Bridge Between Continents

About Bridge Between Continents

The Bridge Between Continents is a steel footbridge across a sand-floored fissure at Sandvík on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland, where the North American and Eurasian plates are pulling apart by about 2 centimeters a year. A few dozen steps take you from North America to Europe, at least symbolically.

It helps to know what you're looking at. The plate boundary here is a wide rift zone full of cracks, so this gully is one of many rather than a single dividing line. Still, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge rarely shows itself this plainly on land, and signboards at the site explain the geology. The bridge went up in 2002, and you can also walk down onto the black sand floor of the fissure to look up at the lava walls on either side.

The Reykjanes Peninsula Bridge Between Continents is on Road 425 between Hafnir and the Reykjanes lighthouse, about 20 minutes' drive from Keflavík Airport and around an hour from Reykjavík. A signposted parking lot sits a short walk away. Entry is free, the site is open all year, and 15 to 30 minutes is enough, which makes it an easy stop on the way to or from a flight.

For proof you crossed, ask for a personalized certificate at the information center in the Folk Museum in Garður, or request one from Reykjanes Geopark by email. Afterward, carry on south to the Brimketill rock pool, the Gunnuhver hot spring and the Reykjanes lighthouse, or east to the Blue Lagoon for a soak.

Earthquakes on Reykjanes have opened new cracks and widened old ones near several sites, including this one. Stay on the marked paths, keep back from visible cracks and edges, and check the official safety and road-conditions updates before you go, since conditions on the peninsula can change with volcanic activity.