Volcanoes in Iceland

Saxhóll Crater

Saxhóll Crater is a small cinder cone beside Route 574 in Snæfellsjökull National Park, near the western tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland. A steel staircase runs straight up its side, so you can stand on the rim of a volcano after about ten minutes of climbing. The national park lists the crater at about 40 meters high, which keeps the climb short. The Saxhóll Crater stairs were built in 2016 to stop the loose slopes from eroding into a web of paths, and they follow the old route in low steel modules, 396 steps over about 160 meters. In 2018 the design won the Rosa Barba International Landscape Prize, an unusual honor for a staircase. From the rim you look over moss-covered lava running toward the Atlantic on one side and, on a clear day, up to the Snæfellsjökull glacier on the other. Most people are up and down in 20 to 30 minutes, including time for photos. That makes Saxhóll easy to fit into a loop of the peninsula with Djúpalónssandur beach and Svörtuloft lighthouse. The drive from Reykjavík takes about three hours, and the parking lot is at the foot of the crater, right off the road. You can visit any time of year, though the stairs are exposed to the wind and can be icy in winter, so hold the rail. Clear weather is what makes the trip worthwhile, because the glacier view is the real reward.

Eyjafjallajökull

Eyjafjallajökull is an ice-capped volcano in South Iceland that rises above the Ring Road between Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, and its 2010 eruption grounded flights across Europe. The name breaks down into eyja (islands), fjalla (mountains) and jökull (glacier), which together read as the glacier of the island mountains. Geologically, Eyjafjallajökull is a stratovolcano about 1,666 meters high, with an ice-filled summit caldera roughly 2.5 kilometers wide. It erupted around 920, in 1612 to 1613 and from 1821 to 1823 before waking again in 2010. That eruption started on March 20 as a fissure on Fimmvörðuháls, the pass between Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull, and left two new craters later named Magni and Móði. On April 14 it moved under the summit ice, where magma meeting meltwater turned it explosive. The ash cloud closed much of northern Europe's airspace for about a week, and sustained activity ended in late May. For most visitors the volcano is something to look at rather than climb. From Reykjavík it takes about two hours to reach the foot of the mountain, and the glacier and its outlet tongues are clear from the road around Seljalandsfoss, Seljavallalaug and Skógar. Morning light on a dry day gives the sharpest view, while low cloud can hide the ice cap entirely. To get closer, a super jeep tour into Þórsmörk passes Gígjökull, the outlet glacier on the volcano's north side, and helicopter flights from Reykjavík fly over or alongside the summit. The Fimmvörðuháls trail from Skógar crosses the 2010 lava field by Magni and Móði, a long mountain hike that needs good weather and proper gear. Never go onto the glacier itself without an experienced guide.

Hverfjall

Hverfjall (also called Hverfell) is a tephra ring crater about 1 km across on the east side of Lake Mývatn in North Iceland, formed some 2,500 years ago in a single explosive eruption. From the lakeshore it looks like a giant dark bowl dropped onto the lava. The rim stands 80 to 170 meters above the surrounding land and reaches 452 meters above sea level at its highest point, with a small cone rising 37 meters from the crater floor. From the top you can see across Mývatn, the Dimmuborgir lava field and the steaming hills toward Námaskarð. The Hverfjall crater has been protected as a natural monument since 2011. The walk starts at the northwest parking lot, where a path of about 600 meters climbs diagonally to the rim in 10 to 25 minutes. Once on top, the full loop around the rim is about 3.2 km and takes roughly an hour. The loose gravel slopes are mostly 20 to 25 degrees, so wear proper shoes and stay on the marked trail, since off-trail footprints leave lasting marks. You can also link Hverfjall with Dimmuborgir on foot. A steep trail of about 600 meters drops off the south side and takes 30 to 45 minutes, while an easier 2 km path runs from the northwest lot along the base of the crater in 20 to 30 minutes. The access road leaves the Ring Road just south of Vogar, about 5 km from Reykjahlíð and roughly 1 hour 15 minutes from Akureyri. It's rough but passable for regular cars in summer and often impassable in winter, when snow and ice also make the climb harder. There is no entrance fee, though it's worth checking the signs at the lot for any parking charge. Summer mornings and evenings bring the softest light and the fewest people on the rim.

