From Skógar to Þórsmörk: Iceland's Fimmvörðuháls Trail
One of Iceland’s best hiking trails, the Fimmvörðuháls is around 16 miles long and can be completed in one day or broken up into two days with an overnight at the Baldvínskáli Hut (on the main trail), or the Fimmvörðuskáli Hut (off of the main trail). Hikers can hike south to north (Skógar to Þórsmörk) or north to south- though hiking south to north requires less uphill hiking. You’ll pass through a few different types of landscape, and get a chance to see the new land formed from the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption in 2010. Remember the one that seemed to stop air travel near Europe because of the insane amount of ash that came out? Yeah, that one.
Gear
Hiking Boots | You’ll want a sturdy pair of hiking boots for this hike. Realistically you could do it in sneakers, but for comfort, safety and to enjoy the hike better, hiking boots are the way to go. It is a long hike, so make sure they’re broken in to reduce the possibility of blistering.
Water | In the first section of the trail from Skógar to Þórsmörk there are spots you could get down to the river and refill your water, and you can refill at the hut for a fee. But once you go past the hut towards Þórsmörk, you will not have any access to water until you reach the campground at Þórsmörk Básar.
Layers | Layer up! The weather on this trail can be unpredictable and you could go from sunshine and waterfalls to rain, snow, and fog up in the glacial area.
Hiking Poles | Not necessary at all, but if I was going in the north to south direction, I think it would be nice to have them since hiking this direction is a bit of a more strenuous hike.
How To Get There
Skógar | Right off of Route 1, Skógar and Skogafoss is marked with signage and easy to spot because of the waterfall. We left our car overnight for no fee.
Þórsmörk | You can drive here but you will need to have a car that is able to drive on F-Roads. You can also purchase a bus ticket, which may be the easiest way/you won’t have to worry about f*cking up your rental car.
Trail map via Bookmundi
Skógar to the Bridge
The first section of this hike is fairly easy. The most incline you’ll have here is the staircase to the top of the waterfall! Take a break once you’re up top and take in the views, and maybe even a rainbow as the spray is constantly creating rainbows, even from up top. Since I was last here in 2016, they’ve replaced the ladder-over-the-fence to a proper gate. Pass through this gate and you’re on your way :) The trail is well established and you’ll see lots of other people hiking it, both for the Fimmvörðuháls and others just exploring before they head back down to the falls.
There are at least 20 other waterfalls along this section of the trail, and the waterfalls look amazing with the vibrant green hues of moss and grass mixed with an earthy grey. There are lots of photo ops and you may see some sheep right along the trail, so bring your camera! Difficulty wise, I would rate this section as easy to moderate. There are a few places of very brief incline and the trail is not necessarily smooth- but you’re also not scrambling over rocks. Once you reach the bridge you’ll notice that the landscape has drastically changed and you’re now surrounded by lots of grey. In my case it was grey nothingness because it was so foggy out.
Est distance 8km
The Bridge to Baldvínskáli Hut
This section of the trail has a slight incline pretty much all of the way. It is by no means steep though and is very manageable. You can walk along a gravel road which takes you right to Baldvínskáli Hut, or a staked trail which will take you to Fimmvörðuskáli Hut. The gravel road turns to red dirt at some point, and you’ll also see snow. But, you should not have to hike through snow to get to Baldvínskáli Hut, that comes after.
Est distance 4km
Baldvínskáli Hut
The hut is a great place to stop and take a break, especially if the weather is poor. It was pretty terrible weather on our hike so when we arrived there were lots of people just passing through. There is an outhouse in a separate building from the main cabin. The cabin itself has a lower level which consists of a kitchen, dining, and serves as an overflow sleeping area. The upstairs is solely for sleeping. You need to make a reservation ahead of time to stay overnight, but with the weather being so poor, I think the hut caretaker took pity on some hikers who arrived late and did not have a reservation.
