Gudbrandsjuvet

The viewpoint at Gudbrandsjuvet is beautifully situated between Valldal and Trollstigen, with steep mountain slopes, the river, and the gorge right nearby. Gudbrandsjuvet is a gorge—5 meters wide and 20–25 meters deep—carved by the Valldøla River. Conveniently located on National Road 63 between Valldal and Trollstigen, it can be explored via secured paths and a pedestrian bridge. The water has shaped a system of deep potholes and bizarre rock formations here. The gorge is roughly as deep below the water's surface as it is above. According to a 16th-century legend, the gorge was named after a man named Gudbrand, who was attempting to flee with a bride he had abducted. He managed to escape his pursuers by making a daring leap across the narrowest point of the gorge. Gudbrand was subsequently declared an outlaw and spent the rest of his life in a stone hut above Gudbrandsjuvet, in a side valley still known today as Gudbrandstal. The legend does not reveal whether Gudbrand managed to take the bride with him across the gorge.