Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
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Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Hekla is a 1,491-metre volcano in South Iceland, one of the country's most active and historically feared, once nicknamed the "Gateway to Hell". It is about 110 km (roughly 1 hour 30 minutes) from Reykjavík, free to view from a distance, and summit hiking is discouraged because warning time before an eruption can be as short as 30 minutes.
Hekla is a long ridge-shaped volcano that has erupted around 20 times since Iceland was settled in the 9th century. The first eruption on record, in 1104, was also the largest, and buried farmland across South Iceland in ash. After that eruption, medieval writers began describing Hekla as a gateway to Hell, an idea that spread across Europe and lingered for centuries, partly kept alive by monks retelling the story.
The volcano is still very much active: its most recent eruption was in the year 2000, and it is watched closely because it tends to give very little warning before erupting again. That short warning window is the main reason authorities advise strongly against hiking to the summit, even though a marked path exists most of the way up.
The mountain is the highest part of a volcanic ridge about 40 km long. The most active stretch is Heklugjá, a fissure about 5.5 km long that runs along the top and can open along its whole length in the larger eruptions. There are several craters on the summit ridge, and two of them have erupted more often than the rest. Hekla stands north of Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano most visitors have heard of, and is sometimes called the Queen of Iceland's mountains.
Its output is hard to overstate. About 10% of all the ash and pumice that has fallen on Iceland in the last thousand years came from Hekla, along with some 8 km³ of lava. The name is an old Icelandic word for a short hooded cloak, which may refer to the cloud that so often sits on the summit.
After Hekla's huge 1104 eruption buried farms and fields in ash, stories about the mountain spread across medieval Europe describing it as an entrance to Hell, with tales of tortured souls and monstrous birds around its summit. The idea is thought to have been encouraged, in part, by Cistercian monks retelling and embellishing the accounts of travellers.
That reputation held for centuries, well into the 1800s, even as Icelanders themselves lived and farmed in its shadow. Today Hekla is studied and monitored rather than feared as a supernatural gateway, but its record of frequent, sudden eruptions still commands real respect.
People believed it, too. In the Middle Ages the fear of Hekla reached far beyond Iceland, and clerics on the continent are said to have welcomed news of each eruption as proof that Hell existed. Nobody is known to have climbed the mountain until 1750.
Hiking to the summit is strongly discouraged by Icelandic authorities: Hekla has historically given as little as 30 minutes' warning before erupting, and you should never plan a summit attempt around a promised evacuation window. Viewing from the surrounding area or lower trails is the recommended way to experience it.
In the 20th century Hekla erupted in 1947, 1970, 1980–81, 1991 and 2000. From 1970 onwards that was roughly once a decade, and then it went quiet. Scientists report that the pressure in the magma chamber beneath the mountain is now higher than it was before the last eruptions. Nobody can say exactly when the next one will come, but it could be soon.
When it does come, it could be over in a few days or carry on for more than a year. The eruption that began in 1947 ran on into 1948.
Hekla is unusual in how little notice it gives. The earthquakes that announce an eruption have typically started only 30 to 80 minutes before the lava appears. That is the reason for all the warnings on this page.
The biggest eruption of all came long before anyone lived here. Around 1000 BC the eruption known as Hekla 3 threw out an estimated 7.3 km³ of ash and rock, cooled the northern hemisphere for several years, and left traces that have been found in peat bogs in Scotland.
We don't recommend hiking Hekla on your own, and the authorities advise against summit trips because of the short warning time. If you are weighing it up, this is what the climb involves.
If the ground starts to shake or you receive a civil protection alert on your phone while on the mountain, head down at once.
You don't need to climb Hekla to appreciate it. On a clear day it dominates the southern lowlands.
No facilities at the volcano itself. Fuel, food and accommodation are available in Hella, the nearest town. The closest campsite is Rjúpnavellir, just above the Galtalækjarskógur woods off Route 26, which all cars can reach.
Hella is the closest town with a good range of accommodation, or you can base yourself further afield in Selfoss or Hvolsvöllur and drive out to view Hekla for a few hours.
A trail exists, but Icelandic authorities strongly advise against summit hikes because Hekla can give as little as 30 minutes' warning before erupting.
It is one of Iceland's most active volcanoes and is monitored closely. Its last eruption was in 2000. Check vedur.is for current status before visiting.
After its major 1104 eruption, medieval European writers described it as an entrance to Hell, a reputation that lasted for centuries.
About 110 km, around 1 hour 30 minutes by car.
Yes, viewing from marked roads and viewpoints away from the summit is considered safe under normal conditions.
The climb takes three to four hours, and the whole outing is around eight hours with the descent and the drive in. It should only be done in summer, with an experienced guide.
Nobody knows. It last erupted in 2000, pressure under the mountain is reported to be higher than before that eruption, and it gives very little warning.
Not to see it from Route 1 or Route 26. You do need one for the mountain tracks around the volcano, such as the F225.
Tours and trips that include Hekla, booked directly with a local travel agency in Iceland.
