Latefossen

Oddadalen, Hordaland County, Norway

About Latefossen

For Subscribers Only. See Membership Options.

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Latefossen (Låtefossen [maybe pronounced like “LOH-teh-foss-un”]; also seen it spelled Lotefossen) was probably the most popular and dramatic of the waterfalls in Oddadalen (the Odda Valley).

Although we thought almost all of the waterfalls we encountered in the waterfall-laced Oddadalen were spectacular, I guess this one got the notoriety given its dual cascade appearance each with high volume flow.

Rv13_132_07242019
Låtefossen seen on a fine day in late July 2019

We had a difficult time trying to keep our camera lens dry while attempting to take a clean all-encompassing photo of it given the nearly constant mist being thrown in our direction.

And this was the case despite the fact at that we were standing besides the car park on the opposite of the bridge (said to be completed in 1859) a little downstream of the base of the falls!

The signs here indicated that the pair of waterfalls tumbled from a height of 165m.

That said, I’ve also seen that its maximum vertical drop was said to be 51m, which I found the conflicting numbers to be confusing.

We have visited this waterfall over a couple of trips 14 years apart, and on that second trip, we even experienced it about a month apart.

Latefossen_002_cropped2_06242005
Låtefossen when we first saw it back in June 2005

So we can confidently say that this waterfall has permanent flow, and its volume doesn’t seem to noticeably change throughout the Summer months.

Låtefossen’s Attributes

The forceful flow of Låtefossen came from the lake Lotevatnet (Låtevatnet), which itself drained much larger lakes and snow fields belonging to the protected Hardangervidda National Park.

Hardangervidda is said to be Europe’s largest mountain plateau.

The falls was also said to be part of the protected Opo Watershed so that pretty much guaranteed its year-round flow and existence.

By the way, this protected watershed also allowed Oddadal Valley’s numerous other waterfalls to persist as well.

Oddadalen_045_06232019
Looking towards the southern arm of Låtefossen which I believe was called Skarsfossen

Also according to our Adventure Roads in Norway book, the more southern waterfall of the pair was technically supposed to have a different name called Skarsfossen.

Meanwhile, the more northern waterfall was supposed to have the more familiar name of Låtefossen.

Nevertheless, I tend to think of the two waterfalls together as Låtefossen, and I believe the literature agrees with this naming convention.

Experiencing Låtefossen

It was definitely busy at the falls during our June 2005 visit despite the threatening weather.
They had put a little car park area, which seemed kind of small for the amount of traffic (at least for each of the times when we were there).

Oddadalen_016_06232019
It can get pretty crowded at the kiosk and car park before Låtefossen, especially when there’s a tour bus or two at the same time

We had to queue up a little before we found a spot, but somehow the infrastructure here seemed to be strangely sufficient at the time.

That said, some drivers had to take some liberties with improvised parking that may have blocked in some other cars parked further within the long parking spaces (no doubt to accommodate RVs or trailers).

Speaking of infrastructure, there was also a snack bar as well as the aforementioned signs containing some advertisements as well as a few words about the falls.

For a slightly different experience, we noticed an informal scrambling path towards the banks of the river that the waterfall fed into.

Oddadalen_035_06232019
Looking directly up at Låtefossen from the banks of the river right at the confluence of the waterfall’s stream and the river itself

It was right below the corner with the Kaiser Wilhelm II memorial, and that allowed us to have a more direct look at the waterfall without getting sprayed on the Rv13 road bridge.

Authorities

Latefossen resides in the Odda Municipality. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website or Facebook page.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: odda, hordaland, sorfjorden, sorfjord, tyssedal, oddadalen, fjord, norway, waterfall



Visitor Comments:

Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...

Latefossen January 9, 2010 2:13 am by Julie A. - We were there in 1993 and viewed many waterfalls during our trip by car around the Haugesund, Bergen, Voss areas. The year we were there was a particularly heavy rainfall year and the waterfalls were powerful and very wet when we stood at the bottom to view and take pictures. I still get goosebumps when… ...Read More

Share your thoughts about what you've read on this page

You must be logged in to submit content. Refresh this page after you have logged in.

Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:

If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...

No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall


Have you been to a waterfall? Submit a write-up/review and share your experiences or impressions

Review A Waterfall

Nearest Waterfalls



How To Build A Profitable Travel Blog In 4 Steps