This website is the story of our hike along the Laugavegur and Fimmvörðuhál trails, a 50 mile, 6 day hut-to-hut hike from Iceland's interior to Skógarfoss. When Anthony proposed this trip, my initial thought was to skip it, after all, Melanie and I had driven the Ring Road of Iceland back in 2010, so I thought we had already seen most of Iceland's wonders. But once I looked into the trip, and saw the amazing photos from the Laugavegur, I realized that this would be an excellent adventure. And of course it would be great fun to do another trek with Anthony, Anneka, Paul and Leslie. So we joined the team, and I am glad we did. Our second visit to Iceland was a memorable, enjoyable experience, with the unexpected thrilling bonus at the end of seeing an erupting volcano!
Here is the route map of the 55 Km Laugavegur (in red) and the 30 Km Fimmvörðuhál (in orange) trails:
The challenge of this hike is not the elevation, which is moderate, but dealing with the potential elements (and four river crossings).
Here are some more detailed profiles of the two trails:
South to north elevation profile of just the Fimmvörðuhál trail (we traveled in the reverse direction).
If you are planning to do this trip yourself, adding a couple days in Landmannalauger to do day hikes is a good idea. In hindsight, we should have added one day in Þórsmörk to do some of the day hikes there.
We opted to hike in mid-July because the weather charts indicated that was the driest time of the year in Iceland. We certainly lucked out on this trip, no rain at all.
Day 0: Monday July 10 |
Day 1: Tuesday July 11Art /Melanie / Anneka / Anthony redeye flight nonstop from Seattle to Keflavik. Take off on Icelandair FI682 at 6:55 PM Paul & Leslie takeoff at 11:40 PM on redeye flight from Boston to Keflavik |
Day 2: Wednesday July 12Paul & Leslie land at Keflavik at 8:55 AM (5 hr 15 min duration) Art /Melanie / Anneka / Anthony land at Keflavik at 9:20 AM (7 hr 25 min duration) Prebook tickets on Flybus for transfer from Keflavik to Reykjavik Stay at Sunna Guesthouse in Reykjavik |
Day 3: Thursday July 13Catch 7:00 AM bus at BSI Bus Station to Landmannalauger, arrive at 11:15 AM. Round trip ticket from Volcano Tours Hike clockwise loop to "Blue Peak" Mt. Blahnúkúr and the "Sulphur Wave" Mt. Brennisteinsalda - 6.4 miles, 2076' elevation gain, 4 to 6 hrs. Stay at Landmannalauger Mountain Hut Room: dorm. Food: yes. Showers: yes |
Day 4: Friday July 14Note: if flight delays make us one day late arriving in Iceland, this day can be dropped without upsetting reservations for the rest of the trek. First hike up "Southern Quarry" Mountain Sudurnámur mountain 1663' elevation Continue hike to Frostastaðavatn lake, 4.7 miles, 1154' elevation Stay at Landmannalauger Mountain Hut Room: dorm. Food: yes. Showers: yes |
Day 5: Saturday July 15Hike 6.1 miles (10 Km) to Hrafntinnusker Stay at Höskuldsskáli hut in Hrafntinnusker Side trip from Hrafntinnusker hut: Mt. Stöðull Side trip from Hrafntinnusker hut: Ice Cave Room: dorm. Food: no Showers: no |
Day 6: Sunday July 16Hike 6.8 miles (11 Km) to Hvanngil Crossing the River Grashagakvisl Lunch at Volcano Huts Álftavatn Restaurant Stay at Hvanngil Mountain Hut Room: dorm. Food: yes. Showers: yesSide trip from Hvanngil hut: climb up to Hvanngilskausar, the Hvanngil ridge. |
Day 7: Monday July 17Side trip in the morning from Hvanngil hut: Hvanngil gorge (Hvanngilskrókur) Hike 10.7 miles (17.5 Km) to Emstrur Second crossing at River Bláfjallakvísl (10 metres wide, deep, fast flowing, ice-cold). Stay at Botar Hut in Emstrur Room: dorm. Food: yes. Showers: yesSide trip from Emstrur hut: overlook of Markarfljót river canyon |
Day 8: Tuesday July 18Hike 10.1 miles (16.4 Km) to Þórsmörk Side jaunt during hike to see river confluence Stay at Volcano huts in Þórsmörk Room: Sheepherder's hut Food: yes. Showers: yes |
Day 9: Wednesday July 19Hike 3 miles (5 Km) from Volcano Huts to Básar hut Hike 7.4 miles (12.1 Km) to Fimmvörðuháls Art & Melanie hike 9.2 miles (15 Km) along the Waterfall Way to Skógar Stay at Hotel Skógar |
Day 10: Thursday July 20Paul / Leslie / Anthony / Anneka hike 9.2 miles (15 Km) to Skógar Art & Melanie explore Kvernufoss Catch the #51 Straeto bus from Skogar, arrive at Mjódd at 6:45 PM Take the #3 bus to BSI bus station Pickup stored luggage at hotel Stay at Sunna Guesthouse in Reykjavik |
Day 11: Friday July 21Walk 5 Km to the Avis rent car in Reykjavik Hike to Glymur Falls Art/Melanie stay at Hotel Vellir Anneka/Anthony stay at Blue Lagoon Paul/Leslie to West Fjords |
Day 12: Saturday July 229:00 AM tour Raufarholshellir Cave Hike to Fagradalsfjall active volcano Art/Melanie stay at Hotel Vellir Anneka/Anthony stay at Blue Lagoon |
Day 13: Sunday July 23Gigvatnsvatn (Green Lake) Return rental car Art / Melanie / Anthony / Anneka fly Icelandair FI683 from Keflavik at 7:45 PM. Land in Seattle at 8:35 PM (7hr 50 min duration) |
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Nat.is description of hike from Landmannalaugar to Thorsmork
