Rauðhólar
About Rauðhólar
Rauðhólar is a cluster of rust-red volcanic mounds on the southeastern edge of Reykjavík, close enough to the city that you can be walking among them 20 minutes after leaving downtown. The name means red hills, and the color comes from oxidized iron in the cinders. These Rauðhólar are the Reykjavík pseudocraters in the Heiðmörk nature reserve, separate from the red Rauðhólar craters in Vesturdalur in North Iceland.
The mounds are rootless cones, also called pseudocraters. About 5,200 years ago, according to Visit Reykjavík, the Elliðaárhraun lava flowed over wet, marshy ground, and the trapped water flashed into steam and blasted out small craters. No vent ever fed them from below, which is why they sit on top of the lava like scattered heaps.
What you see today is only part of the original group. Visit Reykjavík counts more than 80 craters at first, but much of the red gravel was dug out, mostly around World War II, for Reykjavík Airport and road building. The quarry scars still show inside several cones. The site was first protected in 1961 and given stronger protection in 1974.
To get there, drive east from the city on Route 1 (Suðurlandsvegur) and turn right onto Heiðmerkurvegur. A parking lot appears on the right soon after the turn, according to the City of Reykjavík, and paths for walkers and horse riders lead in among the mounds. An hour is enough for a loop, and you can continue into the woods of Heiðmörk or down to Elliðavatn lake.
Rauðhólar is an easy year-round stop on the way out of the city, though the red shows best on a dry summer evening, before snow covers it. Stay on the paths, because the loose slopes erode quickly. If you are heading north later, compare it with Skútustaðagígar at Mývatn, where pseudocraters still sit intact beside the lake.
Good to know
What is Rauðhólar?
Rauðhólar is a group of red pseudocraters, or rootless cones, on the southeastern edge of Reykjavík inside the Heiðmörk nature reserve. They formed when lava flowed over wet ground about 5,200 years ago.
Where is Rauðhólar and how do you get there?
Drive east from Reykjavík on Route 1 and turn right onto Heiðmerkurvegur. A parking lot appears on the right soon after the turn, about 20 minutes from downtown.
Why are the Rauðhólar craters red?
The cinders contain iron that has oxidized, giving the mounds their rust color. Gravel quarrying has exposed the red interior of many cones.
What happened to the Rauðhólar craters?
Much of their gravel was removed, mostly around World War II, for Reykjavík Airport and road building. The site was first protected in 1961 and further protected in 1974.
Is Rauðhólar the same as Rauðhólar in Jökulsárgljúfur?
No. Iceland has several places called Rauðhólar. These are the pseudocraters on the edge of Reykjavík, while the other is a red crater group in Vesturdalur near Hljóðaklettar in North Iceland.
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