Smørblindofossen

From Route 7 in central Eidfjord, turn north onto the signed road heading to Simadalen (Route 103). Smørblindofossen can be seen for several kilometers along this road, with excellent views found from a large pullout and picnic area about 2 km from Highway 7 in Eidfjord.Smørblindofossen is a fairly low volume waterfall which marks the beginning of Simadalen. The small namesake stream feeding the falls flows from the summit of Hotleonen and intersects a joint in the bedrock which runs southwest, almost parallel to the shore of Simadalsfjord. About 500 meters above sea level a fracture has been eroded in the joint to allow the stream to escape, from which it timbles down the bare cliff face of approximately 400 meters (1,310 feet) in multiple leaps to an alluvial fan and then runs into the Simadalsfjord. Viewed from across the fjord, it appears the falls spring right out of the mountainside but closer examination can reveal, to those keen of eye, the narrow head of the gorge which funnels the stream to its ultimate demise. The drainage area of Smørblindo is small enough that the seasonal fluctuations in weather and precipitation will have a significant affect on the flow of the falls. When we surveyed the falls in June 2011 they were flowing strong, but we would expect by late summer that there would not be much water descending the drainage and during dry years it may cease flowing entirely.