Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
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Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Öxarárfoss is a 13-metre waterfall that drops into the Almannagjá gorge inside Þingvellir National Park, part of the Golden Circle. It is about 50 km from Reykjavík, free to see, and reached by a short, easy walk from the main car park. Most visitors spend 20–30 minutes here as part of a longer stop at Þingvellir.
Öxarárfoss sits inside Almannagjá, the dramatic rift gorge that marks the edge of the North American tectonic plate at Þingvellir. The Öxará river runs over the rim of the gorge and falls onto a jumble of large boulders below, then continues down through the rift to Þingvallavatn, Iceland's largest natural lake. In winter the falls often freeze into a wall of ice; the rest of the year the flow varies with rainfall and snowmelt.
According to local tradition, the river's course was changed by early settlers so that it would flow through the gorge and give the Alþingi assembly, meeting at Þingvellir from the year 930, a reliable water supply. Whether or not the river was truly redirected, Öxarárfoss has been part of the Þingvellir landscape for as long as Iceland's parliament has met nearby, and it is one of the most photographed spots in the park.
By Icelandic standards Öxarárfoss is small, about 13 metres high and around 20 metres wide, and the river falls in one or two streams depending on how much water is running. The pool below is scattered with large, smooth rocks that glaze over with ice in winter. What makes it worth the walk is the setting: a waterfall dropping straight into the rift where the North American plate ends.
Þingvellir is where Iceland's parliament, the Alþingi, first met in 930 and continued to meet for centuries, making it one of the oldest assembly sites in the world. Tradition holds that the Öxará river was diverted to run through Almannagjá gorge so that the gathering at Þingvellir would have fresh water. The falls and the rift together give the site both its natural drama and its place at the centre of Icelandic history.
The gorge itself is part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the boundary where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly pulling apart. Walking down through Almannagjá to the falls means walking through the rift itself, with rock walls rising on either side.
There are two ways to walk to the falls. The shortest is from the car park signed for Öxarárfoss (P2) on the valley floor, a few minutes on a path and steps up into the gorge. The other is from the visitor centre at Hakið (P1): walk down through Almannagjá past Lögberg, about 20 minutes each way. Both paths are well made, but they can be icy in winter, so good footwear matters.
Öxarárfoss cannot be seen from the road. You reach it on foot, inside the Almannagjá rift.
Car park numbers and fees are set by the national park and can change. Check thingvellir.is before you go.
Öxarárfoss is one stop on a longer walk through the park, and Þingvellir is one of three main stops on the Golden Circle.
The Þingvellir visitor centre has toilets, information displays and a café. There are no facilities at the waterfall itself.
Most visitors see Öxarárfoss as part of a Golden Circle day trip from Reykjavík. There is also a small hotel and campsite within Þingvellir itself for those who want to stay the night.
Yes, there is no charge to see the waterfall, though parking fees apply at the main Þingvellir car parks.
It's a short, easy walk from the main car park through the Almannagjá gorge, well within a Golden Circle stop.
Yes, the park and path are open all year, though the falls often freeze and paths can be icy.
Yes, it's inside Þingvellir National Park, one of the three main Golden Circle stops along with Geysir and Gullfoss.
About 13 metres high and around 20 metres wide on average.
Tradition says so. The Öxará river is believed to have been diverted into Almannagjá in the early days of the Alþingi, to bring water to the people gathered at the assembly, which created the waterfall.
Drive Route 1 to Mosfellsbær, then Route 36 to Þingvellir, about 45 minutes in all. From the Öxarárfoss car park it is a short walk up into the gorge.
Tours and trips that include Öxarárfoss, booked directly with a local travel agency in Iceland.
