Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Hverfjall is a tephra crater about 1 km across on the east side of Lake Mývatn in North Iceland, formed in an eruption about 2,500 years ago. It is about a 10-minute drive from Reykjahlíð. The path to the rim takes roughly 10–25 minutes, and the whole circuit about an hour.
Hverfjall, also called Hverfell, is a ring of loose volcanic ash and rock, about 1 km wide, that formed when magma met water in an explosive eruption around 2,500 years ago. The bowl is almost as deep as the rim is high, which is unusual.
The crater is about 140 metres deep and shaped like a huge stadium. It was once symmetrical, but a landslide during the eruption is thought to have brought down part of the southern side, which is why the rim is lower and uneven there. It is one of the largest tephra craters of its kind in the world, and its dark, bare mass is hard to miss from anywhere around the lake.
A steep path climbs to the rim. From the top you see Lake Mývatn, the lava fields of Dimmuborgir and the country around. You can also walk around the rim. The ground is loose ash, so the path is steep and slippery in places.
The size can look intimidating from the car park, but the walk is easier than it seems. The climb is short and steady, and families with children manage it without trouble in good weather. Inside there is nothing but grey and black ash and a small mound in the middle, and many visitors say it feels like standing on the moon.
Hverfjall was declared a natural monument in 2011. The loose ash is easily damaged, and old shortcuts and footprints leave scars that last for years. The Environment Agency keeps visitors on two paths, one from the northwest and one from the south.
Please use them. Walking straight up or down the slope is forbidden.
The access road is rough and often impassable in winter. Check road and weather conditions on umferdin.is and vedur.is.
There are two paths up Hverfjall, one from the northwest and one from the south. It is strictly forbidden to leave them or to use any other route.
What to bring: comfortable hiking shoes with grip, warm clothes and a windproof layer, because it gets very windy on the rim. Take water in summer. There is nowhere to buy anything at the crater.
The path from the car park to the rim and back takes 30–60 minutes. With the full rim circuit, allow about two hours in all.
There is a car park at the foot of the crater with toilets. A parking fee is charged, and the toilets have a small fee too. There is no café or shop. Services are in Reykjahlíð.
Reykjahlíð has hotels, guesthouses and a campsite, and there are farms around the lake. Akureyri is about an hour away.
The path from the car park to the rim is about 600 m and takes 10–25 minutes. The circuit round the rim is about 3.2 km, roughly an hour. Allow two hours for everything.
There is no entrance fee for the crater, but a parking fee is charged at the car park (about ISK 1,000 for a car when last checked), and the toilets cost a little extra.
About 2,500 years.
The road is often impassable, and the path can be icy. Check conditions first.
Yes, a marked path of roughly 2–3 km leads to the south side of the crater. Allow 30–45 minutes, then a steep climb to the rim.
Yes, in good weather. The northwest path is wide and steady. Keep children close on the rim, where it is windy and the slopes are steep.
About 140 metres, and about 1 km across at the rim.
No. Visitors must stay on the two marked paths and the rim path. The loose ash is easily scarred.
