Region Jostedalen valley Basin size 804 km (310 sq mi) Basin area 804 km² Mouth Gaupne | River mouth Gaupne
0 m (0 ft) Length 50 km Source Jostedal Glacier Country Norway | |
Main source Jostedalsbreen
516 m (1,693 ft) | ||
Jostedøla (or Jostedalselva) is a river which runs through the Jostedalen valley in the municipality of Luster in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The Jostedøla river begins near the Fåbergstølen mountain farm where the runoff from the great Jostedalsbreen glacier and the lakes Austdalsvatnet and Styggevatnet comes together in the Jostedalen valley. It then flows south for about 50 kilometres (31 mi), past the village of Jostedal, and finally empties into the Gaupnefjorden (a small arm off of the Sognefjorden) at the village of Gaupne. The river is the main collector of water for a 804-square-kilometre (310 sq mi) watershed area. The river is great for fishing trout and some salmon.
Map of Josted%C3%B8la, Luster, Norway
The river has historically brought significant flooding. In August 1979, the river had a 100-year flood due to local rain and strong snow and glacial melting. The flood was higher than the previous one-hundred year flood in 1898. The Leirdøla power plant was built in 1978, which has helped reduce the flood risk along the waterway.