Saxhóll Crater

About Saxhóll Crater

Saxhóll is a volcanic crater inside Snæfellsjökull National Park, near the western tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland. It rises about 109 metres and is thought to have erupted around 3,000 years ago. It sits right beside Route 574, the road around the end of the peninsula, which makes it one of the easiest viewpoints in the national park to reach.

A metal staircase climbs the side of the crater to a viewing platform on the rim. It is built from low modules, each 3 metres long and 1.5 metres wide with seven steps, following the line of the old path; there are just under 400 steps in all. The design won the Rosa Barba International Landscape Prize in 2018. Most people reach the top in 10 to 15 minutes, and the climb is graded easy, though it is steady.

From the rim there are wide views over the lava fields and, in clear weather, up to the Snæfellsjökull glacier. There is no entry fee, and a large free car park sits at the foot of the crater.

Saxhóll can be visited all year, but the stairs are exposed and can be windy and slippery in winter, so take care and hold the rail. Clear days give the best views of the glacier. It combines well with Djúpalónssandur beach, the Svörtuloft lighthouse and other stops in the national park on a loop of the peninsula.