Katla volcano

The Katla ice cave is a meltwater-carved cave in Kötlujökull, an outlet glacier on the southern edge of the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, just north of Vík on Iceland's South Coast. It is the closest most people get to Katla volcano, which lies buried under the same ice cap with a caldera of roughly 9 by 14 kilometers beneath ice up to 700 meters thick, so you never see the crater itself. Inside, the ice is streaked black with ash from past eruptions, and the cave changes shape every season, so expect something different from last year's photos. Katla ice cave tours run all year, while the blue ice caves of Vatnajökull only open in the colder months. Nobody drives up alone. Guided super jeep tours leave from Vík, about 2 hours 30 minutes from Reykjavík, and the 4-hour version includes a walk across black volcanic ground before the cave. If you are based in the capital, a Katla ice cave tour from Reykjavík combines the cave with South Coast stops in one long day. Katla volcano has erupted about 20 times in the last 1,100 years, last breaking through the ice in 1918, and its eruptions send glacial floods across the plains below. The black Mýrdalssandur east of Vík was built largely by those floods. In July 2024, a smaller flood from the ice cap damaged Route 1 near the Skálm river. The Icelandic Met Office watches Katla closely, and small earthquakes under the ice cap are routine. Check the official weather warnings and travel-safety alerts before you go, since tour operators cancel trips when activity or weather makes the glacier unsafe.

Hekla

Mount Hekla is one of Iceland's most active volcanoes, a long, snow-streaked ridge about 1,490 meters high at the edge of the South Iceland highlands. Medieval Europeans called it the gateway to hell, and the mountain has done little since to shake the reputation. In the late 20th century, the Hekla volcano erupted roughly once a decade, in 1970, 1980 to 1981, 1991 and 2000. The last eruption began in February 2000 and lasted under two weeks. Since then, the ground beneath the mountain has kept inflating, and volcanologists regard it as capable of erupting at any time. What makes Hekla dangerous is how little notice it gives. The 2000 eruption was preceded by only around an hour of earthquake activity, so a hiker on the summit would have almost no time to get down. Before going anywhere near the mountain, check the current volcanic alert level and leave a travel plan with Iceland's travel-safety service. Hiking to the top is possible but not encouraged. Most ascents start at Skjólkvíar on the northwest side, reached on the F225, a summer-only 4x4 road that leaves Route 26 opposite Búrfell. Expect wind, loose tephra and snow high up even in July, and confirm on the official road-conditions map that the F225 is open before you set out. For most travelers, the better plan is to see Mount Hekla from below. Route 26 runs along its western flank, about two hours from Reykjavík via Hella, and the views stay with you most of the way to the highland junction for Landmannalaugar. Summer and early fall give the clearest days and open roads. Guided Hekla tours in Iceland usually pair the volcano with Landmannalaugar by super jeep, which takes the F-road driving off your hands. Helicopter and airplane sightseeing flights from Reykjavík sometimes route over the mountain too, weather permitting.

Eldfell

Eldfell volcano is a cone on Heimaey, the main island of the Westman Islands off Iceland's south coast, that rose from open ground at the edge of town in January 1973. Its name means Fire Mountain, and before that winter there was no hill there at all. The Eldfell eruption of 1973 began when a fissure opened on the night of January 23, and by morning nearly the whole population of the islands, around 5,000 people, had been taken to the mainland by boat. It lasted over five months and buried around 400 houses under lava and ash. Crews pumped seawater onto the advancing lava to keep it from sealing the harbor, and the new lava now shelters the entrance instead. For about 15 years afterward, heat from the cooling flow warmed homes in town. Eldfell has not erupted since 1973, though it belongs to the active Vestmannaeyjar volcanic system. The Eldfell volcano hike is short but steep. Paths lead up from town across the newer lava, and the last stretch climbs loose volcanic gravel to the crater rim, where you look down over the harbor, the lava field and the rest of the island. Wear boots with good grip and pick a calm day, since wind on Heimaey can be fierce. Back in town, Eldheimar is a museum built around a house dug out of the ash, and adult admission was ISK 3,550 in 2026. Allow half a day on Heimaey for the climb and the museum together. Herjólfur ferries sail to Heimaey several times a day from Landeyjahöfn, about two hours' drive from Reykjavík. In rough weather or winter some sailings move to Þorlákshöfn, a much longer crossing, so check the ferry schedule before you set out.

