About Hallormsstaðaskógur
Hallormsstaðaskógur is the place that proves Iceland can grow a real forest. On the east shore of Lagarfljót in East Iceland, birch woods, larch stands and planted spruce cover about 740 hectares, and Icelanders often call it the largest forest in the country. It even has its own village, Hallormsstaður, which the Icelandic Forest Service describes as the only one in Iceland that sits inside a forest.
The history of Hallormsstaður National Forest goes back to 1905, when the surviving birch woods were fenced off from sheep and became Iceland's first national forest. Tree-planting trials followed, and today the forest holds about 85 species gathered from some 600 places around the world. The arboretum near the main road is the easiest way to see them, with more than 70 species on a family-friendly loop and a handful of Engelmann spruces from 1905 still standing by the parking lot.
About 40 km of paths run through Hallormsstaðaskógur forest, and the marked trails are shown on a hiking map posted at each trailhead. The 2.8 km Remba trail passes the 21 m Lambafoss waterfall, while the 5.4 km Hallormsstaður hiking circle is easy enough for families. Down at the water, Atlavík is a birch-ringed cove with a campsite that was once the site of large summer festivals.
The forest is about 27 km from Egilsstaðir, or roughly 25 minutes by car. Follow Route 95 south out of town and carry straight on at the Grímsá junction onto Route 931, which runs along Lagarfljót into the trees. Akureyri is about four hours away, and the Hengifoss trailhead is only about 10 minutes farther around the head of the lake.
The national forest is open to everyone all year. Summer is the greenest time and the only season for camping, since the campsites run from late May to late September, and fall turns the birch and larch yellow. In winter, ice can make the trails slick and snow can affect the roads, so check road.is first. Give it an hour for the arboretum and a short walk, or half a day if you want a longer hike.
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