By Monika
Best Day Hikes in Iceland: 10 Stunning Trails for Your Itinerary.
Iceland is often called a hiker’s paradise, and it certainly lives up to this title.
With so many stunning trails taking you through jaw-dropping landscapes, like waterfalls, canyons, hot springs, glaciers, and more, it may be hard to decide which hike to choose.
There is no shortage of incredible routes to explore!
In this post, I’ll cover some of the best day hikes in Iceland (and some of my favorite ones, too!), and hopefully help you choose the perfect trail so you can explore Iceland’s incredible outdoors!
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1. Reykjadalur Geothermal River Hike (Steam Valley)
Reykjadalur Valley Hike is one of my absolute favorites – mainly because both the destination (a natural, hot, geothermal river you can bathe in!) and the trail itself are just magical.
I know I use this word a lot in my Iceland travel guides but I can’t help it – it simply is an amazing country!
Reykjadalur is located just a short 45-50 minute drive from Reykjavik, near the town of Hveragerdi.
The trail is about 3 km long and starts from a large parking lot right by Reykjadalur Café.
I’d call it easy to moderate as it has some inclines to conquer but it takes you through such incredible landscape that you don’t even notice that! You hike through a stunning valley with steaming vents and gorgeous canyons along the way and at the end, you reach a one-of-a-kind hot river.
On average it takes 45 minutes to an hour one way.
You’ll find all the information about this hike in my detailed guide to Reykjadalur Valley, complete with tips for the best experience.
2. Skógafoss Hike (Waterfall Way)
Skógafoss Hike is another amazing hike, that I finally got to experience recently and I’m still in awe!
It is part of a much longer trail called Fimmvörðuháls Trail (25 km), and the Waterfall Way portion of it is 7 km long.
It is very conveniently located along the Ring Road, on the South Coast of Iceland, and starts from the famous Skógafoss waterfall.
Hiking the entire Waterfall Way trail back and forth will take up a good chunk of your day (most likely about 6 hours), so keep that in mind when planning your itinerary.
You can also just hike some of it and trust me, you’ll still get your fill of truly breathtaking views. That’s what I did – you can read about the trail and my experience hiking it in my ultimate guide to the Waterfall Way.
Note: hiking the entire Fimmvörðuháls Trail can also be done in a day, however, it requires an early start and some careful planning, so it shouldn’t be an “on the spot” decision.
You’ll also see this hike mentioned in my “Best easy hikes in Iceland” article, as it is an incredibly scenic trail and hiking even the first 30 minutes of it will leave you amazed and wanting to come back to hike more! That’s exactly what happened to me – I got a taste of it during my first trip to Iceland and just had to come back to do more!
3. Múlagljúfur Canyon
Múlagljúfur Canyon is still a bit of a hidden gem, as it’s definitely not as popular as some other hiking trails in Iceland.
But it is absolutely worth the effort of finding it, driving the 2 km on a bumpy access road and hiking to the top to see the stunning view of the waterfall, the tall cliffs, and the deep, narrow canyon with birds darting between its walls and even some brave sheep at the very bottom!
I’ve described this hike in detail in my step-by-step guide to Múlagljúfur Canyon, with photos and a sneak peek video of the views you’ll get at the end, so I’ll just give you the basics here.
The hike to the main viewpoint of this magnificent canyon is about 2.5 km long and will take you about 45 minutes to an hour to complete.
You can extend it and hike all the way to the summit for another 30-45 minutes, for more stunning views.
4. Svartifoss Waterfall Hike
This is another popular hiking trail on the South Coast.
It starts from the Skaftafell Visitor Center and is about 1.5 km (1 mile) long. On average it takes about 45 minutes to complete and I’d classify it as an easy-to-moderate trail, as it has some uphill sections and some stairs.
At the end you’ll see a beautiful, unique waterfall, nestled in a horseshoe-shaped cove of Iceland’s signature black basalt columns, which you can observe from the bridge in front of it.
Note: if you haven’t had a chance to see a glacier yet, consider the easy, 30-minute walk to Skaftafellsjökull from the same visitor center.
Read my full guide to the Svartifoss hike for more details and trail options.
5. Glacier Hikes
When listing South Coast day hikes, it’s impossible not to mention a glacier hike.
While not a typical hike, it is an activity that I highly recommend incorporating into your itinerary.
You do need to book a guided tour for that experience and it’s possible either on Solheimajökull glacier (closer to Reyjkavik, and only 15 minutes from Skógafoss waterfall) or on Vatnajökull with tours departing from the Skaftafell Visitor Center area.
These tours typically take 3-4 hours with about 2 hours hiking on the glacier.
