On the west side of Bærumsveien, Lysakerelven becomes wider and the landscape is more open. When you come down to Granfossen, you get the feeling of being in a Western Norway in miniature. The river is easily accessible in many places, and when the water flow is low, you can get lost in the rocky river river.
There are places like this in Lysakerelven where you can swim or fish.
The river alternates between calm and more harsh areas.
On the way down along Lysakerelven we met a heron that spanked around on her thin and long legs and hunted for fish. It seemed that it was easy for it to find food. In one of the calm areas a family and a dog were swimming. Otherwise we only saw a jogger or two.
There are several wide parties where the water travels slowly in this part of Lysakerelven.
In the dam on top of the Granfossen there is a lot of branches and shrubs that the water has brought. On this side of the waterfall, you'll only catch the local resident trout, and that will seldom become more than half a kilo, but below the waterfall you can get both salmon and sea trout of larger sizes.
Granfossen waterfall looks quite majestetic even though it only has a fall of 12 meters. From 1869 to 1981, the paper mill was located here, and you can still see parts of the old water system. In addition, you can see some nice old brick houses.
Water pipes from the old water supply system to the Granfos Papirfabrikk in Lysakerelven.
Below the waterfall, Lysakerelven is deeper and calmer. The vegetation on the sides is denser and the river is darker. Here and there you see the trees reflecting in the water's surface, and at the bottom there is also a pretty neighbourhood where the houses are bordered by a pier. With a little imagination it may look like a bit of Venice. Lysakerelven flows into Lysakerfjorden right next to Lysaker station. There you can stop and have a snack at Lysaker brygge, or go on if you want to hike along the fjord towards Fornebu.
Excursion of the week: Lysakerelven from Jar to Lysaker.
Length: 2 kilometers one way.
Duration: The journey along Lysakerelven is done in half an hour each way, but put aside a little more time if you want to take pictures or swim or just enjoy the tranquility and nature.
Difficulty: Some hilly terrain, but nice trails and solid railings where there are steep cliffs down towards the water. Nice discovery trip for children accompanied by adults.
Getting there: The easiest way is to start at Jar Stasjon and go Bærumsveien towards Oslo. When you get to the river where it crosses under the carriageway and the subway, take a marked hiking trail on the left side of the road. Follow the signs under the bridge and further down along Lysakerelven towards Lysaker station.
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