Berserkjahraun

Berserkjahraun is a moss-covered lava field on the north side of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, between Stykkishólmur and Grundarfjörður. Few lava fields in Iceland come with a murder story attached, and this one takes its name from two berserkers killed here in Eyrbyggja saga. The Berserkjahraun lava field formed roughly 4,000 years ago, when four scoria craters erupted in quick succession and sent lava down from the mountains to the sea at Hraunsfjörður. What's left is a jagged field of black and gray rock under thick green and gray moss, with the reddish crater cones still rising along its inland edge. The saga explains the name. The farmer Víga-Styr of Hraun had two Swedish berserkers, Halli and Leiknir, in his household, and when Halli asked to marry Styr's daughter, Styr set him an impossible task: cut a path through the lava to the neighboring farm of Bjarnarhöfn. The brothers finished it, and Styr had them killed and buried beside it. That track, Berserkjagata, can still be followed on foot today, and a cairn by the path is said to mark their grave. Route 54 skirts the field, while gravel Route 558 loops through the lava for a closer look at the craters. The gravel road is fine in a regular car in summer but can be rough or slippery in winter, so check the official road-conditions map first. Allow 20 minutes for a photo stop or an hour with a short walk, and pair it with the shark museum at Bjarnarhöfn nearby. Expect about 2.5 hours of driving from Reykjavík, and no fee or facilities in the lava field itself.

Dimmuborgir

Dimmuborgir is a lava field of pillars, arches and caves on the east side of Lake Mývatn in North Iceland. Its name means the Dark Castles, which suits the towers of black rock along the paths on a gray afternoon, and helps explain why the place has collected so many stories. The Dimmuborgir lava formations date from an eruption about 2,300 years ago in the Þrengslaborgir and Lúdentsborgir crater row. Lava pooled over wet ground, and steam rising from the marsh hardened into hollow pillars around it. When the molten lava later drained away toward lower ground, its crust collapsed and left the pillars standing, a feature that is fairly common on the seabed but rare on land. In Icelandic folklore, Dimmuborgir is a gateway to the underworld, and in December it's known as the home of the Yule Lads, the mischievous figures of Icelandic Christmas. HBO also filmed Game of Thrones scenes in the lava field. To protect the formations, the area was declared a natural monument in 2011. Several marked loops start at the parking lot, from a short walk past the first formations to the Church Circle (Kirkjuhringur), which reaches Kirkjan, a hollow lava vault shaped like a church. Allow about an hour for that loop, and stay on the paths, since the rock and the plants regrowing between it are fragile. In summer, rangers lead daily educational walks. Dimmuborgir is about 10 minutes by car from Reykjahlíð and about 1 hour 15 minutes from Akureyri, on a paved road off Route 848. A service building at the paved parking lot has toilets, food service and a souvenir shop. You can visit in winter too, though the trails can be icy and harder to follow under snow, so check road conditions and weather warnings before driving over from Akureyri.

Eldborg Crater

Eldborg crater is a 60-meter volcanic cone in the Eldborgarhraun lava field at the eastern end of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, West Iceland. Its full name is Eldborg í Hnappadal, which keeps it apart from another crater in Bláfjöll near Reykjavík and from the concert hall in Harpa. The crater is so neat and steep-sided that it looks shaped by hand. It is an oval about 200 meters long and 50 meters deep, built by two eruptions, the later one most likely during the Settlement Age. Eldborg has been a protected natural monument since 1974, and the view down into the bowl is worth the final scramble. The Eldborg crater hike starts at Snorrastaðir, a farm off Route 54 about 38 km north of Borgarnes, where the trailhead has a parking lot, toilets and cabins. From there a marked 3.4 km path crosses scrub-covered lava to the foot of the crater. The last stretch is steep and loose, with chains to hold on the way up and down. Plan on 1 to 2 hours for the round trip, plus time on the rim. On a clear day the view runs from Snæfellsjökull all the way to Reykjanes, and the short walk makes Eldborg an easy addition to a day on Snæfellsnes. Reykjavík is about 110 km away, or about 1 hour and 45 minutes by car. The area is open all year, though heavy snow can make the trail hard to follow in winter. Vehicles are banned inside the reserve, so stay on the marked path and leave the moss alone. Wind gusts are a known hazard on this route, so pick a calm day and check the weather warnings before you set out.

