Canyons in Iceland

Fjaðrárgljúfur

Fjaðrárgljúfur is a canyon up to about 100 meters deep just off the Ring Road in South Iceland, about 10 minutes' drive west of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. The small Fjaðrá river twists along its floor between moss-covered walls of soft palagonite rock, and a rim path with viewing platforms puts the whole gorge in view without any scrambling. Most of the carving happened at the end of the last Ice Age, when glacial meltwater cut down through layers of tuff and left the walls and pinnacles standing today. A marked path climbs gently along the western rim to a series of platforms. From the upper viewpoint you look straight up the canyon, with the thin Mögárfoss waterfall dropping in from the far side. Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon in Iceland got a sudden rush of visitors after it featured in a 2015 music video, and the trampled edges forced temporary closures to let the vegetation recover. In May 2024 the canyon was protected as a nature monument. Stay on the marked path and behind the ropes, and keep off the canyon floor. The canyon is about 3.5 hours from Reykjavík. Turn off Route 1 onto Route 206 and follow the gravel road a short way to the parking lot, which is normally fine for ordinary cars in summer but can be slippery in winter or after heavy rain. Parking is paid through the Parka app or online within 24 hours: 1,000 ISK a day for a standard car and 1,300 ISK for a larger passenger car (2026 rates), and overnight stays are not allowed. Allow 1 to 2 hours for the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon hike up to the top platform and back. Summer and early fall, September included, give the greenest moss. The canyon can close at short notice in spring when the ground is soft, so check the official travel alerts and road conditions before you go.

Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge

Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge is a narrow ravine cut into Botnsfjall mountain on the south coast of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, a couple of kilometers east of Arnarstapi. From the road it looks like a dark crack in the slope, but once inside, the walls close in overhead, a stream runs over the rocks underfoot and moss covers everything the light reaches. It's one of the few places on Snæfellsnes where you can walk into a mountain rather than look at one, and it takes less than an hour. Inside the Rauðfeldsgjá canyon you walk and scramble over wet rocks in the stream itself while water drips from above. Waterproof boots make the difference between a fun scramble and soaked socks, and the going gets harder the farther in you push. A signposted turn-off from Route 574 leads to a small, free gravel parking lot, and a path climbs to the mouth of the gorge in roughly 10 to 15 minutes. From Reykjavík, the drive takes about two and a half hours, and the trip from Arnarstapi to Rauðfeldsgjá is only a few minutes by car. Most visitors spend 30 to 60 minutes here, including the walk up. Late spring to early fall is the time to go inside, when the rocks are free of ice. Visiting Rauðfeldsgjá in winter is different, because the path and stream can freeze, so look in from the entrance and skip the scramble. There are no facilities on site, though the Arnarstapi coastal walk and the Gatklettur arch are close by. The name comes from the Saga of Bárður Snæfellsás. In the story, Rauðfeldur and his brother pushed Bárður's daughter Helga onto an iceberg that drifted to Greenland, and Bárður, the half-troll guardian of the peninsula, threw Rauðfeldur into this ravine in revenge.

Arctic Adventures Silfra Fissure

The Silfra fissure is a flooded crack in Þingvellir National Park, about 45 minutes' drive from Reykjavík, in the rift between the North American and Eurasian plates. Its glacial water is so clear that snorkelers can often see the far walls of the fissure from the surface. The water starts as meltwater from the Langjökull ice cap, then filters for decades through porous lava about 50 kilometers underground before it seeps into the fissure. It holds at 2–4°C all year. Snorkelers drift through the narrow Big Crack, over the boulders of Silfra Hall and past the deep blue Silfra Cathedral before finishing in the shallow lagoon. Silfra snorkeling in Iceland needs no experience, but you can't just jump in. Park rules require full cold-water protection (a dry suit, or a thick wetsuit for snorkelers, plus hood, gloves and neoprene boots), and nobody enters alone. Most people go with a guided operator, who handles the gear, briefing and permit, and operators typically set a minimum age of 12 along with height and weight limits. Silfra fissure diving is stricter. Divers need an Open Water certificate and a dry suit certificate, or written proof of 10 logged dry suit dives in the past two years. The maximum depth is 18 meters, and caves or overhead areas are off-limits. The fissure is beside the P5 (Valhöll) parking lot near Þingvellir Church. Parking for a car with up to five seats costs 1,000 ISK for the day, payable at the machines or online. Tours usually include the national park's Silfra fee but not parking. Trips run year-round because the water temperature barely changes. Snorkelers usually spend 30 to 40 minutes in the water, and the whole visit takes roughly two and a half to four hours. Winter air is the real challenge, so bring thermal layers and wool socks, and afterward walk over to Peningagjá and the Almannagjá gorge.

