The river begins as glacial runoff in the
Gaularfjellet mountains and it runs through
Sunnfjord Municipality and
SogndalMunicipality. The
glaciers that feed the river are
Grovabreen,
Jostefonni, and Troget, all three are located just west of the massive
Jostedalsbreen glacier. The river starts up in the mountains and empties into a fjord at sea level, and so the water drops over in elevation throughout its course. This is one reason why the area is often referred to as
Fosselandet (lit. "the land of waterfalls"). There are many waterfalls on the Gaular and its tributaries. The river Gaula begins as two main branches. The northern branch begins in the mountains east of the village of
Haukedalen in
Sunnfjord Municipality. That branch flows to the southwest eventually into the lake
Viksdalsvatnet. The southern branch begins at the lake Norddalsvatnet on the border of Sunnfjord Municipality and
Sogndal Municipality. It flows along the border, then south into Sogndal Municipality to the lake
Nystølsvatnet. The river then turns west, back into Sunnfjord Municipality and it heads west until it empties into the lake Viksdalsvatnet. This lake is where the two branches join together. It then finishes its course by flowing westward, passing through the municipal center of
Sande, before emptying into the
Dalsfjorden at Osen near the village of
Bygstad. The
European route E39 highway crosses the river just east of the village of Sande. ==Media gallery==