National parks in Iceland

Skaftafell

Skaftafell is the southern hiking base of Vatnajökull National Park, on the Ring Road in Southeast Iceland about four hours east of Reykjavík. Outlet glaciers of Vatnajökull spill down between the mountains almost to the parking lot, and marked trails lead from the visitor center to Svartifoss, glacier tongues and high viewpoints. Skaftafell became a national park on 15 September 1967 and was folded into Vatnajökull National Park when that park was founded on 7 June 2008. Since 2019 it has been part of the park's UNESCO World Heritage listing. Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon is roughly 45 minutes farther east, so many travelers pair the two in one day. The marked trails start at the Skaftafellsstofa visitor center, which is open all year. Trail S2 to Svartifoss, the waterfall framed by black basalt columns, is a 5.8-kilometer loop of about two hours via Sjónarsker and Sel. The S1 glacier trail to the front of Skaftafellsjökull is an easy 4.1-kilometer loop, while S5 up to the Sjónarnípa viewpoint covers 6.5 kilometers of steeper going. For a full day on foot, S4 over Kristínartindar is 18 kilometers and 6 to 8 hours, rated difficult. Walking on the ice itself is a different matter: crevasses make it a guided-only activity, and groups mostly head onto Falljökull with crampons, helmets and harnesses supplied. From late fall into early spring, some guided trips add a natural blue ice cave when conditions are safe. Give Skaftafell at least half a day, or a full day if you want time on the ice plus Svartifoss. Summer brings long light and the easiest walking, but the park stays open all year, and outside summer the weather can turn quickly. The regional parking fee is 1,110 ISK for a car with up to five seats, valid until midnight on the day you pay. It drops by half if you have already paid at another fee-charging area of the national park that day. The Skaftafell campground next to the visitor center is open year-round.

Snæfellsjökull National Park

Snæfellsjökull National Park is a protected area at the western tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, about 2.5 to 3 hours' drive from Reykjavík. Set up in 2001, it runs from the top of a glacier-capped volcano all the way down to the surf. The glacier is the backdrop, but most of a visit happens along the coast road that loops around it. Djúpalónssandur has black pebbles, old lifting stones and rusting wreckage from a British trawler lost in 1948, while the basalt pillars of Lóndrangar rise from the sea a short walk from the Malarrif lighthouse. On the north side, Skarðsvík is a rare beach of pale shell sand, and Saxhóll is a cinder crater with a staircase to its rim. Seabird colonies crowd the cliffs at Svalþúfa in summer. There is no entrance gate, but since August 2026 the park collects a service fee through the parking charge at its main stops, so expect to pay at each lot. Two visitor centers help you plan the route: the National Park Center in Hellissandur and the smaller one at Malarrif. Until October 31 they open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. respectively, after which winter hours apply. Snæfellsjökull National Park is open all year. Summer brings long days and the best chance of seeing the glacier, while winter offers snow, empty beaches and only a few hours of usable light. Allow a full day to see the main sights on your own, or join one of the Snæfellsnes day tours from Reykjavík that cover the park's coast. Roads and paths sometimes close for repairs, so check the park's news page before you set out.

Snæfellsnes

Snæfellsnes is a peninsula in West Iceland that juts into the Atlantic north of Reykjavík, with a glacier-capped volcano at its tip. It's often called Iceland in miniature, and one drive around it shows why: lava fields, golden and black beaches, sea cliffs and a pointed mountain all sit within one loop of road. The south coast comes first. Gerðuberg's basalt columns line the road, seals haul out on the rocks at Ytri Tunga, and the black church at Búðir stands alone in a lava field. Farther west, the sea cliffs at Arnarstapi and Hellnar are linked by a coastal trail, and the western tip around Snæfellsjökull glacier is protected as a national park. On the north coast, the road runs through the fishing towns of Ólafsvík and Grundarfjörður. Kirkjufell, the steep, cone-shaped Snæfellsnes mountain beside Grundarfjörður, is the most photographed stop of all, and Stykkishólmur at the eastern end has a harbor and the Baldur car ferry to the Westfjords. Gerðuberg is about 1.5 hours' drive from Reykjavík via the Ring Road and Route 54, and Stykkishólmur about 2 hours 15 minutes. A loop from the city fits into one long day, which is how the day tours do it in 10 to 12 hours, but two days let you walk the cliffs and wait out clouds over the glacier. For an overnight, Stykkishólmur, Grundarfjörður and Ólafsvík have the most places to stay. The main road around the Snæfellsnes peninsula is serviced all year. Summer brings midnight light and seabirds on the cliffs, while winter gives only a few hours of daylight and storms that can close mountain passes, so check the official road-conditions map and weather warnings before you leave. If you are choosing between Snæfellsnes and Vík on the South Coast for a day trip, this peninsula is quieter and more varied. Vík packs in more famous waterfalls on the way.

Thórsmörk

Þórsmörk is a mountain valley in South Iceland, walled in by the Eyjafjallajökull, Mýrdalsjökull and Tindfjallajökull glaciers and threaded by the Krossá, Þröngá and Markarfljót rivers. Named after the god Thor, it lies inside the Katla UNESCO Global Geopark, and its birch woods and mossy ridges make it the classic hiking base in the south. Hiking in Þórsmörk comes in every length. Valahnúkur, the hill above Húsadalur, is a short climb of a couple of hours with a view over the whole valley, and longer marked trails run along the ridges between the riverbeds. The valley is also the finish of the multi-day Laugavegur trek from Landmannalaugar and the northern end of the Fimmvörðuháls pass, a long day's walk between the glaciers from Skógar. People often call it Thorsmork National Park, though it is a protected nature reserve rather than a national park. Three bases offer huts and camping in the Thorsmork valley: Húsadalur, run by Volcano Huts, Langidalur, run by Ferðafélag Íslands, and Básar, run by Útivist. Beds fill early in summer, so book ahead if you want to stay the night. The season is roughly June to September, when the highland bus runs and the birch is in leaf. The bus to Þórsmörk leaves Reykjavík in the early morning and takes around three and a half hours, stopping at Hvolsvöllur on the way. Dates and fares change every year, so confirm them with the bus operator before you plan around it. Driving yourself means F249 in a high-clearance 4x4 and several unbridged fords, ending at the Krossá, one of the most dangerous river crossings in Iceland. Its level can rise within hours after rain or warm weather, and most rental contracts exclude river damage. For most travelers, the bus, a super jeep tour or the hike in is the sensible way to reach the valley.

Hallormsstaðaskógur

Hallormsstaðaskógur is a national forest on the east shore of Lagarfljót in East Iceland, about 27 km south of Egilsstaðir. Birch woods, larch stands and planted spruce cover about 740 hectares, and Icelanders often call it the largest forest in the country. It's also the best proof that Iceland can grow real woodland. Hallormsstaður National Forest dates to 1905, when the surviving birch woods were fenced off from sheep and became Iceland's first national forest. Tree-planting trials followed, and today the forest holds about 85 species gathered from some 600 places around the world. Even the small village of Hallormsstaður sits inside the trees, the only one in Iceland that does. The arboretum near the main road is the easiest introduction, with more than 70 species along a family-friendly loop. Beyond it, about 40 km of paths run through Hallormsstaðaskógur forest, and a hiking map at each trailhead shows the marked routes. The 2.8 km Remba trail passes the 21-meter Lambafoss waterfall, while the 5.4 km Hallormsstaður hiking circle is easy enough for families. Down at the water, Atlavík is a birch-ringed cove with a campsite that once hosted large summer festivals. If walking isn't enough, the forest also has a nine-basket disc golf course and a mountain bike trail. From Egilsstaðir, follow Route 95 south and carry straight on at the Grímsá junction onto Route 931, which runs along Lagarfljót into the trees. The drive takes roughly 25 minutes. Akureyri is about four hours away, and the Hengifoss trailhead is only about 10 minutes farther around the head of the lake. The national forest is open to everyone all year. Summer is the greenest time and the season for camping, and in fall the birch and larch turn yellow. In winter, ice can make the trails slick and snow can affect the roads, so check the official road-conditions map before you drive. Give it an hour for the arboretum and a short walk, or half a day for a longer hike.

