The Storfjord (or Storfjorden) is a fjord in the Sunnmøre region, stretching from Hareid in the west to Tafjord and Geiranger east in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The Storfjord system includes the famous Geirangerfjord and Tafjorden, at small village of Stranda it branches off into Sunnylvsfjorden-Geirangerfjorden to the right and Norddalsfjorden-Tafjorden to the left. The name literally means the big or great fjord, indicating that this is a long fjord and in fact the main fjord in this region. Stretching about 110 kilometres (68 mi), Storfjord is the 5th longest fjord in Norway.[1] The Storfjord is a dominant topographical feature in the Sunnmøre region as it cuts the region in two parts that are only connected by ferry. The deepest point in the fjord is 679 metres (2,228 ft) near the village of Dyrkorn.
The landscape around Storfjorden is typical for Western Norway. The mouth the fjord is surrounded by islands with mountains reaching 500 to 800 metres (1,600 to 2,600 ft) above sea level. Further to the east there are higher mountains. At Tafjord and Geiranger, the mountains climb to about 1,500 to 1,800 metres (4,900 to 5,900 ft) above sea level. Most of the Storfjord has characteristically steep or very steep shores, interrupted by several gentle valleys stretching up to 30 kilometres (19 mi) into the hinterland. In this way, the Storfjord system is, along with the Nordfjord, Sognefjord, and Hardangerfjord systems, the major samples of the typical west coast fjords highly praised by visitors.[2]
On the steep shores of the fjord, there are several historic mountain farms such as Ytste Skotet in Stordal and Me-Åkernes, Skageflå, and Knivsflå in Stranda.
Contents |
from the coast to the inland
Several car ferries cross the fjord:
Due to the steep slopes along the shores, road construction is challenging and overland road transport is often limited to valleys. On the Northern shore of Storfjorden there is continuous roads from Tafjord to island Sula by roads 63, 650, E39, 656, 60 and 61. On the southern shore, there are only short sections of roads along the fjord itself.
During summer the Hurtigruten line visits Storfjorden and Geirangerfjorden regularly.