Fimmvörðuháls
Description
- Name Fimmvörðuháls
- Length of trail 20 km, 12 miles
- Length in days 2 days
- Start of trail Skógar
- End of trail Þórsmörk
- Traildino grading EW, Easy walk, nature trail
The popular Laugavegur path ends (or starts) in Þórsmörk. There is an option of continuing from there to the village of Skógar on the south coast. A cabin, Fimmvörðuháls, divides this marked trail into a two-day hike.
In spring of 2010, the volcano beneath the Eyjafjallajökull glacier erupted. You will probably have noted this ;-) This eruption took place right next to the footpath. The whole area was closed for several months, but already in the summer of 2010, the trail was reopened. The actual path to Skógar had been buried under ashes and lava. They restored everything, life turned normal again, and you can have a splendid walk alongside a sleeping monster.
According to experts, there is also a chance that the nearby volcano Katla, asleep beneath the even larger glacier Mýrdalsjökull, will soon burst. If so, this will be a major catastrophe, worse than the 2010 eruption.
Opinions
- John P July 2020
- Rate 10
- Positive First a 1000 metre climb up through deeply eroded valleys and along the top of ridges and mountains. Near the top are two recent volcanic vents and large ice fields, which the trail runs between. Also two mountain huts, at one I bought a Mars bar and Coke, I walked the trail in one day from the Básar. campsite. On the way down there are a succession of waterfalls and gorges.
- Negative I was fortunate with the weather, I imagine it could be pretty awful in wet weather such as I experienced later in my trip,
- dirkpieter June 2017
- Rate 10
- Positive Great and quite tough hike in a lot of snow (- early season), with great views and superb waterfalls!!
- Negative The wind was stormlike (sometimes dangerous) but the landscape was nevertheless great!!
Hike Reports
-
Snowy hike part 2
- dirkpieter June 2017
- We did the hike in two days, spending the night in the mountain hut on the pass. In day one the first part was in the sun and beautiful walking. Then as the weather changed in strong wind and rain we also entered the snow. From that point we only...
Links
Facts
- Fimmvörðuháls – Trekking auf der Asche des Eyjafjallajökull (German)
Etappen, Ausrüstung, GPS-Track, Karte, Tipps, Reisebericht und Erfahrungen für Deine Trekkingtour auf dem Fimmvorduhals
- FIMMVÖRÐUHÁLS
Including latest news on the neighbouring Eyjafjallajökull volcano.
- Icelandic Touring Association, Ferðafélag Íslands
Web page giving short day-to-day description of a selection of trails. Just scroll down to find the description of your trail.
Reports
- Hochlandüberquerung Sprengisandur (German)
Interesting hike report, crossing Iceland through its central highlands via the Sprengisandur.
- Roaming Wild Rosie - An Iceland Expedition
Trail diary by a solo female hiker who hiked the trail as part of a much longer route through the country
- skogar-thorsmork
Skogar – Thorsmork Hiking Trail, Iceland
Guides and maps
Lodging
Organisations
Tour operators
- Fimmvörðuháls - Thorsmork Volcano hike
The famous trail of Fummvörðuháls that became epic in 2010 when Eyjafjallajökull glacier volcano erupted and formed two new volcanic craters Magni and Móði. The perfect exploration trip with Trek.
GPS
Other
Books
Netherlands
2013
- Island: Trekking Klassiker
- "Island: Trekking-Klassiker" stellt f nf der sehenswertesten Trekkingrouten auf Island vor und liefert alle wichtigen Informationen f r unterwegs. Neben dem bekannten Laugavegur im S den der Insel werden eine Gebirgswanderung ber den Fimmv r uh ls, die Durchquerung des J kuls rglj fur-Nationalparks, eine leichtere Tour durch das westliche... Read more
- Also available from:
- Bol.com, Belgium
- De Zwerver, Netherlands
Belgium
2013
- Island: Trekking Klassiker
- "Island: Trekking-Klassiker" stellt f nf der sehenswertesten Trekkingrouten auf Island vor und liefert alle wichtigen Informationen f r unterwegs. Neben dem bekannten Laugavegur im S den der Insel werden eine Gebirgswanderung ber den Fimmv r uh ls, die Durchquerung des J kuls rglj fur-Nationalparks, eine leichtere Tour durch das westliche... Read more
Netherlands
2019
- Wandelgids Trekking Klassiker Island - IJsland | Conrad Stein Verlag
- Die fünf vorgestellten Routen haben sich als Islands Klassiker etabliert. Der Laugavegur (53 km), der bekannteste Trek Islands, führt von der Hochlandoase Landmannalaugar durch bunte Rhyolithberge und karge Sand- und Lavawüsten in vier Tagesetappen nach Þórsmörk. Tiefe Schluchten, rauschende Wasserfälle und glitzernde Eiszungen prägen die... Read more