If you drive on to the Kjenndalen valley, you will see some very distinctive scenery. Kjenndalen is one of the finest gems in Norway’s jewellery box. The valley is like a miniature Grand Canyon, with high mountains and narrow tributary valleys. The summits are clad in ancient pinewoods and the Kjenndalselva river flows along the flat valley floor. You can drive to a car park near the Kjenndalsbreen glacier. If you wish to experience the scenery at close hand, park at the Kjenndalsstova lodge, rent a bicycle and enjoy a memorable ride up to the glacier, or why not take a canoeing trip on Lovatnet lake?

Information boards have been erected at Kjenndalstova lodge and further up the valley to inform people about events that have taken place here and about the natural geography of the valley. Food and refreshments are on sale at Kjenndalsstova.

Narrow ravines and "Furukamben" (the pine ridge)
Views of narrow ravines and the "Furukamben" pine ridgeThe mountains here reach altitudes of 1,800 - 1,900 metres. Many of them have been formed over thousands of years by the action of ice and water. The ravines that intersect these mountain formations are narrow and up to 200-300 metres deep. Rocks often fall into the ravines and, if it is wet enough, great “water slides” can occur - landslides in which rocks, water and earth are all mixed together. The place you are standing now is the remains of one of these “water slides".  If you look to the right of the deepest scars on the mountainside, you will see the Furukamben pine ridge far up above. This is the remains of the pine period in Norway, which lasted from approx. 8.000-6.000 years BC. Pine trees replaced the birch woods that had covered the country after the ice gradually receded. In recent years, pine trees have been observed near the Kjenndalsbreen glacier. If you have binoculars with you, you will be able see pine and other trees high up in the mountains.     

The Jørpefonna avalanche
The "Jørpa" avalanche is a big avalanche that starts at Middagsnibba summit (1,803 m). In winter, snowstorms come howling in from a south or south-easterly direction, and the snow comes in over the Jostedalsbreen glacier, accumulating in the steep, concave hollows near the summit of the mountain. When mild weather sets in in spring, the snow starts to slide down the mountainside, plunging off the mountain ledge, free-falling for 500-600 metres, before hitting the valley floor with enormous force on the far side of the Kjenndalselva river. The huge winds this generates explode across the valley, cutting a swathe several hundred metres wide and tearing up trees and loosening boulders on its way. The Jørpesteinen, a huge boulder weighing many tonnes, which stands above the road, has been moved three times that people know of - in 1832, 1940 and, most recently, in the 1970s. The trees often lie flattened against the mountainsides on the side of the valley through which the road passes.

In 1893, the avalanche occurred after the livestock had been taken to summer pastures in the Kjenndalen valley, and seven horses were killed. On 17 May 1924, the same thing happened and five horses were caught in the avalanche. Anders O. Nesdal had taken them to the summer pastures just the day before. There is good grazing in the areas where the woods are cleared by the wind, and in late summer you can see red deer grazing there at dusk.  

Kjenndalen - one of the finest gems in Norway’s jewellery box
From the information board here at Kjenndalsanden you can see:
The scars from the rockslides on Ramnefjellet mountain bear witness to the two Lodal disasters that claimed 135 lives. If you drive back via Loen church, you will see the two memorial stones inscribed with the names of all those who lost their lives in the disasters in 1905 and 1936. Beside Ramnefjell mountain, you will see Utigardsfossen waterfall, which has been voted the ninth most beautiful waterfall in the world. On the flat area on the far shore of Lovatnet lake lie the old settlements of Indre and Ytre Nesdal. Although there are no permanent inhabitants there anymore, they can still teem with life in summer because of all the people who have holiday homes there. The distinctive colour of the water is due to the mud and silt that the glacier scrapes off the bedrock, and which the rivers carry with them down into the lake.

The mighty Jostedalsbreen glacier extends behind Middagsnibba mountain (1,803 metres), the mountain which is the source of the "Jørpa" avalanche. See the information board at the "Jørpesteinen" boulder. Further in, you can see Kjenndalskruna peak and Krunebreen glacier.  The mighty Krunefossen waterfall, which you can see from near the car park on the other side of the river at the head of the Kjenndal valley, flows from this glacier. The waterfall is ranked high on the list of the world’s most beautiful waterfalls. The Kjenndalsbreen glacier lies innermost in the corrie. A flat path runs from the car park to the glacier. To the left of Krunebreen glacier is "Tjuvskåra" (thieves’ ravine), named after a dramatic incident in the 18th century. "Tjuvskåra" was a much used way of crossing the glacier. The mountain formations intersected by narrow ravines make the Kjenndalen valley a very distinctive landscape. Pine trees grow on some of the mountainsides, temperate trees grow on some the slopes below the foot of the mountains and the river runs through the valley floor. All this contributes to the impression of a miniature Grand Canyon.

When you are in Kjenndal, you should set aside time to enjoy the peace and quiet - Nature’s own sounds will help make the sights you see an unforgettable experience. And, whether you are travelling by car, cycling or walking, take time to stop and read the information boards that have been erected in the Kjenndalen valley.