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 · Øvre Eiker
Hellefossen
Hellefossen is an originally five-meter-high waterfall in the Drammen River, the lowest in the watercourse. It lies north of Hokksund in Øvre Eiker municipality, Buskerud county.
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.
Hellefossen drops over a series of steps. It is a cascade-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Hokksund, 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 Hellefossen itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Hokksund are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotographyWildlife & safari
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 Hokksund, Norway
- Country Norway
- Region Øvre Eiker, Nordics & Baltics, Europe
- Access Moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail
How it compares
This waterfall
Hellefossen
Norway
Height—Width—
Most similar
Ófærufoss
Iceland
Height—Width—
Also a cascade waterfall and in Iceland
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
108 m
330 m
979 m
Victoria FallsEiffel TowerAngel Falls
Khone Phapheng Falls
10,783 m
Victoria Falls
1,708 m
We don't have a reliable crest width for Hellefossen 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
59.78647, 9.89976
Quick answers
Where is Hellefossen?
Hellefossen is in Norway (Øvre Eiker). The nearest base is Hokksund, Norway. Its coordinates are 59.7865, 9.8998.
When is the best time to visit Hellefossen?
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 Hellefossen?
Beyond the viewpoints: hiking, photography and wildlife & safari. 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 Hellefossen?
The usual base is Hokksund, Norway. A real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail from there.
Nearby
Closest to Hellefossen
Haugfoss
Norway · 37 m · 14 km away
Haugfoss is a waterfall in the Simoa, a tributary of the Drammen River, in Modum municipality, Buskerud…
UNESCO Rjukanfossen
Norway · 104 m · 80 km away
Anchor of a UNESCO industrial heritage landscape
Ice climbing
Sarp Falls
Norway · 20 m · 90 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 · 140 km away
Rjukandefossen is a double waterfall of approximately 18 metres located in the vicinity of the village Tuv in…