It’s an unforgettable experience!
We hiked on both glaciers and I described our adventures in detail in my guide to the best glacier hikes in Iceland, so you can get an idea of what to expect.
6. Kerlingarfjöll and Hveradalir Geothermal Area
Kerlingarfjöll is a stunning area in the Icelandic Highlands.
You get there by driving on road F35 which starts near Gullfoss waterfall on the Golden Circle and leads to the Highland Base at Kerlingarfjölland. It is the easiest F-road in Iceland.
From the base you can either hike to Hveradalir Geothermal Area (about 1.5 to 2 hours) and then hike the trails in the hot spring valley, or you can drive to the Hveradalir parking lot and then hike in the geothermal area.
Hveradalir is a breathtaking geothermal valley with tons of trails to explore. You’ll find yourself walking past steaming vents and crossing bubbling creeks, while surrounded by rust-colored hills with incredible glacier views.
You can spend as much time as you wish enjoying the trails and then either hike or drive back to the base. We spent about 2 hours in the valley and were in absolute awe!
For more information read my detailed photo guide to Kerlingarfjöll and Hveradalir.
7. Landmannalaugar Hiking Trails
Landmannalaugar is an amazing area in the Highlands, easily accessible in a 4×4 vehicle by driving road F208 from the Golden Circle area.
You’ll see the colorful rhyolite mountains that it’s famous for right from the parking lot.
There are many hiking trails here, which I’ve described in my guide to Landmannalaugar.
But if you only have one day to spend in this area, I wholeheartedly recommend hiking the Bláhnúkur – Brennisteinsalda loop trail.
It connects to very different mountain peaks – the black volcanic Mt. Bláhnúkur and the rainbow-colored Mt. Brennisteinsalda. You’ll see amazing scenery as you hike – colorful mountains, green valleys and beautiful canyons. It’s an unforgettable experience, well worth the effort.
I can easily say it was the highlight of our 10-day trip to Iceland and my favorite hike from that trip.
The hike will take you 4-5 hours, depending on your pace and weather conditions.
You can also hike just one of the mountains if you don’t want to do the entire loop.
Bonus: after your hike, you can relax in Landmannalaugar’s natural hot spring, called “the People’s Pool”!
For all you need to know before traveling to the Highlands, read this guide: How to Visit the Highlands of Iceland – 15 Essential Tips for a Safe Road Trip.
8. Glymur Waterfall
This is the only hike on this list that I haven’t done myself but it’s on my list for the next trip! I decided to include it anyway, so you have the information as it seems like a great hike.
Glymur trail is located in West Iceland.
From the research I did, it looks like it’s a 7 km (4.3 miles) loop or out-and-back trail (you have options) and on average takes 3-4 hours to complete.
On your way to the top you’ll go through a cave, you’ll cross a river by walking on a provided log, and at the end, you’ll see the second tallest waterfall in Iceland.
I will definitely update this post with my own experience as soon as I have this hike under my belt!
Bonus: after the hike you can relax in Hvammsvik Hot Springs – a beautiful hot spa, only 22 minutes away from Glymur parking lot.
9. Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Fjaðrárgljúfur is a beautiful, moss-covered canyon, known for its serpentine-like cliffs.
It’s a 2 km hike to the viewpoint and usually takes 45 minutes to 1 hour one way.
10. Stuðlagil Canyon
Stuðlagil is a unique canyon, famous for its walls lined by Iceland’s signature basalt columns.
The hike is about 2 km one way and takes 45-60 minutes to complete.
These last two hikes (#9 and #10) are a little easier and shorter than the rest of the trails I mentioned in this article. I included their more detailed descriptions in my guide to the best easy hikes in Iceland but I wanted to mention them here as they fit the “day hike” category as well and are definitely not to be missed during your trip.
Best time for hiking in Iceland
I recommend planning your hikes for the summer months and early fall. You can never predict Icelandic weather but from May till the end of September you have the best chance for good weather and the most daylight, so you can plan more or longer adventures.
Hiking trails located in the highlands are only accessible in the summer, usually from late June to early September, but the opening dates are very weather-dependent and vary from year to year.
Some hiking trails are accessible in the winter months, but I’d only recommend attempting them if you are an experienced winter hiker and have the proper clothing and gear.
Remember: always check the weather forecast and road status before you head out, especially if you’re planning to hike in the Highlands.
READ MORE: Hiking in Iceland – Essential Tips for the Best Experience.
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About Monika
An avid traveler and a passionate trip planner, mildly obsessed with being organized and prepared 🙂
Well aware of how precious travel time is, I’m here to share my experience and help you get the most out of your vacation time.
“Taking the hassle out of trip planning”