Ásbyrgi

Ásbyrgi canyon is a horseshoe-shaped gorge in the Jökulsárgljúfur section of Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, 3.5 km long, about 1.1 km wide and closed at the far end by cliffs up to 100 meters high. Unlike most Icelandic canyons, its floor is covered in birch woodland rather than bare rock. Glacial outburst floods from Vatnajökull carved Ásbyrgi at least twice, roughly 8,000 to 10,000 years ago and again about 3,000 years ago, before the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river shifted east and left the canyon dry. Local legend has a better story: it is the hoofprint of Sleipnir, Odin's eight-legged horse. Running down the middle is Eyjan, a rock ridge up to 250 meters wide that splits the canyon in two. Of the Ásbyrgi hikes, the easiest is the 1 km trail to Botnstjörn, a small pond at the foot of the cliffs where a thin waterfall runs in spring and after heavy rain. It takes about 30 minutes and suits visitors with limited mobility. For a view down the whole horseshoe, the 4.5 km Eyjan trail climbs onto the ridge in 1.5 to 2 hours, and longer routes of 7 to 17 km cross the heath above. Hikers with two days can follow the 32 km canyon trail south to Dettifoss. Ásbyrgi lies on Route 85, about an hour's drive east of Húsavík and roughly two hours from Akureyri, and it is a regular stop on the Diamond Circle with Dettifoss and Goðafoss. Allow at least an hour for Botnstjörn and a look around, or half a day if you want to hike. Gljúfrastofa, the national park visitor center at the canyon mouth, has maps and trail advice, and its hours are shorter in winter. The Ásbyrgi campsite inside the canyon is open from May 15 to the end of October, depending on snow, with 48 electric hook-ups, showers and a laundry room. The park's price list gives ISK 2,800 per adult per night and ISK 1,500 for electricity, and booking ahead is wise in July. Parking at Ásbyrgi is free, since the park charges parking fees only at Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón.

Stuðlagil

Stuðlagil is a basalt-column canyon on the Jökla river in Jökuldalur, East Iceland, about 70 kilometers west of Egilsstaðir. For decades its walls of tall, regular columns sat underwater, hidden by the heavy glacial river. Then the Kárahnjúkar dam diverted much of the Jökla's flow in the late 2000s, the water level dropped, and a blue-green river now runs between the columns. Stuðlagil canyon is roughly an hour's drive from Egilsstaðir, and both ways in start from Road 923, which leaves the Ring Road in the valley. You choose between two sides, and they offer quite different experiences. The west side, at the farm Grund, is the easy option. A flat path leads from the parking lot to viewing platforms on the rim, and stairs added in 2025 take you closer to the water. Allow 20 to 30 minutes, and note that there are paid restrooms here. The east side, from the farm Klaustursel, is the Stuðlagil canyon hike, and it is the only way to stand at river level among the basalt columns. From the parking lot by the bridge it is about 5 kilometers each way along the river, passing the Stuðlafoss waterfall, so allow 2 to 4 hours round trip. A second lot about 2 kilometers farther on cuts the walk in half, but the dirt track to it needs a high-clearance vehicle, and there are no toilets on this side. Timing matters more here than at most places. The water is clearest from late June through July, and from August overflow from the reservoir upstream can turn the river gray and murky for the rest of the season. In July and August, arrive before 8 a.m., because both lots fill by mid-morning. In winter the west viewpoint usually stays accessible, while snow and ice make the east trail unsafe. Both lots charge a parking fee, paid through the Parka app with the QR code on site, so pay before you lose signal. Bring waterproof shoes and warm layers, since summer temperatures here average only 7 to 8.5°C. Swimming is a bad idea: the current is strong and the water stays near freezing all year.

