Ásbyrgi

About Ásbyrgi

Ásbyrgi canyon is a horseshoe-shaped gorge in the Jökulsárgljúfur section of Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, 3.5 km long, about 1.1 km wide and closed at the far end by cliffs up to 100 meters high. Unlike most Icelandic canyons, its floor is covered in birch woodland rather than bare rock.

Glacial outburst floods from Vatnajökull carved Ásbyrgi at least twice, roughly 8,000 to 10,000 years ago and again about 3,000 years ago, before the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river shifted east and left the canyon dry. Local legend has a better story: it is the hoofprint of Sleipnir, Odin's eight-legged horse. Running down the middle is Eyjan, a rock ridge up to 250 meters wide that splits the canyon in two.

Of the Ásbyrgi hikes, the easiest is the 1 km trail to Botnstjörn, a small pond at the foot of the cliffs where a thin waterfall runs in spring and after heavy rain. It takes about 30 minutes and suits visitors with limited mobility. For a view down the whole horseshoe, the 4.5 km Eyjan trail climbs onto the ridge in 1.5 to 2 hours, and longer routes of 7 to 17 km cross the heath above. Hikers with two days can follow the 32 km canyon trail south to Dettifoss.

Ásbyrgi lies on Route 85, about an hour's drive east of Húsavík and roughly two hours from Akureyri, and it is a regular stop on the Diamond Circle with Dettifoss and Goðafoss. Allow at least an hour for Botnstjörn and a look around, or half a day if you want to hike. Gljúfrastofa, the national park visitor center at the canyon mouth, has maps and trail advice, and its hours are shorter in winter.

The Ásbyrgi campsite inside the canyon is open from May 15 to the end of October, depending on snow, with 48 electric hook-ups, showers and a laundry room. The park's price list gives ISK 2,800 per adult per night and ISK 1,500 for electricity, and booking ahead is wise in July. Parking at Ásbyrgi is free, since the park charges parking fees only at Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón.