9 Hikes Off the Beaten Path in Iceland

This is a very sketchy climb on a rope in very steep sandy conditions. Not for the faint of heart, but very worth. I go more into depth about the approach in my blog post below :)

A short but demanding hike to give you an incredible view of Ísafjörður and its surrounding water, Troll Seat never disappoints. It's not a very accessible hike because its about 20-30 minutes of straight up walking. There is a trail book you can sign to the left once you get to the top. If you go during the peak of snow melt season, you may find yourself extremely muddy but its still an adventure. If you time it just right, you can watch a small plane land in the airport below and it's an absolutely gnarly approach. Check the airport's timetables to make this happen.

If you click on the blog post below, you'll see the exact coordinates of where this hike is. It's flat but provides sweeping ocean views and is an incredible place for a picnic. The road is dirt to this point, and if you want to continue to Skálanes itself, you will have to do a river crossing.

To do the whole thing the easiest way possible, have someone drop you off at the pull off by the big waterfall. You can walk down the left side until you reach Iceland's first dam and you can cross the river there to get to the right side. Then you can complete the hike by following the path and seeing all the beautiful waterfalls of the river.

This is a relatively easy hike to a super tall waterfall inside a canyon. You can continue through a very young forest to the upper reaches of another river that flows into the wetlands you've already crossed. The path eventually ends but there are more waterfalls above, but it only gets more crumbly and sketchy. Do not attempt that upper section without proper gear and the 10 essentials.

I wasn't able to record this one on my Gaia GPS because some person online on another site said it was only a 10 minute jaunt, and they were very wrong. It's fine though, it's an insanely gorgeous trek and the waterfall is insanely impressive with the red ribbons of rock behind the cascades. It took the group I was with about an hour one way to complete. The path is mostly gravel and very uphill, which is annoying, so perhaps bring trekking poles if your knees don't like a gravel descent.

This is best summited in late summer because it's often covered in snow well into July. Bringing micro-spikes and good hiking shoes is highly recommended, as well as, the 10 Essentials. The road is very sketchy and you will need a 4x4, and sometimes you also need to know when to turn around if bad conditions persist. Remember, it's also one of Icelands most active volcanos, named by the Norse "The Gateway to Hell."

This is only a waterfall that you can hike to if you have carved out most of your day for it, but man it's worth it. Bring the 10 Essentials and practice Leave No Trace. Iceland's landscape is very fragile. 4x4 is highly recommended.