Eldhraun Lava Field

The Eldhraun lava field is a moss-covered sweep of lava in South Iceland, laid down by the Laki eruption of 1783–84 and crossed by the Ring Road west of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. For miles the highway runs through lumpy rock buried under thick, gray-green moss, and a roadside stop makes it easy to see up close. The Laki fissure erupted from June 8, 1783, to February 7, 1784, and poured out roughly 14 cubic kilometers of lava. Its gases poisoned grazing land across the country, and in the famine that followed, known as Móðuharðindin, about a fifth of Iceland's people died. In Kirkjubæjarklaustur, the pastor Jón Steingrímsson preached his "fire sermon" on July 20, 1783, and the lava turned aside before it reached the church. Route 1 crosses Eldhraun between Vík and Kirkjubæjarklaustur, about three and a half hours from Reykjavík. The easiest place to see it is a gravel parking lot on the highway about 7 kilometers west of Kirkjubæjarklaustur, with information boards on the eruption and a short rope-lined path into the lava. Vík is about 50 minutes west. The moss is far more fragile than it looks, and damage to it is slow to heal. Stay on the marked path, don't sit or lie on the moss, and never pull over on the road shoulder for photos. Fifteen to twenty minutes at the stop is plenty. Because it sits right on Route 1, Eldhraun is easy to see in any season, though snow can hide the moss in winter. The green is brightest on a damp summer day. Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon is a few minutes' drive away, so it's easy to see both on the same drive.

Grábrók Crater

Grábrók Crater is a scoria cone beside the Ring Road near Bifröst in West Iceland, close enough that you can park, climb it and be back in the car in under an hour. The red and black cone stands about 170 meters above sea level, and wooden stairs lead to a rim walk with views over the lava field and Norðurárdalur valley. Grábrók is the largest of three craters on a short fissure that erupted roughly 3,400 years ago. Its lava, Grábrókarhraun, covers about 7 square kilometers, blocked the Norðurá river and dammed the hollow that now holds Hreðavatn lake. The craters have been protected as a natural monument since 1962, so stay on the marked path and off the fragile moss. The parking lot sits on Route 1 about an hour and a half north of Reykjavík and roughly half an hour past Borgarnes. From there, the stairs climb steadily to the top, where a path loops around the rim. Most people need 30 to 45 minutes for the climb, the loop and a few photos. On the drive between Reykjavík and Akureyri or the Westfjords, it makes an easy leg-stretch. Summer and early fall give the best footing, while snow and ice can make the steps slippery in winter. Pair the climb with Glanni waterfall, a few minutes south near Bifröst, or with Deildartunguhver and Hraunfossar in Borgarfjörður.

Kverkfjöll

Kverkfjöll is a volcanic mountain range on the northern edge of Vatnajökull in the eastern Highlands, inside Vatnajökull National Park and about as far from a paved road as you can get in Iceland. The massif is cut in two by an outlet glacier, and high on its slopes a geothermal area steams in the middle of the ice. The Kverkfjöll ice cave at the glacier snout is what made the place famous, but you look at it from outside. Vatnajökull National Park warns visitors not to enter the unstable cave because ice falls are frequent and toxic gases can build up quickly. Keep a safe distance from the entrance and let the glacier be. A safer way to see Kverkfjöll up close is the park's interpretive trail, about 800 m and roughly 45 minutes from the parking lot, which crosses glacial terrain and passes retreating ice. Longer hikes onto the glacier and up to the geothermal area need a local guide with glacier gear, so treat them as a separate trip. Reaching Kverkfjöll is a serious highland drive. From the Ring Road at Möðrudalur, F905 and F910 lead to F902 and the Sigurðarskáli mountain hut, on long stretches of rough track with river crossings. You need a large 4x4, a full tank and a summer date, and you should check the official road-conditions map for F-road openings before you set out.

