About Feigefossen
Feigefossen was one of the better known waterfalls in the general Sognefjord area, which was the longest fjord in the world.
Technically speaking, the falls faced the scenic glacially-floured waters of the Lusterfjord (also called Lustrafjorden according to Norgeskart), which was a side arm of the vast Sognefjord.
Julie and I anticipated visiting this waterfall because we learned from our pre-trip research (later supported by a sign we saw a the trailhead there) that it possessed the second-highest singular and unregulated freefall in Norway at 218m (behind Vettisfossen at 275m).
I later read from our Adventure Roads in Norway book
Anyhow, we took the time to experience this waterfall both from across the Luster Fjord as well as from a hike up to its base.
Each way yielded different views and different experiences.
But when you can easily get pretty jaded witnessing Norway’s many waterfalls (as they start to blend in with each other), Feigefossen still manages to differentiate itself from the others thanks to its size and volume.
Viewing Feigefossen from across Lustrafjorden
On our first trip to Norway in 2005, Julie and I spotted this waterfall across the fjord as we were driving from Skjolden (at the very head of Lustrafjorden) to Jostedalen along the west side of the fjord.
We happened to stumble upon some good views across the fjord towards Feigefossen from the small town of Høyheimsvik, which allowed us to appreciate the falls’ magnitude as it dwarfed the farms or homes sitting beneath it.
Under the late afternoon/early evening overcast skies of our visit when the rain had stopped earlier in that afternoon, we were still able to get satisfactory views even though the wide fjord kept us from getting closer.
When we came back to Norway in 2019, we found a different pullout across the fjord at a bus stop a little further south of Høyheimsvik (see directions below), which revealed some Feigefossen’s hidden upper tiers.
Indeed, we thought we knew everything about experiencing Feigefossen going into that second trip, but I guess you guess never know how else it can surprise you.
Experiencing Feigefossen from its base
In order to experience and appreciate Feigefossen on a more intimate level, we had to get right up to it, and that involved a hike.
Since it sat fairly close to the town of Skjolden, we’d typically stay there when we knew we’d be doing this hike.
In order to access the hike, we had to drive along the east side of Lustrafjorden (see directions below) before reaching its car park and trailhead.
Interestingly, the sign spelled the waterfall “Feigumfossen” at the car park, where we’d leave the car and then do the rest by foot.
The first 300m of the hike pretty much followed along the narrow county road Fv331 before reaching the actual trailhead.
We definitely had to follow the signs (which interestingly now called the falls “Feigefossen”) because we found it very easy to trespass into someone’s driveway or yard, especially since we could already see the falls making its presence known.
The actual Feigefossen Trail started just on the south side of the road bridge traversing the Feigeelvi, where the path immediately went uphill and followed along the course of the river.
It didn’t take long before the trail ascended a narrowing trail within the cover of trees as it seemed to skirt alongside an endless rush of cascading water given the generally uphill terrain.
At around 250m into the trail we had to get past a gate surrounded by fencing that marked the boundaries of the farm or pasture neighboring the trail as well as the protected area.
The trail continued to make a moderate climb through a combination of some rock steps and conventional dirt trail mostly under the continuous cover of trees.
Eventually after nearly 700m from the start of the trail (or perhaps 450m from the gate), the trail had ascended to an open area with some rock benches and a nice view of Feigefossen.
This was actually the vista point (utsiktspunkt) for Feigefossen (as shown in the picture at the top of this page), but there was still more hiking to do.
According to my GPS logs, I had to hike another 450m or so to get all the way to the end of the trail (though signage here suggested it was only another 300m).
Unfortunately, this trail descended back into the lush tree cover before making a final ascent to the rocky base of Feigefossen so it probably felt more like a longer and demanding hike than the sign led me to believe.
Once I finally made it to the end of the official trail (having gained about 150m in elevation to get here), I encountered another interpretive sign as well as even rockier terrain where I’d imagine some might try to scramble upon to get right up to the falls.
When I last saw the falls in July 2019, even though it was raining, it didn’t produce a split form like the signs would suggest when it would flow heavily.
However, when Julie and I first saw the waterfall in late June 2005, we did see it in split form, which further suggested that 2005 was a wetter year than 2019 since just about every waterfall we saw back then had better flow with a few exceptions.
After having my fill of the falls, I then had to go back downhill (except for the down-and-up stretch to return to the vista point) to return to the car park.
Overall, I spent about 90 minutes away from the car on my second visit in 2019, where the signs were spot on about it being 45 minutes in each direction.
On my 2005 visit, I tried (and failed) to beat the morning sun shining right against my line-of-sight so in my haste, I spent closer to a little over an hour away from the car.
At least as a consolation prize, I did get nice views back towards the Lusterfjord, which exhibited the glacial-flour color so common in bodies of water fed by glaciers.
Religious Undertones
When we returned to Norway in 2019, we made it a point to visit the 12th century Urnes Stave Church, which was further south on the mostly single-lane county road Fv331 from Feigefossen.
The stave church was one of the most scenically-situated ones throughout Norway as well as the oldest preserved church in Norway.
I believe it was that latter fact, helped it to become Norway’s only stave church gazetted as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Not only did the church overlook the Lusterfjord, but we also did a tour of its interior, which seemed to retain much of its decorations (donated by local families) as well as elaborate carvings that still remain to this day.
Given the religious undertones of this part of the Sognefjord area, perhaps it wasn’t surprising that we also learned that Feigefossen itself had a bit of a religious history.
First, its name feig apparently had an association with “death”, and the falls came to be known as the “Omen Falls”.
Apparently, in times of flood, the falls could create a fury that one could easily associate death with it, and even the locals once took the hooting of local owls here as a premonition.
Second, local Hans Feigum developed his own brand of religious teachings called Feigianism that rose and fell with his life throughout much of the 19th century.
It turned out that both Feigefossen and the Urnes Stave Church were part of the so-called “Romantic Road”, which ran along the southern shore of the Lusterfjord.
Combining this with the old-school ferry crossing (where I had to back into the ferry) connecting the quaint tourist town of Solvorn (a Rick Steves favorite), we could easily see how one can make a scenic loop back to Skjolden.
On this loop, we could even extend the self-tour by making detours to Jostedalen (including the Nigardsbreen Glacier) as well as Sognefjellet High Mountain Road through the heart of Jotunheimen National Park among others.
Authorities
Feigefossen resides in the Luster Municipality. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website or Facebook page.
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