Helgafell (Snæfellsnes)

About Helgafell (Snæfellsnes)

Helgafell is a low basalt hill a few minutes south of Stykkishólmur on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in West Iceland, with a farm and a small white church at its foot. The name means Holy Mountain, and in the sagas it was one of the most sacred places in the west of the country.

In Eyrbyggja saga, the settler Þórólfur Mostrarskegg held the hill so holy that no one was allowed to look at it unwashed, and he believed his family would pass into it when they died. Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir, the central figure of Laxdæla saga, spent her last years at Helgafell and is said to be buried in the churchyard. A monastery stood here from the late 12th century until the Reformation.

The tradition visitors come for is simpler. On your first climb, start at Guðrún's grave and walk up in silence without looking back. At the top, face east and you may make three wishes, as long as you keep them to yourself and wish only for good.

The Helgafell hike starts from a parking lot with information signs next to the church, then passes through a gate onto a footpath of stone steps and gravel. It is rated easy and takes about 30 minutes there and back, though rocky sections can be slippery when wet and the summit is exposed to strong gusts. From the viewing disc and cairn on top, you look over the islands of Breiðafjörður and the mountains of Snæfellsnes.

To get to Helgafell, take Route 58 out of Stykkishólmur and follow the signs south; the drive takes about 10 minutes. Summer is the easiest time for the climb, and the trail is marked as seasonal, so expect snow and ice in winter.