Over the next few days we‘re expecting some cold night temperatures in NE Iceland. Chances of icy roads in the morning and late evenings on roads higher than 200-300m. Most cars are now not equipped for these conditions so it‘s important to inform our visitors of this.
Highland roads are impassible/closed in all Iceland. Tourists often mistake 4×4 for a vehicle that can take on all terrain, which is of course not the case and this must be explained as damages can cost thousands of dollars. Not all the closed/impassible roads will be closed with a bar over the road so it‘s important to inform our guests that driving there is strictly prohibited! The highland-road map can be found here.
ATTENTION: It‘s important not to follow GPS-devices blindly as not all take closures into consideration and will lead tourists on to mountain roads that they are not equipped for. This often happens because these roads are often shorter in distance while being very rough and much slower.
Conditions in the highlands:
Fjallabak: Closed but expected to open in next few days.
Lakagígar: Open up until Fagrifoss waterfall.
Sprengisandur: Closed.
Kjölur: Closed between Hvítárvatn and Hveravellir. Road from the north into Hveravellir is open.
Kaldidalur: Open – passible for 4×4 only.
Askja: Closed!
Conditions in popular tourist sites:
Þórsmörk: is open for most 4×4 as rivers are minor. No rental cars are allowed into Langidalur since the river Krossá is rather deep there and numerous cars have had trouble! Road to Húsadalur is open for jeeps but conditions change rapidly when it rains! Drivers need experience in crossing rivers. Numerous people have had trouble in Steinholtsá river because of bad route choice. It‘s important not to cross where the river is calm as that‘s where it‘s also the deepest.
Landmannalaugar: Closed but roads are expected to open in next few days.
Geysir og Gullfoss: Nothing remarkable regarding conditions.
Dettifoss og Selfoss: Both roads (862 and 864) are open. 862 is a very narrow gravel road where it‘s difficult to pass on coming cars. Lots of blind hills and conditions can quickly change very quickly when it rains. Drivers on smaller cars need to evaluate the situation each time.
Goðafoss: Nothing remarkable regarding conditions.
Látrabjarg: Cliffs are very fragile so it‘s important not to go too close to the edge. No permanent warden in the area. Roads are passable for all vehicles until 4×4 signs. Narrow roads that tourists can find challenging.
Rauðisandur: Narrow roads that thread the side of the mountain. Tourist have found this challenging – especially when passing oncoming traffic.
Reynisfjara: is always dangerous due to the unpredictability of the waves. It‘s not every wave – it‘s every 7th or 10th or 12th wave that goes a lot further up the beach than the rest making it difficult to assess danger upon arrival. There are no rocks in the ocean that break the waves and only a few meters of shore there‘s an underwater cliff so the pulling factor of these already powerful waves becomes even greater. On top of this the sand is very fine ash which makes it extra difficult to get away from these waves.
Same applies to Kirkjufjara beach, it‘s CLOSED due to this fact and also Djúpalónssandur in Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
Aðstæður á gönguleiðum:
Esja: Nothing remarkable about the conditions.
Skaftafell: S3 is now open yet very wet – important to follow marked trails. S4 (Kristínartindar) is not recommended due to snowy conditions. Other trails are fine.
Laugavegur: Conditions are weather dependent! Wardens will be in the huts June 14th and trail technically closed until then. Road to Landmannalaugar is closed so hikers can‘t get to/from Landmannalaugar unless on foot. Trail covered with snow from Landmannalaugar to Álftavatn – Bláfjallakvísl river is very challenging to cross, up to hips in depth.
Fimmvörðuháls: Wardens go to huts on June 10th. Decent amount of snow from first hut, Baldvinsskáli to Bröttufönn (2 hours total approx.) but main trouble has been the weather and visibility.
Reykjadalur: Nothing remarkable about the conditions.
Jökulsárgljúfur: Nothing remarkable about the conditions.
Hornstrandir: Very Wet conditions in northern fjords (Hornvík, Hælavík and Fljótavík) where finding a dry camping spot could be challenging. Conditions from Aðalvík to Hesteyri a lot dryer. A date for the warden‘s residence not clear.
Glymur: Steep uphill climbs and loose rocks – important to wear appropriate footwear.