Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
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Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Jökulsárgljúfur is a canyon about 25 km long and over 100 m deep, cut by the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river and glacial floods in North Iceland. It is part of Vatnajökull National Park and a main stop on the Diamond Circle, about 540 km (around 7 hours) from Reykjavík. Entry is free, and a visit to the main sights takes half a day to a full day.
Jökulsárgljúfur, which means glacial river canyon, was carved by the Jökulsá á Fjöllum, one of Iceland's largest rivers, together with catastrophic glacial outburst floods from Vatnajökull. The canyon is about 25 km long, around 500 m wide and more than 100 m deep in places. It holds some of North Iceland's best-known sights in a fairly compact area: Dettifoss and the neighbouring falls Selfoss, Hafragilsfoss and Réttarfoss, the horseshoe-shaped valley of Ásbyrgi, and the odd rock formations of Hljóðaklettar.
The scale of the canyon, rather than any single waterfall or formation, is what stays with people: sheer basalt walls, a wide flood-carved riverbed and volcanic hills such as the red Rauðhólar. Between Ásbyrgi in the north and Dettifoss in the south there are marked trails, from short walks to a two-day trek.
Jökulsárgljúfur lies in Iceland's northern volcanic zone, where volcanoes under the Vatnajökull ice cap have repeatedly triggered huge floods, called jökulhlaups. These floods tore out the canyon and shaped Ásbyrgi, a horseshoe-shaped valley about 3.5 km long with walls up to 100 m high. Sources date the floods differently, from roughly 8,000–10,000 years ago to about 2,000–3,000 years ago.
The area became its own national park and was merged into Vatnajökull National Park on 7 June 2008. Park rangers work here year-round.
In winter, Route 862 has limited snow clearing and storms can block it for days. Route 864 is not maintained in winter. Check umferdin.is before you go from October to May.
Jökulsárgljúfur covers a large area, and most visitors focus on a few key spots along it.
The canyon is best seen on foot, and the marked trails run from short strolls to a two-day trek.
Ask the rangers at Gljúfrastofa in Ásbyrgi about trail conditions before a longer hike, and carry water.
A small two-wheel-drive car is fine for the main roads here in summer: the Ring Road, Route 85 to Ásbyrgi and the paved Route 862 to Dettifoss. Front-wheel drive is the usual choice in Iceland. Think about luggage when you book, because a fully loaded small car is harder work on gravel.
Route 864 on the east side and some side roads into the canyon are gravel and can be rough. A 4x4 is more comfortable there, although a careful driver in a two-wheel-drive car manages them in summer. In winter, follow the forecast on vedur.is and the road conditions on umferdin.is closely, and be ready to change plans.
Ásbyrgi can be visited at any time of year, and Route 85 from Húsavík stays open through the winter. Dettifoss, Selfoss, Hafragilsfoss and Vesturdalur lie higher up and get deep snow, so they are not recommended in cold weather unless the road is confirmed open. Services are limited everywhere outside summer.
Gljúfrastofa visitor centre at Ásbyrgi has toilets, an exhibition and a small shop. It is open daily 9:00–18:00 in June to August, 10:00–17:00 in May, September and October, and weekdays 11:00–15:00 in the rest of the year (closed late December). Ásbyrgi also has a campsite (mid-May to October), a restaurant and a shop. There is a tent-only campsite at Vesturdalur in summer.
Húsavík, Ásbyrgi and the Mývatn area all have accommodation, and any of them works as a base for a day in Jökulsárgljúfur as part of the Diamond Circle. Ásbyrgi has a campsite. The Ásbyrgi campsite is large and well equipped and sits by the visitor centre, which makes it the most practical place to stay in the canyon. Vesturdalur, about halfway between Dettifoss and Ásbyrgi, has a simple campsite with few services.
A canyon about 25 km long, cut by the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river and glacial floods. It contains Dettifoss, Ásbyrgi and Hljóðaklettar and is part of Vatnajökull National Park.
Half a day at minimum to see one or two main sights; a full day to cover Dettifoss, Ásbyrgi and Hljóðaklettar.
No. Entry and parking are free.
Yes, it is one of the main stops on the Diamond Circle in North Iceland, along with Mývatn, Húsavík and Goðafoss.
Yes, but access is limited. Route 864 is closed and Route 862 can be blocked by snow. Summer is the easiest time to visit.
Not for the main sights in summer. Route 862 to Dettifoss and Route 85 to Ásbyrgi are fine in an ordinary car. A 4x4 is better for the gravel Route 864 on the east side.
There is a large campsite at Ásbyrgi beside the visitor centre and a simple one at Vesturdalur. Húsavík and the Mývatn area have hotels and guesthouses.
Follow Route 85 for about 60 km, around 45 minutes. The road is open all year.