Almannagjá

Almannagjá is a rift gorge on the western side of Þingvellir National Park, about 45 minutes' drive from Reykjavík, and its tall western wall marks the edge of the North American plate. As the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart, the rift valley drops away from this wall toward the east. The gorge matters as much to Icelandic history as it does to geology. In 930 the chieftains founded the Alþingi on the plain below, and many historians place Lögberg, the Law Rock where the law was recited aloud, inside Almannagjá against the higher wall, where the cliff would have carried a speaker's voice. The sagas say the Öxará river was later diverted into the gorge to supply water for the assembly, and it still pours in at the northern end as Öxarárfoss. Most people start at the Hakið viewpoint and visitor center at the top, then follow the Almannagjá trail down between the walls to Lögberg and on to Öxarárfoss or the Drekkingarhylur pool. The path is wide and easy, on gravel and boardwalk, and takes about 30 to 45 minutes one way with stops. It's the first stop on almost every Golden Circle day. Walking the gorge is free and open all year. Parking costs 1,000 ISK per day for a car with up to five seats and covers the P1 Hakið, P2 Efri-Vellir and P5 Valhöll lots, paid at the machines or online. Come early in the morning or in the evening to beat the tour buses, and in winter bring microspikes, since the path and steps can ice over.

Sigöldugljúfur

Sigöldugljúfur is a short canyon on the southern edge of Iceland's Central Highlands, just off F208 near the Sigalda hydropower station on the way to Landmannalaugar. Dozens of thin waterfalls pour out of its mossy green walls into a turquoise river, which is where the nickname Valley of Tears comes from. What makes it worth the stop is how many falls you can take in from one spot. You can't climb down into Sigöldugljúfur, so the visit happens along the rim, looking down both walls toward the river. Overcast days and soft evening light tend to show the green moss and blue water best against the dark volcanic slopes. From Reykjavík, the drive is about three hours on Route 1 and Route 26, then a short way onto F208 past the Sigalda station. There is no sign for the canyon on the road, so watch for a small dirt pull-off after the power station and walk the short, easy stretch to the edge. Thirty to 45 minutes is enough for the whole stop, and there are no toilets or other facilities. F208 is a mountain road, and Icelandic law allows only 4x4 vehicles on F-roads. The Sigalda to Landmannalaugar section usually opens in early June, though it has opened as early as late May and as late as late June, and it stays closed through winter and spring. Check the official road-conditions map before you go, then carry on about 20 kilometers to Landmannalaugar for the rest of the day.

