Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
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Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Stuðlafoss is a waterfall framed by basalt columns in Jökuldalur, East Iceland, reached on foot along the trail towards the famous Stuðlagil canyon. It is about 70 km from Egilsstaðir (around an hour's drive), free to visit, open all year, and involves an easy walk of roughly 2 km one way from the bridge at Klaustursel farm. Allow a few hours if you plan to continue on to Stuðlagil itself.
Stuðlafoss is on a side stream on the eastern side of the Jökla river (Jökulsá á Brú) in Jökuldalur, a valley in East Iceland. Like the nearby Stuðlagil canyon, it takes its name from the neat, hexagonal basalt columns lining the riverbanks here, formed as thick lava flows cooled slowly and cracked into columns.
The area became far better known after the Kárahnjúkar hydroelectric project took most of the glacial water out of the Jökla, which lowered the river and showed the basalt columns in the canyon more clearly than before. Many visitors treat Stuðlafoss as a stop on the walk in towards Stuðlagil canyon itself, rather than a separate destination, since the trail from the Klaustursel side passes it on the way.
The water drops over a wall of tall columns, with shorter columns stacked neatly in front and bright green vegetation at the base in summer, so it suits a wide photograph. There are two waterfalls called Stuðlafoss in East Iceland. This guide is about the one in Jökuldalur, next to Stuðlagil. Online maps do not always show it, so use the GPS point below.
For most of Iceland's history, the Jökla river ran thick with glacial sediment, hiding the basalt columns along its banks. When the Kárahnjúkar hydroelectric power plant was completed in 2009, much of the river's flow was diverted, and the water running past Stuðlafoss and through Stuðlagil canyon became far clearer. Photographs of the newly visible turquoise water and basalt columns went viral in 2017, turning what had been a little-known valley into one of East Iceland's most photographed spots.
Road 923 is gravel and can be rough in places. The viewing platform on the west side of Stuðlagil, at the farm Grund, is further along the same road, but that side does not pass Stuðlafoss.
The walk is easy and mostly flat, on a track and footpath along the east bank of the Jökla.
Mornings are quieter and the weather is often calmer. The rock around the falls is slippery after rain.
None at the falls or trailhead. The nearest services are in Egilsstaðir.
Egilsstaðir is the natural base for this area, with the widest choice of hotels and guesthouses in East Iceland.
No, they are nearby but different: Stuðlafoss is a waterfall on the trail that leads on to the Stuðlagil canyon viewpoints.
Yes, there is no entry fee.
About 2 km one way from the Klaustursel bridge, an easy walk of 1–1.5 hours return to the falls.
Yes. A rough track leads about 2 km from the bridge to a second car park beside Stuðlafoss, and a car with good ground clearance is advised. If you are unsure, park at the bridge and walk.
In Jökuldalur in East Iceland, at GPS 65.17307, -15.27838, about 2 km along the east-bank trail from the Klaustursel bridge on Road 923.
About 70 km, or roughly an hour by car, the last 14 km on gravel Road 923.
