Geirangerfjord

Long, long ago, it was very cold. Thick ice covered the land.

Rivers of ice, called glaciers, scraped out deep valleys. When the ice melted, the sea flowed into one valley. That made the fjord.

UNESCO explains that a fjord is a long, deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs, formed when a valley shaped by a glacier was drowned by the sea. During the Ice Age, glaciers filled the valleys of western Norway and ground them deeper. When the ice melted away, the sea flooded in.

The ice and the waves polished the steep rock walls, so the bedrock is laid bare along the sides. Once the heavy ice was gone, the land slowly rose up again, and the fjords keep a record of that rise. UNESCO says these fjords still show geology at work, including unstable slopes and the scars of old rockslides.

UNESCO defines a fjord as a long, deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs formed by submergence of a glaciated valley, and describes the West Norwegian Fjords as well-developed examples of young, active glaciation during the Pleistocene ice age. The ice- and wave-polished fjord sides expose continuous three-dimensional sections through the bedrock.

The property records the postglacial isostatic rebound of the crust, the slow rise of the land after the weight of the ice was removed, and it is a key area for studying slope instability and the geohazards that follow. UNESCO's list of typical fjord features found here includes deep rock basins far below sea level, rock thresholds, slide scars and avalanche deposits, moraines and till, hanging valleys and so-called fish-hook valleys formed by river capture.

Many waterfalls pour down the fjord's walls.

One famous place has seven waterfalls side by side. It is called the Seven Sisters. They are biggest when the snow melts in spring and early summer.

Waterfalls tumble down the steep walls of Geirangerfjord. The most famous are the Seven Sisters, seven waterfalls side by side that drop into the fjord near an old farm called Knivsflå. Fjord Norway says they fall about 250 meters on average.

How much water they carry depends on melting snow and rain, so you can't always see all seven clearly. They are at their best during the big snowmelt from May to July, and the best way to see them is from a boat on the fjord.

UNESCO notes that numerous waterfalls line the sheer walls of the two fjords, while free-flowing rivers run through forest to glacial lakes and glaciers. The best known at Geirangerfjord is the Seven Sisters, seven falls that descend into the fjord close to the abandoned farm of Knivsflå, with an average fall of around 250 m (Fjord Norway).

Their flow depends on snowmelt and precipitation, so all seven are not always equally visible; they are most visible in the main melting period of May–July and are best seen from a boat. From the fjord at Geiranger, the Fosseråsa trail follows the river up to another waterfall, Storsæterfossen, where a path lets walkers pass behind the falling water.

Long ago, families lived on farms high up on the cliffs.

Now no one lives there. But people still visit the old farms. They can see the fjord far below.

High up on the steep mountainsides, you can spot the remains of old farms. Families once kept farms in these places, far above the water. All of them have been abandoned, but many have been restored, and they help people today learn how life was lived here.

The best known is Skageflå. Visitors can take a boat from Geiranger to a landing called Skagehola and then hike up a steep trail to the farm. From there they look out over the fjord and its waterfalls.

UNESCO counts the remnants of old and now mostly abandoned transhumant farms, farms used for part of the year as livestock moved between pastures, as a cultural aspect that complements the natural landscape, and notes that several villages and valleys within the property are still inhabited. Private land makes up 85% of the property.

Fjord Norway says all the farms along Geirangerfjord have been abandoned, though many have been restored as cultural heritage sites. Skageflå, the best known, is reached by boat from Geiranger to Skagehola and then a steep trail; Knivsflå stands close to the Seven Sisters.

Forests grow on the slopes. In spring, fruit trees flower.

In winter, snow covers the mountain tops. Sea mammals live in the fjords, too.

The area has forests of leafy trees and conifers, free-flowing rivers, glacial lakes and glaciers. UNESCO lists marine mammals among the natural features of the fjords.

Every season looks different. In spring there are trickling streams and flowering fruit trees, and in summer the waterfalls roar and the slopes turn green. In autumn the mountainsides turn orange, yellow and red. In winter the peaks are covered in snow, and the sun barely reaches the village of Geiranger in midwinter.

UNESCO describes deciduous and coniferous woodland and forest, free-flowing rivers, glacial lakes, glaciers and rugged mountains, with terrestrial and marine phenomena such as submarine moraines and marine mammals. Of the 200 fjords along Norway's west coast, UNESCO says, Nærøyfjord and Geirangerfjord are the least affected by human activity such as hydroelectric dams and infrastructure.

Fjord Norway's seasonal picture: flowering fruit trees in spring, high waterfalls and green slopes in summer, colored autumn mountainsides, and a midwinter when the sun barely reaches Geiranger. Close to the coast it rarely gets particularly cold, so there can be snow for skiing in the mountains while the grass is almost green down by the fjord.

Many people see the fjord from a boat.

Others drive down a twisty road to the village. Stay on the paths, and keep away from cliff edges. Be careful near waterfalls, because the rocks are wet.

Fjord Norway says the best way to see Geirangerfjord is from a boat. A ferry runs between Hellesylt and Geiranger all year, and fjord cruises come from Ålesund. By road, you can drive down the hairpin bends of the Eagle Road to Geiranger; the road from Lom or Stryn closes in winter.

The Norwegian Fjord Centre in Geiranger is the World Heritage visitor center. On trails, stay on the path, keep well back from cliff edges and take care on wet rock near waterfalls. In 2018 Norway's parliament decided that cruise ships and ferries in these fjords must stop their emissions by 2026 at the latest.

Access, per Fjord Norway: a year-round ferry between Hellesylt and Geiranger, year-round fjord cruises from Ålesund, the Linge–Eidsdal ferry and the Geiranger–Trollstigen Scenic Route down the Eagle Road (Ørnevegen), and a road over Grotli from Lom or Stryn that closes in winter. The Norwegian Fjord Centre, the World Heritage visitor center, stands on Fosseråsa, Norway's first national tourist trail.

UNESCO reports intense tourism pressure, with limited impact because most visitors arrive on cruise ships in a short season, and lists geohazards as a concern for inhabited areas and infrastructure. In 2018, UNESCO reported, the Norwegian Parliament resolved to halt emissions from cruise ships and ferries in the property by 2026 at the latest. Visitors should keep to marked trails, stay back from cliff edges and take care on wet rock.