Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
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Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Stuðlagil is a canyon of basalt columns and a blue-green river in the Jökuldalur valley in East Iceland, about 70 km (a little over an hour) from Egilsstaðir and roughly 600 km (7–8 hours) from Reykjavík. There is no entrance fee, but parking costs about ISK 1,000. There are two ways to see it: a short walk to viewing platforms on the west side at Grund, or a hike of 5–10 km return on the east side from Klaustursel, which takes you down among the columns.
Stuðlagil sits on the Jökla (Jökulsá á Dal) river in the upper part of Jökuldalur, cutting through walls of tightly packed hexagonal basalt columns. The canyon was mostly hidden under fast, glacial-grey floodwater until the Kárahnjúkar hydropower project diverted much of the river in the late 2000s. The water level dropped and far more of the columns came into view than anyone had seen before. The water that remains carries less glacial silt and runs blue-green for much of the year.
There are two ways to see it, on opposite banks, and they give very different experiences. The classic photograph most people have seen is usually taken from the east side, at the base of the canyon after a longer hike. The west side gives a quicker, higher view down into the gorge.
The colour is not guaranteed. When the Hálslón reservoir upstream is full, usually from some time in August into October, overflow water is released into the Jökla and the river turns grey-brown again. Spring meltwater can do the same. Late June and July are the safest bet for clear, blue-green water.
The Jökla was once one of the mightiest glacial rivers in Iceland and is still the longest river in the east. For most of modern memory this stretch ran high, fast and grey with sediment, hiding the basalt columns beneath it, and it split the valley into an east and a west side with few places to cross. When the Kárahnjúkar hydropower scheme diverted much of the river's flow in 2007–2009, the water level in the ravine dropped by about 7–8 metres, and columns that had rarely, if ever, been seen came into view. Local farmers reportedly knew the rock was there, but almost no visitors had seen it. The dam was controversial, but without it the canyon would still be under water.
Photographs of the newly visible canyon began circulating within a few years, and Stuðlagil went from an obscure local spot to one of the most photographed places in East Iceland in a short space of time, which is also why the hiking paths and car parks are relatively new and still developing.
Road 923 is gravel. It is kept open all year and a normal car can manage it in summer, but drive slowly, and check umferdin.is and vedur.is before setting out in poor weather or outside summer.
There are only two ways to reach the canyon, one on each bank. Both start from Road 923.
Geese nest along the river. From 1 May to 10 June, keep strictly to the marked trail.
The name says what it is: stuðlar are basalt columns and gil is a ravine. The columns form by a process called columnar jointing. When a thick flow of basalt lava cools slowly, it shrinks and cracks, and the cracks spread through the rock in a regular pattern that leaves columns, often with six sides.
What you see today is the result of a process that began long before anyone set foot in Iceland. The river then did the rest, cutting down through the lava and exposing the columns in cross-section. Stuðlagil has one of the largest displays of basalt columns in the country, which is why photographers travel across Iceland to see it.
Grund has a car park and toilets, which are charged for. There is no shelter on either trail, and the nearest town with full services is Egilsstaðir.
Egilsstaðir has the main range of hotels and guesthouses in East Iceland and makes the most convenient base for visiting Stuðlagil.
There is no entrance fee, but parking costs about ISK 1,000 per car, paid through the Parka app.
The east side (Klaustursel) gives the close view from the canyon floor that most photos show, after a longer hike. The west side (Grund) is a short walk to platforms that look down from above.
On the east side it is about 10 km return from the bridge at Klaustursel, or about 5 km return from the second car park by Stuðlafoss. On the west side it is only about 250 metres from the car park at Grund, but steep.
About 70 km: 52 km on the Ring Road, then 14–19 km on gravel Road 923. Allow a little over an hour.
A hydropower project diverted much of the glacial river in the late 2000s, lowering the flow and letting the remaining water run clearer.
Usually from early summer until some time in August. When the reservoir upstream overflows, typically August to October, and during spring melt, the river turns grey-brown.
Not really. It is about 600 km away, so it is usually visited as part of a multi-day trip through East Iceland rather than a day trip from the capital.
Tours and trips that include Stuðlagil Canyon, booked directly with a local travel agency in Iceland.
DAY TOURStuðlagil Canyon Tour from SeyðisfjörðurFrom 26,990 ISK per person
DAY TOURStuðlagil Canyon, Karahnjukar Dam & Laugavallalaug Hot SpringFrom 50,710 ISK per person
DAY TOURStuðlagil Canyon Hiking TourFrom 50,000 ISK per person
SHORE EXCURSIONStuðlagil Canyon & VökFrom 49,900 ISK per person
SHORE EXCURSIONStuðlagil Canyon Private TourFrom 290,000 ISK per group
PRIVATEStuðlagil Canyon Private Jeep TourFrom 199,900 ISK per group