Jökulsárgljúfur

Jökulsárgljúfur is a canyon about 25 kilometers long in Northeast Iceland, cut by the glacial river Jökulsá á Fjöllum from Dettifoss north toward Öxarfjörður. In many places the gorge is more than 100 meters deep, and most people who visit Dettifoss only see its southern end. The name also covers the northern section of Vatnajökull National Park, which is why searches for Jökulsárgljúfur National Park lead to the same place. At the south end, Dettifoss and Selfoss pour into the canyon, with Hafragilsfoss a little farther downstream. Midway, Vesturdalur has the Hljóðaklettar echo rocks and the red Rauðhólar craters, and at the north end sits Ásbyrgi, the horseshoe-shaped canyon with the Gljúfrastofa visitor center at its mouth. Most visitors drive in rather than hike. Paved Route 862 runs down the west side of the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon to Dettifoss, about two hours from Akureyri, and continues north to Vesturdalur and Ásbyrgi. On the east bank, Route 864 is gravel and is usually closed from late fall until the end of May. From the Mývatn area or Húsavík, a day covering Dettifoss, Hljóðaklettar and Ásbyrgi is easy. For hikers, the canyon trail links Ásbyrgi and Dettifoss over 32 kilometers, usually in two days with a night at Vesturdalur. There are no huts, so you camp at the park campsites, and the stage between Vesturdalur and Hólmatungur includes a cold, shallow wade. The camping fee at Ásbyrgi is 2,800 ISK per adult per night, while parking at the sights is free. June to September is the time to come, when the trails, campsites and both roads are open. Jökulsárgljúfur in winter is mostly a Dettifoss trip, since Route 862 gets only limited snow clearing and can close at short notice. Check the official road-conditions map and weather warnings before you set out.

Slyppugil - Þórsmörk

Slyppugil is a summer campsite in the Þórsmörk nature reserve in South Iceland, about 250 meters from Langidalur, the valley where most Þórsmörk hikers end up. If you finish the Laugavegur trail in Langidalur, it's the nearest tent pitch, a five-minute walk away. Most people here are hikers. The site is a start or end point for the Laugavegur trail from Landmannalaugar, the Fimmvörðuháls pass from Skógar and the Tindfjallahringur loop, and it makes a good base for a day or two of shorter walks around Þórsmörk. Facilities are simple: toilets, cold water, outdoor sinks and tables, and cooking areas with grills. The operator also lists showers, but don't count on them until you've confirmed. The listed rate at Slyppugil is 2,900 ISK per adult per night plus 400 ISK lodging tax, and children stay free. The season runs only through the summer, ending on August 31, so confirm the opening date with the operator. Online booking was not active when we checked, so email ahead before you go. Getting in is the hard part. The F249 road into Þórsmörk crosses several unbridged rivers, ending with the Krossá, which only highland buses and modified super jeeps should attempt. For most visitors, a summer highland bus from Reykjavík to Langidalur is the sensible way in.

Brúarhlöð Canyon

Brúarhlöð Canyon is a narrow gorge on the glacial Hvítá river in South Iceland, where the Route 30 bridge crosses between Flúðir and Gullfoss. Its milky turquoise water runs between pillars and ledges of breccia (hyaloclastite) that the current has carved over centuries. Most Golden Circle traffic drives straight past, which is a mistake if you have ten spare minutes. The gorge runs downstream from the bridge, and short paths lead out along the rocks to viewpoints over the water. Stay well back from the edge, because the walls drop straight into fast, cold water. A wooden bridge first crossed the river here in 1906. Floods in 1929 and 1930 destroyed the earlier crossings, and the bridge you drive over today dates from 1959. There's room to park beside Route 30 next to the bridge, and 10 to 20 minutes covers the viewpoints for most people. Brúarhlöð is about 15 minutes' drive south of Gullfoss and a similar distance north of Flúðir, so it slots into a Golden Circle loop that returns via Route 30 and the Secret Lagoon. From Reykjavík, allow just under two hours each way. In summer, kayak and rafting trips on the Hvítá run down through Brúarhlöð Canyon. From the water you see far more of its walls than you can from the road, and one guided inflatable kayak run finishes right at the bridge.

