Fjaðrárgljúfur

Canyon

Canyon · Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Iceland 63.7713°N 18.1719°W

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Fjaðrárgljúfur

Time needed

45 to 90 minWith photo stops

Best time

Late eveningMidday is the busiest

Cost

No entry feeParking paid via Parka

Effort

Easy, 70 m climbUphill along the rim

Season

Greenest in summerMid June to late August

Access

2WD car is fineLast stretch is rough

Guide

Not neededGo on your own

Time needed

How long does it take to visit Fjaðrárgljúfur?

The out and back walk along the rim covers about 2.1 km. With the viewpoints and slower photo stops, a visit takes up to an hour and a half.

Fees

Is there a fee to visit Fjaðrárgljúfur?

There is no entry fee. The landowner charges service fees in the area, collected as a parking charge paid through the Parka app or online, and payment can be made up to 24 hours after the visit.

Getting there

How to get to Fjaðrárgljúfur?

Fjaðrárgljúfur lies about 10 km from Kirkjubæjarklaustur, a drive of around 12 minutes. From the Ring Road, Route 206 runs 3.2 km to the canyon; keep left at the fork, as the right branch becomes F206 to the Laki craters, suitable only for F-road approved 4x4 vehicles. No bus stops at the canyon.

Parking

Where to park for Fjaðrárgljúfur?

The main car park is south of the canyon mouth on Holtsvegur, road 206. A second car park on Lakavegur can be used while that road is open. Parking is limited for the number of visitors who come each day.

Canyon floor

Can you walk inside the canyon?

No. There are no marked walking trails inside the canyon, and the nature authority does not provide a general visitor route through it. The marked path along the rim is the way to see it.

Follow the rim path to its last platform, where the canyon curves into the distance and Mogarfoss, a small waterfall, streams down the cliff wall.

What makes it special

Fjaðrárgljúfur is about 1.5 km long and up to 100 metres deep. The name means feather river canyon, after the Fjaðrá, which flows through it. Its steep walls are mostly palagonite, a soft volcanic rock.

Gravel terraces above the gorge show that a lake once formed here, in front of a retreating glacier, held back by a barrier at the top of today's canyon. The canyon is a clear example of landforming that began at the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago, and is still going on.

Waterfalls drop at the inner end of the canyon. The Fjaðrá is far weaker than the glacial rivers that ran here as the ice age ended, but it is still shaping the gorge.

Since 2024 the eastern part of the canyon, and a stretch of ground above it on that side, has been protected as a natural monument.

Visiting

Plan the walk as an out and back along the rim. The marked path climbs from the main car park at the canyon mouth, with viewing platforms on the way, up to a second car park near the north end on the east side.

Choose your turnaround before you start. In wind or on wet ground, a shorter walk to a nearer viewpoint suits a slower group better than trying to cover every platform.

When you have seen enough, walk back down the same path to your car.

Tips

Bring water and snacks, since there are no cafes or shops at the canyon. The main car park has a rest stop and toilets, but the toilets are often closed, and the nearest services are in Kirkjubæjarklaustur.

If you photograph, pack a wide or ultrawide lens to fit the whole canyon in the frame.

As an out and back from Reykjavík, the canyon is a long drive for one short walk, so fit it into a longer route.

Know before you goThe agency has closed the path at times of thaw, when heavy use left it badly damaged, once for two weeks while gravel went down on the worst stretches. The canyon may close again to protect vegetation, so check before you drive out.Keep to the marked paths and behind the fences. The vegetation is fragile and heavily trodden, and its worst scars are along the canyon rims.