There are different hiking trails and pathways to choose from to the eruption site in 2021, and 2022 and the new one from July 10th 2023. Below you can find a map of routes and information about parking in the area. Please note that there is a parking fee for both P1 and P2 and it is a different arrangement for each one of them. Further information on the parking is found below.
The paths have challenging terrain with gravel, lava fields, uneven ground, and steep hills.
The eruption site, hiking trails and views (2021, 2022 and 2023)
Path A - Mt. Fagradalsfjall (pink) to the eruption from 2021 and 2022 is about 6-8 km (one way), or about 2-2,5 hours of hiking. The distance depends on where you are able to park your car and how much hiking you do when reaching the eruption site.
Path C - Mt. Langihryggur (green) is about 4 km long (one way) to a viewing point of all the eruptions, from 2021, 2022 and 2023. From this path, you can see the lava from the new eruption by Mt. Litli Hrútur, but not the crater itself. Walking on the lava is dangerous and not allowed.
Path E - Meradalir (blue) to the new eruption site (July 2023) by Mt. Litli-Hrútur. The path is about 18--20 km (both ways). The first part of the hike is on a gravel path. The last 2 km over mossy lava rocks. It can take 5-6 hours in total to hike (not including a stop for viewing). It can be challenging. There are nice viewing spots on the way and remember that walking on the lava is dangerous and not allowed.
Other paths
Other paths by Nátthagi (yellow) are about 2 km (one way) and are a much shorter and easier hike, from there you can see newly formed lava from 2021 but not the crater itself. This path only takes you to the edge of the lava field from the parking places.
Before heading to the volcano please look at Safetravel.is for current safety information.
View our interactive 360° aerial panorama of the area here.
Important information for parking next to the eruption site
There is a parking fee for visiting the eruption site. It is 1000 ISK (≈ 8 USD) and can be paid electronically at Parka.is. The payment is valid for 24 hours. There are signs at the parking lots with instructions.
There are currently two parking lots that you can choose from, Parking P1 or Parking P2. You will need to pick the correct payment site accordingly:
Parking P1: https://www.parka.is/pay/geldingadalir/
Parking P2 (Stóri-Leirdalur): https://www.parka.is/pay/volcanoskali/
According to parka.is, the payment is necessary to pay for the infrastructure on-site and its maintenance. The intention is to make access better and increase people's safety. The parking lots are monitored with cameras and if parking is unpaid, an additional fee is added and a bank claim is created. The claim usually goes out one day later, so if you have trouble paying on-site, you are able to finish the payment when you arrive back at your hotel.
For further questions regarding the parking, please contact fagradalshraun@gmail.com (P1 parking) or gsteins@hi.is (P2 parking).