Laki Craters

The Laki Craters, or Lakagígar in Icelandic, are a row of more than 130 volcanic craters running for over 25 kilometers through the highlands of South Iceland, inside Vatnajökull National Park northwest of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Today they are soft green with moss, which makes it hard to picture the eruption that started here in June 1783 and lasted until February 1784. That eruption, known in Iceland as Skaftáreldar, poured out around 14 cubic kilometers of lava and huge clouds of poisonous gas. More than half of Iceland's livestock died, and the famine that followed killed about a fifth of the population. Its haze spread across Europe and lowered temperatures far beyond Iceland. Mount Laki, the hill the fissure cuts through, has a 2-kilometer trail to the top that takes 1 to 1.5 hours and gives the classic view along the craters in both directions. Tjarnargígur, a crater holding a small pond, has an easy 500-meter path. There are toilets and picnic tables at both parking areas. Getting there takes planning. Road F206 leaves Route 1 a few kilometers west of Kirkjubæjarklaustur and runs about 50 kilometers to the craters on a rough, slow track. The national park lists four unbridged river crossings on the way, which can rise after rain, so you need a capable 4x4 and should ask at the Kirkjubæjarklaustur visitor center about conditions. The road opens only in summer, so July and August are the realistic months to visit the Laki volcano craters. Plan a full day from Kirkjubæjarklaustur, with time for Fagrifoss waterfall on the way in. If driving F206 isn't for you, a helicopter flight from Skaftafell lands near the craters and covers the trip in a little over an hour.

Mælifell

Mælifell is a moss-covered volcanic cone in Iceland's southern highlands, standing alone on the black sand plain of Mælifellssandur just north of the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap. In summer the moss turns bright green against the dark sand around it, and that contrast is why people make the long drive. The Maelifell volcano rises about 200 meters above the sands. It was built by eruptions beneath Mýrdalsjökull and emerged around 10,000 years ago as the glaciers pulled back after the last ice age. The moss that gives it its color is fragile and slow to grow back, so the best views are from the track at its base rather than from the slopes. Getting there is the real project. The mountain lies beside Fjallabaksleið syðri (F210), and you can also come up from the south on Öldufellsleið (F232), which leaves Route 209 east of Vík. Both are highland F-roads with unbridged rivers, so you need a 4x4 and the confidence to judge each crossing, or a seat on a guided super-jeep tour. Season matters just as much. The tracks around Mælifell are usually wet and sometimes flooded, and they are generally passable only in summer, roughly from July into early fall. Opening dates change every year, so check the official road-conditions map for F-road openings and the current weather warnings before you set out. Iceland has several other mountains named Mælifell, including one near Búðir on Snæfellsnes, so make sure the one on your map is the green cone by Mýrdalsjökull. Allow a full day from the Ring Road, because the drive in and out is slow even when the rivers are low. On a clear day, the white edge of the glacier sits right behind the green slopes.

Rauðhólar

Rauðhólar is a cluster of rust-red volcanic mounds in the Heiðmörk nature reserve on the southeastern edge of Reykjavík, about 20 minutes' drive from downtown. The name means red hills, and the color comes from oxidized iron in the cinders. The mounds are rootless cones, also called pseudocraters, and they're the easiest place near the capital to see how this kind of crater forms. About 5,200 years ago, 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 of more than 80 craters. Much of the red gravel was dug out, mostly around World War II, for Reykjavík Airport and road building, and 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, 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. These are the Reykjavík Rauðhólar, separate from the red Rauðhólar craters in Vesturdalur in North Iceland.

Skútustaðagígar Pseudocraters

Skútustaðagígar is a cluster of grassy pseudocraters on the south shore of Lake Mývatn in North Iceland, beside the hamlet of Skútustaðir. The cones look volcanic but never erupted lava of their own. These rootless cones formed about 2,300 years ago, when a lava flow rolled over wetlands and shallow water. Trapped water flashed to steam beneath the hot lava, and the explosions built up the mounds that ring the pond today. Few places in Iceland show the process as clearly, and you can walk right over the rims. The Skútustaðagígar pseudocraters sit on Road 848, about 15 kilometers south of Reykjahlíð. Coming from Akureyri on the Ring Road, turn onto Road 848 after the Laxá bridge, and the craters are about 5 kilometers on. The drive from Akureyri takes a little over an hour, so they work well as a first stop on a loop around the lake. Two marked trails start near the roadside. The Crater Ring (Gígahringur) is a 1.5-kilometer loop over and between the nearest cones, and 30 minutes to an hour covers it with time on the rims. The longer Pond Ring (Tjarnarhringur), 3.5 kilometers, circles Stakhólstjörn, a pond almost enclosed by craters. Late spring and early summer are the best time for birds, when nesting ducks, grebes and red-necked phalaropes fill the ponds. In winter the Crater Ring is staked, though snow can hide the edges, so wear traction on your boots. The area has been a protected natural monument since 1973, and the cones erode easily, so stay on the paths and keep off the slopes. The restrooms nearby are for customers of the hotel and restaurants.