Snaefellsjokull Glacier

About Snaefellsjokull Glacier

Snæfellsjökull glacier is the ice cap on a 1,446-meter stratovolcano at the far western tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland. On a clear day you can see it from Reykjavík, a white cone floating across Faxaflói bay, and Jules Verne picked its crater as the way into the underworld in Journey to the Center of the Earth.

The Snæfellsjökull volcano is dormant rather than dead. Its last eruption, around 1,800 years ago, spread ash over the northern half of the peninsula and sent the Háahraun lava down its southern slopes. The ice on top is small and shrinking, and Icelandic glaciologists have warned it could be gone before the end of the century.

Most travelers see the mountain from the coastal road around the peninsula, about 2.5 hours' drive from Reykjavík, where it rises behind Arnarstapi, Hellnar and Djúpalónssandur. The summit is often wrapped in cloud, so if the glacier is the point of your trip, keep a flexible day and check the weather forecast before you set out.

For a closer look, the rough mountain road 570 climbs the glacier's eastern shoulder between Arnarstapi and Ólafsvík. It opens only in summer, often late because of snow, and suits high-clearance 4x4s only, so check the official road-conditions map first.

Walking onto the ice is a different matter. Snæfellsjökull has crevasses hidden under snow, so go with a certified guide, who will supply crampons, a harness and rope. A guided summit hike from Arnarstapi takes most of a day: 40 to 60 minutes from the parking area to the ice, three to four hours up and about three hours down.

Groups usually turn around at 1,418 meters, below the steep rock and ice peak at the top. Glacier tours run between April and September, when the snow cover makes the route safest.