Lærdalselvi
| Lærdalselvi Lærdalselva | |
|---|---|
View of the river | |
| Location | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Vestland |
| Municipalities | Lærdal Municipality |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of Mørkedøla and Smeddalselva rivers |
| • location | Eråk, Lærdal Municipality |
| • coordinates | 61°04′20″N 7°56′05″E / 61.0723°N 7.9347°E |
| • elevation | 485 metres (1,591 ft) |
| Mouth | Lærdalsfjorden |
• location | Lærdalsøyri, Lærdal Municipality |
• coordinates | 61°06′11″N 7°28′14″E / 61.103°N 7.4706°E |
• elevation | 0 metres (0 ft) |
| Length | 81 km (50 mi) |
| Basin size | 1,184.11 km2 (457.19 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 36.33 m3/s (1,283 cu ft/s) |
Lærdalselvi is a river in Vestland county, Norway. The lower part of the river Lærdalselvi is among Norway's best salmon fishing rivers. It is protected from pollution and development with status as a national salmon river.
The Lærdalselvi is formed by the confluence of the Smeddøla and Mørkedøla rivers at the Borlaug bridge near the small village of Eråk in Lærdal Municipality. The Smeddøla originates from a series of lakes in the Filefjell mountains along the border with Vang Municipality in Valdres, and the Mørkedøla has its uppermost sources south of the mountain Vesle Jukleeggi at an elevation of 1,920 metres (6,300 ft) above sea level. The Lærdalselvi flows mainly westward until it reaches the Lærdalsfjorden. The watershed area is 1,173 square kilometres (453 sq mi), which makes this the largest watershed in the northern part of Vestland county.