Iceland's Epic Hikes

My husband and I really made the most of our quick trip in Iceland. We both love outdoor activities and have done various hikes - mostly in New York (Breakneck Ridge, Bear Mountain, and others not too far from NYC). Iceland was my first legitimate hiking experience and I loved EVERY second of it. It was honestly a religious experience. In contrast to what’s become my everyday in NYC - there were no sirens, I wasn’t sharing the experience with thousands of people, and I could actually hear my own thoughts. All I had to do was put one foot in front of the other and enjoy the journey. It was such a grounding experience and I honestly never wanted to leave. We had time to do two hikes during our trip and both were amazing.

Before our trip, we got hiking boots and some foul weather gear. It was chilly while we there, but we wore layers so we could add or remove layers throughout the day.

The first hike we did was Glymur. It’s about an hour drive from Reykjavik to the base. The hike leads you up to the second-tallest waterfall in Iceland! It’s a magical experience. There’s a significant incline to get up to the top, but once you’re there, the landscape behind the waterfall flattens out into a plain - making it look like an other-worldly plateau. It’s fascinating, beautiful and feels so remote.

When we got to the top, we sat overlooking the waterfall and ate lunch. It gave us time to relax, refuel and enjoy the views at the top.

Almost to the top.

The second hike we did was Reykjadalur. It’s about a 45 minute drive from Reykjavik to the base. During the summer, the sun sets really late in Iceland, which worked to our advantage. When we were there, the sun didn’t start setting until around 10:15 p.m., which allowed us to start this hike around 6:00 p.m. without any worry about it getting dark before the end. This hike takes you past geothermal hot springs (which are wild)! I had never seen anything like it. They have a blueish tint, are physically boiling, and full warning: they smell like rotten eggs (due to the sulphur).

One of the many hot springs on our Reykjadalur hike.

This hike isn’t as challenging as Glymur, but it’s just as beautiful. Once you make it to the top of the hike, you come along hot springs that are safe to get into. The farther you hike, the warmer the hot spring gets - so you can decide what temperature you want to hop in.

We wore our swim suits underneath our hiking clothes, so when we made it to the top, we stripped down and hopped in. We also packed small towels in our hiking backpack and used those to dry off afterwards.

The water was warm, clear, clean, and beyond relaxing. You’re surrounded by a beautiful landscape and the water felt so good.

I would do these hikes again in a heartbeat and highly recommend them to anyone traveling to Iceland.