A fun hike close to the capital
Category

Sightseeing

Age requirement

All ages

Message from Thrainn Kolbeinsson

Vífilsfell is a fun little mountain to hike with very interesting geological features offering insight into Iceland's volcanic history. It stands at 655 m (2150 feet) on top of the fissure system of Brennisteinsfjöll. I could only find winter photos from my hikes there but I would personally only recommend hiking there in the summer with good visibility since it can be tricky to navigate and very slippery/icey. From the parking lot you start by following the road until you should start seeing some marks for the route. Total hike should take around 1.5-3 hours.

Fun fact: The mountain is named after the slave of Iceland's first settler, Ingólfur Arnarson, who's name was Vífill and used to run up to Vífilsfell to check the weather.

QUICK NOTES:

  • What it is: A fun mountain to hike around 30 minutes from Reykjavík.

  • Best season: Summer.

  • Best time of day: Any.

  • Nice to know: There are tours that take you there in vehicles but I always recommend the walk which is around 3.5 km (2.2 miles) and takes around 1.5 hours (in total, both ways).

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