Eldgjá

Eldgjá is a volcanic fissure in the southern Highlands of Iceland that split open around 939 CE and poured out one of the largest lava floods in recorded history. The Eldgjá canyon you walk into today is about 8 km long, 600 m wide and 150 m deep, and the Nyrðri-Ófæra river drops into it at Ófærufoss, a two-tier waterfall in the middle of the gorge. The whole fissure system runs for about 40 km toward Mýrdalsjökull. A natural stone arch once spanned the lower falls of Ófærufoss until it collapsed in the early 1990s. The northern part of Eldgjá, including the falls, belongs to Vatnajökull National Park, and park rangers are based at the site during the day in summer. Getting to Eldgjá takes a 4x4 and good timing. From the Ring Road west of Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Road 208 leads north to F208, a mountain road open only in summer, and the gorge is roughly 60 to 70 km from Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Coming from Landmannalaugar on F208 is shorter but crosses several unbridged rivers, so check the official road-conditions map before you set out. From the parking lot, the park's E1 trail follows the gorge floor for about 2.5 km to Ófærufoss. Fitter hikers can take the E2 route, a 7 km loop of three to four hours that climbs the eastern rim to Gjátindur (943 m) for a view down the length of the fissure. Allow at least half a day once you arrive, and bring food, since there are no shops on this stretch of F208.

Gjáin

Gjáin is a small valley in Þjórsárdalur, South Iceland, where the Rauðá river runs through old lava in a string of waterfalls, pools and basalt chutes. After the bare gravel plains around it, the green of this one hollow comes as a surprise. The largest of the Gjáin waterfalls is Gjárfoss, and smaller falls spill over the valley rim around it. Footpaths lead down to the valley floor, so you can follow the river between them and look up at the lava formations from below. To reach Gjáin, drive about 2 hours from Reykjavík via Route 1, Route 30 and Route 32, then take the gravel Road 327 toward Stöng, the ruins of a farm buried by Hekla in 1104. Road 327 is bumpy and gets rough after rain, so a 4x4 is the safer choice. From the Stöng parking lot the walk takes about 15 minutes, and a second lot on the south side of the valley has a shorter path down. Summer, roughly June to September, is when the valley is greenest and the gravel roads are in their best shape. Allow an hour to walk the paths, and stay on them, because the moss here recovers slowly. Háifoss and Hjálparfoss make easy additions on the same day, and the reconstructed Þjóðveldisbærinn farm shows what Stöng looked like before the eruption.

Hólmatungur

Hólmatungur is a spring-fed area of the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon in the northern part of Vatnajökull National Park, North Iceland, where clear streams pour out of the ground and run into the gray glacial river. It lies between Dettifoss and Vesturdalur and sees far fewer visitors than either. The contrast is the reason to come. The Hólmá river winds through islets and banks thick with angelica before dropping over the Hólmárfossar cascades, while the Jökulsá á Fjöllum churns past below. Réttarfoss, the lowest and northernmost waterfall on the Jökulsá, is a short walk from the parking lot. To get there, turn east off Route 862 north of Dettifoss onto the short Road 887 and follow it to the parking lot at Ytra-Þórunnarfjall, which has toilets and a view down into the canyon. Because the drive from the Dettifoss turnoff takes only a few minutes, the two are easy to combine. Overnight stays aren't allowed at the parking lot. The H1 Hólmatungur circle is the walk to do: 4.5 km, about 1.5 to 2 hours and graded easy, out along the Hólmá to the cascades and back beside the Jökulsá. A short, steeper side trail, H2, drops to Katlar, where the river squeezes into a narrow channel full of whirlpools. Hikers on the two-day canyon trail between Ásbyrgi and Dettifoss also pass through Hólmatungur. Summer, roughly June to September, is when the trails are snow-free and the roads are reliably open. Route 862 gets only limited winter service, so check the official road-conditions map before setting out in the shoulder seasons. An hour or two at Hólmatungur makes a quiet break on a Diamond Circle drive.

