Rauma (river)

The Rauma is a river that runs through Romsdalen, a valley in Møre og Romsdal and Innlandet counties in Norway. It runs for 68 km from Lesjaskogsvatnet, a lake in the municipality of Lesja, to the town of Åndalsnes in the municipality of Rauma. The river was once famous for its salmon-fishing, but since an infection with Gyrodactylus salaris only 5 to 10% of the original stock survives. This, however, has begun to recover rapidly after a successful revitalisation project. The salmon runs up to the Slettafossen, a 16 m high combination of waterfalls and rapids more than 42 km upriver from the estuary.

The Rauma River and its valley are regarded as one of the most beautiful in Norway. The river runs very clear with a green tint and the mountains tower some 1500 to 1800 m above the river in the lower and middle parts of the valley. The Reinheimen National Park and the Trollveggen cliff are both located along the southwestern shores of the river through the municipality of Rauma. The Romsdalsalpene mountains surround the river and the valley, including the mountains Store Trolltind, Store Venjetinden, Trollryggen, and Romsdalshornet. The Rauma Line railroad follows the river through the valley on its way north to Åndalsnes. The railroad crosses the river on the Kylling Bridge at the village of Verma.

The Rauma was classified as a protected watercourse in 1992, and the only main tributary affected by hydroelectric power is the Verma River with the over 300 m Vermafossen falls. The biggest tributaries are the Ulvåa and Istra. The Istra runs through the Ister Valley, well known for Trollstigen Road in its upper parts.

The origins of the name Rauma are unknown.