Askja

About Askja

Askja is a volcanic caldera in the Dyngjufjöll mountains of the northern highlands, inside Vatnajökull National Park, with a floor about 1,100 meters above sea level and rims rising to roughly 1,500 meters. Getting there takes a full day on 4x4 roads, and the reward is Iceland's deepest lake lying beside a warm, milky-blue explosion crater.

In the southeast corner of the caldera lies Öskjuvatn, often called Lake Askja, which is more than 200 meters deep. It formed after the great 1875 eruption, when the roof of the magma chamber collapsed. Beside it sits Víti, a smaller crater from the same eruption, and that eruption spread pumice and ash across East Iceland, forced farmers off land in Jökuldalsheiði and helped push a wave of emigration to North America.

The walk starts at the Vikraborgir parking lot, which has toilets. The marked trail to Öskjuvatn and Víti is 2.5 km, rated easy, and the park allows about two hours for it, across bare pumice and lava. People do bathe in Víti, where the water is usually above 20°C, but the path down is very slippery when wet, the mud on the eastern bank can be hot and rocks fall from the crater walls.

Askja is an active volcano monitored by the Icelandic Met Office, so check the official volcano and weather warnings and ask the park rangers about current conditions before you go. Rangers are based at Drekagil and Herðubreiðarlindir in summer, and in high season one is at Askja daily and leads guided walks. There are no shops, restaurants or gas stations anywhere in the area, so fill the tank before leaving the Ring Road.

The Askja highlands can only be reached in summer, once the F-roads officially open. From Route 1, drive the F88 past Herðubreiðarlindir, which has river fords at Grafarlandsá and Lindá, or take Route 901 to the F905 and F910, then continue to Drekagil and the last 8 km on the F894 to Vikraborgir. Expect about three hours each way from Mývatn in a capable 4x4, which is why many visitors join a guided 4x4 tour from Mývatn or Akureyri instead.