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ater outflow from Hálslón Reservoir and Kárahnjúkastífla Dam is carried down through underground tunnels to the Fljótsdalsstöð (Fljotsdalur Hydropower Station), almost 40 km away.
Hafrahvammagljúfur Canyon in the eastern part of Iceland is one of the most impressive canyons on the island. It is more than 200 meters deep and stretches for about fifteen kilometers in the valley of the Jökulsá á Dal River. And it can be easily reached by any car!
Genesis of Hafrahvammagljúfur Canyon
Hafrahvammagljúfur Canyon was formed by water erosion in the Kárahnjúkar ridge, made of volcanic tuff. The erosion was carried out by the Jökulsá á Dal River, and the canyon walls clearly show successive layers of sediment and volcanic rock cut by the river. Although its depth is as deep as 200 meters, in places its width is no more than 20 meters, so the canyon is massive, yet looks very narrow. Viewed from vantage points, it looks truly spectacular, but also the view ‘from the top’, such as from the parking lot near the dam, is beautiful.
The southern part of the canyon – the one closest to the Kárahnjúkastífla Dam – has recently been separately named Dímmugljúfur on official maps. On Google maps, however, it is not included, and it is difficult to encounter the more common use of this name.
Towering over the entire area, to the southeast of the dam, is Snaefell – a mountain with a name confusingly similar to Snaefellsnes and Snæfellsjökull – a peninsula and glacier mountain respectively located on the exact opposite – western – end of Iceland.
The dam, artificial lake and hydropower plant in the Hafrahvammagljúfur area
Kárahnjúkastífla Dam cross section
Power plant overflow sill
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ater outflow from Hálslón Reservoir and Kárahnjúkastífla Dam is carried down through underground tunnels to the Fljótsdalsstöð (Fljotsdalur Hydropower Station), almost 40 km away.
Tunnel diagram of Fljótsdalsstöð power plant
Hiking trails in the Hafrahvammagljúfur area
The beautiful surroundings of the canyon provide great hiking, and the canyon itself certainly looks most stunning up close.
Map of the Hafrahvammagljufur area
The total route of this trail is about 7 km, but unless someone picks you up at the second parking lot, you obviously have to walk this distance twice.
Tourists are strongly urged not to go to the bottom of the canyon. Iceland is a tectonically active area and small local earthquakes are the order of the day here. In addition to the risk of injury from falling rocks after such a quake, there is a risk of a flood wave from a nearby dam (both from water overflowing the top and the possible need to drop water from an artificial lake).
If
you hear sirens, rumbling signals or increasing jet noise, leave the canyon immediately.
How to get to Hafrahvammagljúfur
Getting to the southern end of the Hafrahvammagljúfur canyon is very easy. From near the town of Egilsstaðir in the eastern region, you need to drive southwest on road 931 and then 910. Road 910 continues southwest and west until you reach the very parking lot at Kárahnjúkastífla Dam and the southern end of Hafrahvammagljúfur. The distance from Egilsstaðir itself is about 100 km and a 1.5 hr drive. This is the part of the road that is fully asphalted, and as long as there is no snow or ice on it, any car can pass it.
There is also a shelter on this road, which is the best starting point for exploring this part of the interior: Laugarfell Shelter – the eastern gateway to Iceland’s interior.
If you want to get to the parking lot at the viewpoints, you will need a 4-wheel drive car. From the parking lot near the dam, you’ll need to drive up a serpentine road and about 1 km west, where the road changes to gravel F910 (and the road to the power plant buildings bounces south). From here we head north approx. 4 km to a junction where we turn east onto the access road to Hafrahvammagljúfur itself. This road has the status of a mountain road (F) and is quite narrow and gravel, but there are no particular difficulties on it, so any 4×4 vehicle can handle it.
Driving from the side of the crater Askja, you will drive here on the F910 road bouncing south from its section that connects the F905 and F907 roads. Until 2019, a large section of this road (running along the canyon) was missing from Google maps. In 2020 it was added, and hopefully it will remain there 🙂
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oming from Askja you will get here by roads F907 and F910. Although the F910, in its section west of Askja, is a very difficult road, here – on the eastern side – it poses no problem for 4×4 vehicles. You can drive it quite fast and without obstacles. It is impossible to get lost or stray here. There are also no fords or steep climbs, and the road itself is, in its rough Icelandic way, very picturesque.
The area’s biggest attractions are certainly the aforementioned crater Askja and the intimate but charming Studlagil Canyon – one of Iceland’s hidden treasures East of the canyon, already outside the interiors, do not miss the waterfalls of Hengifoss and Litlanesfoss on the way to Egilsstadir – the capital of eastern Iceland.
Photos of Hafrahvammagljúfur Canyon
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2 responses to “Hafrahvammagljúfur – a Massive and Beautiful Canyon in the East of Iceland”
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I am planning to visit the canyon in the second week of October, weather permitting. However, I only have a normal campervan, which is not allowed on F-roads.
From your post, I gathered that there is a path from the dam along the west side of the canyon that leads to parking lot 2. The path is probably unofficial and not signposted. Is it difficult to get to parking lot 2 this way? I also wanted to visit Magnahellir, which can be reached from parking lot 2. How many kilometers is it to the cave and back to the dam?
I had also considered driving to the junction of the track to parking lot 2, parking at the intersection, and walking down the track. Is the gravel road to the intersection along the F910 really so bad that you shouldn’t try it with a normal vehicle? If you drive slowly, concentrate, and pay attention, it should be doable. Or do you absolutely need high ground clearance?
so this path is indeed a bit “undecided”; from Parking 1 you “just” need to see it and get on it, likely by overstepping a road railing; and then it’s not very well marked, clearly not cared for too much; but then once you get to Parking 2, there’s (or at least was in 2024) a large board showing and describing this trail… So it’s there, you can use it (if it doesn’t snow by then, as snow might make it slippery and potentially dangerous);
as to getting to Parking 2 in a regular car… well, parking at the intersection is the worst option – you should not do that; but actually getting to Parking 2 should not be difficult in a regular car, especially if you’re being careful; it’s an F road, so you will probably be outside of your insurance regulations, but it’s one of the only F roads that are currently marked (by road.is) as ‘easily passable’, which generally means you can drive it in any car; and yes, it’s a “dirt road”, but personally I can’t remember any obstacles on this road that would make it unaccessible for a regular car – just be mindful of the gravel, potential holes and mud;
it’s about 5km (3.5 mi) each way from the parking lot at the damn to the cave; but I’m not sure if the cave is worth your while, esp. in October – there’s plenty of much larger and more interesting caves in Iceland (see Vidgelmir – Iceland’s Most Popular Cave)