Hyljefossen

Høljafossen is the encountered along the Vetti trail in Utladalen. Take Route 53 to Øvre Årdal, then turn north onto Route 301, following signs pointing to Vettisfossen. The trailhead is found at the end of the road about 7 1/2 km from Route 53. There is room for maybe 20 cars at the end of the road, while a larger parking area is found just before Hjellefossen further back down the road if the smaller one is full. Hike the easy trail (actually a one-lane gravel road) for about 3 1/2 km. As the trail starts to climb up a hill, bending to the left, the falls will be visible below the trail. Watch for an unmarked spur path which leads down to the pool at the foot of the falls.Hyljefossen is the largest volume waterfall in the Utladalen area, dropping 13 metrs (42 feet) along the Utla River itself as it exits a narrow slot canyon below the Vetti farm. The falls roll out of the canyon as the river makes a sharp 90 degree bend, immediately after which it thunders into a large aqua blue basin with a huge foaming boil in the center. While the Utla River is large and fed by multiple streams which originate in glaciers, its volume will shift during the year and depending on the temperature. When we surveyed the falls in June 2011, it stood wider than it is tall and the high volume of water diluted the otherwise bright blue color of the pool below the falls. During lower flow periods of the later summer months the falls will appear narrower and more defined, but equally as impressive.The correct spelling for this waterfall is Hyljefossen, however the variants Høljafossen and Hyljafossen are also commonly used to some degree. Pronunciation for all three spellings seems to be more or less the same, with slightly different stressing of the vowels.