Overnight at the hut costs 9000 ISK. Facility fee is 500 ISK if you are not staying overnight.
*prices are per person unless otherwise stated
Baldvínskáli HUT TO Goðahraun
Leaving the hut, you’ll almost immediately hit the snow. There are tall yellow markers in the snow to mark the trail, but in inclement weather they can be hard to see. Going south to north, I found the path easy to see even with the heavy fog we had, because you could see a trail of dirt through the snow. Goðahraun is the lava field that was formed from the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010. On a clear day, you will see Magni and Móði, the new craters formed.
Est distance 3km
Goðahraun TO Þórsmörk
You’ll continue on with some snow- and eventually reach a point of descent where you’ll also have a great view of mountains on a clear day, and you’ll start to see green again. Then there is a bit of a plateau before a short ridge called Heljarkambur, which has a chain to hold onto while crossing. The plateau was super windy when we crossed it and my rain-fly actually flew off my bag and I had to go chase it. Then you reach another flat part called Morinsheiði, and then you’re into a treat with more incredible green hues, mountains, and river views. The trail here is dirt and is very well established. The next section is Strákagil and the terrain here will have trees and flowers.
You’ll exit at Þórsmörk Básar, and this can be your end or you can continue on to Þórsmörk Langidalur, and then Þórsmörk Húsadalur. On a map, these three places look fairly distant from each other but in reality it only takes about 30 minutes from each one to the next. From Básar to Langidalur there is a river crossing. The river crossing marking on All Trails was incorrect because it is a bridge that they move up and down the river depending on the conditions. From Langidalur to Húsadalur, the trail is just past the main hut. This is a very easy walking trail and is honestly probably under the 30 minutes I previously mentioned. At Húsadalur there is a small restaurant at the campground that offers a buffet each day. The lunch buffet runs until 5:00pm and then it switches to dinner. The lunch buffet is bread and butter, a salad, two soup options, pastries, and coffee + tea. The dinner buffet is slightly more involved but both are still relatively simple for a buffet.
To get back to Skógar you can take a highland bus. We booked our bus tickets on Volcano Trails and the bus company was Southcoast Adventure.
Est distance 10km
Lunch: 2700 ISK, Dinner: 5000 ISK
Bus 1-way from Húsadalur to Skógar: 8000 ISK
ACCOMODATIONS
Skogafoss Campground | This is probably one of the coolest campgrounds in Iceland because you can set up your tent with a view of this amazing waterfall. There are bathrooms, two showers, and a small camp kitchen area adjacent to the showers. What’s great about camping here is you can wake up early and get to see the waterfall before the tour buses start rolling in and it gets crowded.
Camping: 1200 ISK, Shower: 600 ISK
Básar Huts and Campground | In Básar you have the option of a hut or campground. The first huts were built by the Touring Association Utivist in the 1980’s and they have been well maintained and added to since.
Hut: 7600 ISK, Camping: 2000 ISK, Shower: 500 ISK
Langidalur Hut | This hut, called Skagfjörðsskáli, is open from May-October with sleeping and cooking accommodations. The bathrooms are in a nearby building, and there is a snack shop as well. There is a river crossing involved to get to this hut if you are going to/coming from Básar.
Hut: 9500 ISK, Facility Fee: 500 ISK
Húsadalur Volcano Huts and Campground | Looking to go glamping? The Volcano Huts Þórsmörk have around 16 canvas tents with a bed, electric heater, and light furniture. The tents are in a clearing all together, on one side of the main building. On the other side of the main building (which has private rooms) there are showers, a field for camping, and Sheepherders Cottages, and two huts. The cottages are a good option for a family, and there are two bunk beds and a kitchenette, electricity, and cold running water. The private rooms in the main building have shared bathrooms inside the building, and the huts are dormitory style bunk housing.
Glamping: 23900 ISK per tent, Sheepherders Cottage: 23900 ISK per cottage, Private Room: 15900 ISK per room, Hut: 5900 ISK per person