Guidebook
Lonely Planet Norway
Lonely Planet · 2024
Current Lonely Planet covering the western fjords, Hardanger, Geiranger and Telemark roads past Norway's big falls.
Norway · Modum Municipality
Haugfoss
Haugfoss is a waterfall in the Simoa, a tributary of the Drammen River, in Modum municipality, Buskerud county. It has been used among other things to power Modum Blaafarveværk, which lies just below the waterfall, and from 1894 to 1926 the wood pulp company Haugfoss Træsliperi produced wood pulp at the fall.
Essentials guide
Facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia, compiled September 2026; season and access are our estimate, not a visit report. How we build these pages.
Haugfoss drops 37 metres (121 ft) on the Drammen River. It is a cascade-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Modum, Norway. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).
As a cascade waterfall, water tumbles down a series of rock steps rather than falling free.
What you can do here
A walk-in-and-look waterfall
No commercial adventures run at Haugfoss itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Modum are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotography
When to go
Snowmelt feeds the falls from late May; June to August is the short, bright season, and many access roads close in winter.
Getting there
- Base town Modum, Norway
- Country Norway
- Region Modum Municipality, Nordics & Baltics, Europe
- Access Moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail
How it compares
This waterfall
Haugfoss
Norway
Height37 mWidth—
Most similar
Aber Falls
United Kingdom
Height37 mWidth—
Also a cascade waterfall, of similar height and in the United Kingdom
Largest curtain
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe · Zambia
Height108 mWidth1,708 m
Largest single sheet of falling water
Tallest on earth
Angel Falls
Venezuela
Height979 mWidth—
Widest on earth
Khone Phapheng Falls
Laos
Height21 mWidth10,783 m
Measured across the whole multi-channel system
37 m
37 m
108 m
330 m
979 m
HaugfossAber FallsVictoria FallsEiffel TowerAngel Falls
Khone Phapheng Falls
10,783 m
Victoria Falls
1,708 m
Angel Falls is 26× taller than Haugfoss. Victoria Falls is 2.9× taller. We don't have a reliable crest width for Haugfoss yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
Watch and read
Books worth packing
Guidebook
DK Eyewitness Norway
DK Eyewitness · 2024
Illustrated Norway guide, good for planning fjord drives such as Geiranger and Hardanger.
On the map
59.91383, 9.88328
Quick answers
Where is Haugfoss?
Haugfoss is in Norway (Modum Municipality). The nearest base is Modum, Norway. Its coordinates are 59.9138, 9.8833.
How tall is Haugfoss?
Haugfoss drops 37 metres (121 feet). It is a cascade-type waterfall on the Drammen River.
When is the best time to visit Haugfoss?
Peak flow is June to August. Snowmelt feeds the falls from late May; June to August is the short, bright season, and many access roads close in winter.
What can you do at Haugfoss?
Beyond the viewpoints: hiking and photography. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail.
How do you get to Haugfoss?
The usual base is Modum, Norway. A real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail from there.
Nearby
Closest to Haugfoss
Hellefossen
Norway · 14 km away
Hellefossen is an originally five-meter-high waterfall in the Drammen River, the lowest in the watercourse.…
UNESCO Rjukanfossen
Norway · 104 m · 80 km away
Anchor of a UNESCO industrial heritage landscape
Ice climbing
Sarp Falls
Norway · 20 m · 100 km away
Sarp Falls is a waterfall at Sarpsborg in Østfold, Norway. It is the second largest waterfall in Europe by…
Rjukandefossen
Norway · 18 m · 130 km away
Rjukandefossen is a double waterfall of approximately 18 metres located in the vicinity of the village Tuv in…