Þórsmörk's Skógar Hike

It is said that half of the population of Iceland believes in elves. If you spend time exploring the wilderness of Iceland, you'll begin to understand why. If elves do exist, this is where they would live.

The Þórsmörk – Skógar hike, along the trail known as Fimmvörðuháls, cuts right through the kind of territory where you can imagine elves would thrive – it is a treeless, active volcanic landscape, eroded in ways that seem like something out of Lord of the Rings.

Start your hike at Þórsmörk on the North Side of the two volcanoes Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull. Explore Básar and the nearby valleys and gorges of Kattarhryggir. Continue up the trail towards the saddle between the Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull glaciers. In 2010, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano violently erupted.

Continue through the high pass between Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull, descending into Skógáheidi. Follow the trail as it descends and you will soon be hiking along the Skógargil gorge.

The Skógargil gorge is carved out by the glacially fed Skógá River, winding its way through this medieval landscape on the second half of the hike. The trail follows along the gorge for miles and miles. There are too many waterfalls to count, and many hidden from sight that can be found with a little exploring.

The trail ends at sea level at the world famous Skógáfoss. Plan to spend some time exploring and photographing this beautiful waterfall.

As described, this is a point-to-point hike, so you will need to plan transportation to the start at Þórsmörk and from the end at Skógáfoss. Also, the eruption in 2010 may have affected the trail. It is important to check with a local guide, such as Mountainguides.is, for trail conditions.