Southwestern Iceland - The Rough Guide to Iceland - page 126

THE SKÓGAR ÞÓRSMÖRK TRAIL
The 25km hiking trail from Skógar, over the Fimmvörðuháls pass between the
Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull ice caps, then down the other side to Þórsmörk, offers
spectacular views and traverses lava from the 2010 eruption at Eyjafjallajökull. Although it's
feasible to do the whole thing in between eight and ten hours, some people spread the trip
over two days, overnighting at one of the two mountain huts en route, for which bookings are
essential ( T 562 1000, W utivist.is; closed Sept-June). The trail is usually passable without
equipment from around mid-June to September, though a couple of places require a head for
heights; outside these times you'll probably need an ice axe to cut steps during the descent to
Þórsmörk, and possibly crampons. Whatever the time of year, come prepared for possible rain
and snow, poor visibility and cold; the track is easy to follow in clear weather, but play safe
and carry a compass and Mál og menning's Landmannalaugar-Þórsmörk-Fjallabak map .
The trail starts by taking the staircase up Skógarfoss, then follows the river uphill over a
muddy, shaly heath carpeted by thick patches of moss. There are many small waterfalls
along the way, each of them unique: some twist through contorted gorges, others drop in a
single narrow sheet, bore tunnels through obstructive rocks, or rush smoothly over broad,
rocky beds. Around 8km along you cross a bridge and leave most of the vegetation behind
for a dark, rocky plain flanked by the smooth contours of Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. It's
another hour from here, following marker poles across gravel and snowfields, to the red-roofed
Balduinsskali , the small and squalid first hut (pit toilet; 3000kr). If you need a bed, push on for
another forty minutes to the far better appointed second hut , Fimmvörðuskáli (5000kr),
actually just west off the main trail.
From here you're halfway along and crossing Fimmvörðuháls (1043m), the flat pass in
between the two glaciers; there's a pale blue tarn and then a gentle ascent to where the path
weaves around and over the rough lavafields created in 2010. You end up at the top of a
slope with a fantastic vista of Þórsmörk laid out below, Mýrdalsjökull's icy outrunners hemming
in the view to the east. The slope is snow-covered well into the summer and the quickest way
down is to cautiously slide it on your backside, using your feet as brakes. This brings you to
Heljarkambur , a narrow, 50m traverse with a vertical rockface rising on one side and a steep
snowfield dropping 75m on the other. At the far end is the flat, muddy gravel plateau of
Morinsheiði : steaming new lava at the neck with Heljarkambur is dispersing the glacier edge
in a noisy waterfall here. Cross the plateau and it's a straightforward descent to Þórsmörk
(though the short, knife-edge “Cat's Spine” ridge can be nervous work, despite a helpful chain)
and the Básar hut - see p.126.

2

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE SKÓGAR

By bus The bus stop is at Skógar's campsite, in front of
the falls.
Destinations Hella (2 daily; 1hr 30min); Hveragerði
(2 daily; 2hr 10min); Hvolsvöllur (2 daily; 1hr 20min);

Kirkjubæjarklaustur (1 daily; 2hr 50min); Reykjavík
(2 daily; 3hr); Selfoss (2 daily; 2hr); Seljalandsfoss (2 daily;
30min); Skaftafell (1 daily; 3hr 50min) Vík (2 daily;
1hr 10min).

INFORMATION AND TOURS

Tourist information There's an information desk at
Fossbúð, off the road to the falls (daily 9am-6pm;
T 487 8843).
Tours Locally-based Arcanum ( W arcanum.is) runs a 3hr
trip to see the hot lavafields at Fimmvörðuháls, where you
drive up to the snowline and then walk to the craters
(24,900kr). Nordic Visitor ( W nordicvisitor.com) and Extreme
Iceland ( W extremeiceland.is) pick up from Reykjavík or

Seljalandsfoss for a 6hr version of the same thing (36,900kr),
with an added hike down to Þórsmörk afterwards.
Services There's a small store with biscuits, milk, bread
and few vegetables off the road to the falls at Fossbúð
(daily 7am-9pm). The nearest fuel is a self-service pump
15km west at the no-horse settlement of Steinar, past the
Eyjafjallajökull Erupts Visitor Centre. The closest bank and
ATM is at Vík.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

Campsite T 487 8950. A timber amenities block
(including tiny shelter shed with sinks) and a large, flat,
grassy area to pitch tents on. It's 200m in front of the falls,

so unsurpri singly it can get a bit damp when spray channels
outwards. 1000kr
Fossbúð T 487 8843. On the road to the falls, and also