Kolugljúfur Canyon

Kolugljúfur Canyon is a narrow gorge on the river Víðidalsá in Víðidalur, Northwest Iceland, a short detour off the Ring Road between Hvammstangi and Blönduós. From the road it looks like ordinary farmland until the ground splits open and the river drops out of sight. The canyon runs for 1 to 2 km and reaches a few tens of meters deep. At its head the river tumbles over three falls, Efrifoss, Kolufoss and Neðri-Kolufoss, known together as Kolufossar. Local legend says the troll woman Kola dug the gorge herself and made her home in it, and several place names nearby still carry her name. The canyon is roughly half an hour from either Hvammstangi or Blönduós and under three hours from Reykjavík. Turn off Route 1 onto Route 715, then follow the gravel side road to the small parking areas by the bridge over the gorge. The viewpoints over the Kolugljúfur canyon waterfall are a minute or two from the car, so 30 to 45 minutes covers most visits. The edges are steep and can be slippery after rain, so stay on the paths and keep children close. Summer brings the strongest flow and green canyon walls, while in winter the gravel roads can turn icy. Combined with the drive out to Hvítserkur on the Vatnsnes peninsula, it makes a good half day off the Ring Road.

Múlagljúfur Canyon

Múlagljúfur Canyon is a deep, moss-green gorge in the hills below Öræfajökull in Southeast Iceland, a few minutes west of the Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon. A short, steep hike brings you to the rim, where Hangandifoss drops in a thin ribbon from the cliffs, and most Ring Road drivers pass the turnoff without knowing it's there. The canyon sits between Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón. From Skaftafell it's about 25 minutes east on Route 1, and Jökulsárlón is about 20 minutes farther on. Expect about five hours of driving from Reykjavík, so most people fit it into a night or two in the area. There's no big sign. Just west of Fjallsárlón, a rough gravel track leaves Route 1 toward the hills and ends at a small parking lot. Take it slowly, since a higher-clearance car handles the ruts more easily, and check the signs at the lot for any parking payment before you set off. The Múlagljúfur Canyon hike to the main viewpoint is roughly 4 kilometers round trip and takes most people 1.5 to 2 hours. It's an unmaintained path with steep, loose sections and a few spots near the edge, so wear boots with good grip. Past the first viewpoint the trail climbs higher, with a view down the gorge to Múlafoss and out over the glacier lagoons toward the coast. The best time to visit Múlagljúfur Canyon is June through September, when the path is dry and the walls are at their greenest. Rain turns the clay slick, and snow and ice make it a poor choice in winter. There are no facilities at the trailhead, so bring water and plan restroom stops at Fjallsárlón or Skaftafell.

Nauthúsagil

Nauthúsagil is a narrow, moss-lined ravine below Eyjafjallajökull in South Iceland, where you follow a stream up to a waterfall hidden from the road. It sits behind the farm Stóra-Mörk, about 10 kilometers past Seljalandsfoss, and sees a fraction of that crowd. The name means Bull Shed Ravine, after a shed for the farm's bulls, and an outlying farm called Nauthús stood here until it was abandoned in 1770. The Nauthúsagil hike follows the stream itself, so expect stepping stones, wet boulders and a few short scrambles where chains and ropes are fixed to the walls. A small waterfall of 2 to 3 meters comes first, and you can climb up beside it to reach the larger Nauthúsagil waterfall at the head of the ravine. From the western rim you can also see a third waterfall, along with views across the Markarfljót plain toward Stóri-Dímon and Fljótshlíð. The ravine is part of Katla UNESCO Global Geopark, and its walls are tuff at the bottom with layers of lava above. A rowan tree grows on the ridge and leans its trunks over the gorge, some almost horizontally. When its main trunk broke in 1937, it was more than 90 years old, and part of it is now on display at the Skógar Museum. From Reykjavík the drive takes about two hours, with the last stretch on Route 249, which leaves the Ring Road at Seljalandsfoss and heads east toward Þórsmörk. The road turns to gravel, and the deep river crossings that make the Þórsmörk route notorious begin farther east, past the ravine. Check the official road-conditions map and your rental terms before you set out. Parking at the mouth of the ravine is free, and an hour covers the walk in and out. Summer is the easiest time, when the water is low and the ravine is green, while in May the vegetation can still look yellow. In winter the stream and falls ice over, and the rocks become too slippery for most visitors without traction. Waterproof boots help in any season, since you will step through the stream more than once.