Southern Peninsula Region

The Reykjanes Geopark is a UNESCO Global Geopark covering the Southern Peninsula (Suðurnes) in southwest Iceland, around Keflavík Airport. It has held the status since 2015, and it is the only place in the world where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge can be seen above sea level. Fresh lava from the eruptions of the 2020s lies within half an hour of the airport, so this is where you can see the forces that built Iceland at work. The geopark lists 55 geosites, and the best-known cluster is at the peninsula's southwest tip. Gunnuhver's steaming mud pools, the sea cliffs at Valahnúkur and Reykjanesviti lighthouse are all a few minutes apart there. Reykjanesviti stands on Iceland's oldest lighthouse site, first lit in 1878, and the present tower dates from 1907 to 1908. A short drive along the coast, the Brimketill rock pool and the Bridge Between Continents over a rift in the lava complete a half-day loop. Farther east, the geothermal field at Seltún and the lake Kleifarvatn near Krýsuvík are worth a second stop. For the geology behind it all, the geopark's visitor center exhibition at the Duus Museum in Reykjanesbær explains how the peninsula formed. The ground here is still moving. A series of eruptions on the Sundhnúkur crater row north of Grindavík ran from December 2023 to the summer of 2025, and in late September 2026 the Icelandic Met Office reported slow uplift continuing at Svartsengi, with a new eruption still considered the most likely outcome. Check the official hazard updates and weather warnings on the day, stay on marked paths, and respect every closure. The southwest tip is about an hour's drive from Reykjavík and 25 minutes from Keflavík Airport, so the Reykjanes geosites fit neatly into an arrival or departure day in any season. Allow half a day for the tip and a full day if you add Krýsuvík and a geothermal soak.

Vatnajökull National Park

Vatnajökull National Park is Iceland's largest protected area, built around the Vatnajökull ice cap and reaching from the glacier lagoons of the southeast coast to the river canyons of the north. It was formally established on June 7, 2008, by joining the ice cap with the older Skaftafell and Jökulsárgljúfur national parks, and it now covers more than a tenth of the country. UNESCO added the park to the World Heritage List on July 5, 2019, for the way fire and ice keep building and reshaping the land. Active volcanoes lie under the ice cap, and their eruptions and glacial floods spread the black sand plains you cross on Route 1. Most visitors start on the southern side. Skaftafell, about four and a half hours' drive east of Reykjavík on Route 1, is the main hiking base, and Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon lies about 45 minutes farther east. In the north, the Jökulsárgljúfur area holds Dettifoss and the horseshoe canyon of Ásbyrgi, while Askja, Lakagígar and Eldgjá sit in the highlands. Those highland areas are reached on F-roads that usually open only in summer and require a 4x4, or on a guided tour. Check the official road-conditions map for openings before you plan a day around them. The park runs several visitor centers around its edges, including Skaftafellsstofa in Skaftafell, Gljúfrastofa in Jökulsárgljúfur, Skaftárstofa and Snæfellsstofa. Skaftafellsstofa is open all year, from 09:00 to 19:00 in June through August, with shorter hours the rest of the year. Rangers there can tell you which trails are open and what conditions to expect. There is no entrance fee for Vatnajökull National Park, but the park charges regional fees at Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón. A car with up to five seats pays 1,110 ISK, valid until midnight on the day you pay, and cameras read license plates. You can pay at machines in the lot or through the Parka app, and the fee is half price if you already paid at another fee area of the park that day. Summer is the season for hiking and the highland roads, while winter brings guided ice cave trips on the southern outlet glaciers. You can see one corner of the park in a day from the south coast, but covering its main regions takes a week or more.

Þingvellir National Park

Þingvellir National Park is a protected rift valley in Southwest Iceland where the Alþingi, Iceland's parliament, first met in 930. The valley floor is still pulling apart between the North American and Eurasian plates, so the country's history and its geology share the same ground here. The park lies about 45 minutes' drive northeast of Reykjavík via Route 36, and it is the first stop on most Golden Circle routes. It became Iceland's first national park in 1930, and UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 2004. There is no entrance fee for Þingvellir itself, only a parking fee. Start at the Hakið visitor center at the top of Almannagjá, where a viewing platform looks across the rift valley to Þingvallavatn lake. From there a path drops into the gorge, a cliff wall that marks the edge of the North American plate. The walk past Lögberg, the Law Rock, to Öxarárfoss waterfall and the church takes about an hour at an easy pace. For a closer look at the plate boundary, Silfra fissure near the Valhöll parking lot holds glacial meltwater clear enough to snorkel or dive in. Everyone needs a buddy and full cold-water gear, and divers also need dry suit certification, so most visitors book a guided snorkel tour. Summer brings long daylight and green moss on the lava, while fall turns the valley floor red and gold and thins the crowds. In winter the paths can be icy, but the snow-covered rift is worth the effort, and the park is dark enough at night to watch for the northern lights. Allow one to two hours for the main walk, or half a day if you add Silfra or a longer hike. Parking costs 1,000 ISK per day for a car with up to five seats, paid at machines on site or online, and cameras check license plates. One payment covers the P1, P2 and P5 lots for the whole day. The exhibition at Hakið costs 1,200 ISK for adults and is free for children 17 and under. If you want to stay longer, the Nyrðri-Leirar campground by the service center is open all year. Three more campgrounds, including Vatnskot on the lakeshore, open from June 1 to September 15.