydroelectric system, viewing the entire waterfall from any one location is difficult. The road makes two switchbacks next to the falls, each providing up-close views of parts of the falls but neither providing a complete view of the whole fall (this can only be easily achieved from further down the valley). From the lower of the two switchbacks, about 70 meters of the falls are visible. The upper half of the falls features some rather uniquely stratified bedrock, which is fractured lengthwise down the course of the falls, causing the stream to form into several very well defined braids during lower flow periods. As with many of the larger waterfalls in the area, Hallarfossen is regulated by the Aura hydroelectric system and is largely reduced in volume or dewatered entirely for periods of the year. When we surveyed the falls in June 2011 only a small volume of water was present in the river, while neighboring Styggfossen was flowing with considerable volume.