Weather and road conditions:
The changes will be insignificant over the rest of the week but there‘s some uncertainty regarding the weekend.
Thu: A little windier in the North with snowshowers or sleet until mid-day and that‘s the case in the East as well. Temperatures will be above 0°C and sleet by the coast in Eastfjords. Westfjords will be free of snowshowers however stronger gale and some piles of snow could form on the roads. Bright and beautiful weather in the south and south-east but it can be very slippery and icy in the morning and late afternoon.
Fri: Snow showers in the morning in North-east but not a lot of wind and temperatures will be above zero. Wind will pick up in the afternoon in the south. South-and southeast will have rain in the night.
Sat: Considerable uncertainty. There will possibly be a small low pressure system coming our way with a short storm. Regardless, we‘re expecting some warmer temperatures and snow melt more or less in all Iceland – also on mountain roads and precipitation will be either rain or sleet!
The highland roads are all impassable as usual and will stay that way until late spring or early summer! Those travelers that wish to visit the highlands must do so with a scheduled tour in a modified vehicle. We‘ve had a few incidences where visitors think that having a 4×4 vehicle is enough to do this – that‘s of course not the case! The damages can cost thousands of dollars so it‘s important to inform out guests of this!
Popular tourist sites:
As mentioned earlier, our highlands are only accessible in a modified vehicle incl. popular sites such as Landmannalaugar, Þórsmörk, Kverkfjöll, Snæfell and Kerlingafjöll. Not all these roads will be closed with a clear closure over the road so it‘s important that our visitors are informed of this before heading out. Some travelers think that a 4×4 is good enough to handle the wintery highlands but that of course is not the case.
The area around Gullfoss is in ok condition. The lower trail towards the waterfall is still CLOSED but other trails are fine. A little icy in the afternoon and mornings so it‘s recommended to bring crampons along. The road from Geysir to Gullfoss (35) is like Swiss Cheese – a lot of pot holes and puddles that can potentially damage your car if you‘re not careful!
The trail towards Dettifoss is all right, it is covered in snow but has been hiked so it is quite easy to see the trails. It is not very slippery but covered in snow and it is really important to be cautious around the edges, the spray from the waterfall goes over the trail which then can get really slippery.
The road from Ring Road 1 towards the falls (862) is passible but slippery and there‘s no winter service anymore! The road to Ásbyrgi (85) should be passable for all vehicles but it is important to be careful due to the snow on the road and the really strong and low sun.
Two dry toilets are open.
Hiking trails in Ásbyrgi are nice, light snow covers everything and it is slippery underneath the snow so crampons are recommended.
The weather in Reynisfjara is good right now and the roads are not slippery but please note that Reynisfjara is always dangerous, in all kinds of weather, due to the unpredictability of the waves. It‘s not that the waves are big, it‘s the fact that they are sneaky. Every 7th, 10th or 12th wave goes a lot further up the beach than the rest and this can catch visitors by surprise that are too close to the water. The sand is very fine and the sheer pulling factor of the wave makes it easy for it to pull visitors out to sea. If you know that your guests are going there by themselves – make sure they are informed of this.
Kirkjufjara by Dyrhólaey has been CLOSED due to increased dangers in rockslides and deadly sneaker waves.
Popular hiking trails:
Esjan: To hike up to „The Rock“ is fine yet icy. We don‘t recommend that poeple continue to climb to the top due to the ice. Crampons highly recommended! Snow is covering the whole trail so it‘s hard to see icy sports. People must not underestimate Mt. Esja because of how accessible she is – during the winter time you need proper hiking boots along with proper gear for winter! Hiking poles also recommended for balance.
Skaftafell: The trail to Skaftafellsjökull (S1) is recommended, it is clear of snow. The trails up to Svartifoss and Sjónarnípa (S2) is really icy and crampons are highly recommended! Snow is melting and this creates very slippery spots. Longer trails such as Skaftafellsheiði (S3) are not recommended due to the deep snow and Kristínartindar are only for very experienced hikers! You’ll need a guide’s expertise with that one! It is also not recommended to hike in Morsárdalur.
The campsite is open but is not serviced. The only service in the area are bathrooms and two showers by the Information Center Skaftafellsstofa. People can pay for the campsites inside there and will be charged half price.
Laugavegur and Fimmvörðuháls: Both these trails are closed for normal traffic. There are no scheduled busses running to or from Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk. The start of the Fimmvörðuháls hike above Skógafoss has been closed for now due to bad conditions and in attempt to restore and protect vegetation in the area.
Reykjadalur: The trail is now snow-covered with spots of ice underneath. It is marked with trail markers. It can be very slippery so it‘s important that visitors wear proper hiking boots and crampons. It is also very important to be warmly dressed! It‘s a hike that might be easily accessible but during the winter it can be a lot more challenging than in ideal summery conditions. Headlights should be kept in mind if going in the afternoon!
Glymur waterfall: The ideal spot to see the waterfall is from the southern side of the canyon but to reach that you need to cross Botnsá. Usually, during the summer, there is a log people can cross on but during the winter it is removed due to danger and therefore it is necessary to cross the river on foot. The trail after that can be quite steep and slippery. It‘s always better to have crampons on this hike. The hike can take around 3-4 hours at this time so it‘s important to keep a headlight close by.
Avalanche danger: Considerable-moderate (level 2-3/5)
Considerable danger in mountainous areas in the Northern Westfjords. Moderate danger in Tröllaskagi Peninsula and Eastfjords. Further info can be found here: http://en.vedur.is/avalanches/forecast
Discover more from Camper Iceland
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.