Trip Report: To The Fagradalsfjall Volcano (Iceland)

The new number one tourist activity in Iceland is the Fagradalsfjall Volcano which began erupting on March 19th of this year in a remote area of the Reykjanes Peninsula. On the second day of our visit to Iceland this past weekend, it was time to "head to the mountain"!

A few kilometers east of the town of Grindavik, two makeshift parking areas have been created by the government of Iceland to accommodate the thousands of visitors who want to see a live volcano. The charge to park is ISK 1000 (about $8) but it's payable only via app which I could not figure out. So I parked for free.

There are two pathways but only Path A is for us commoners. Path B would be for experienced hikers and mountain climbers with all the necessary equipment. Path A is relatively easy and took about 1 hour 15 minutes to reach the viewpoint.

The government built this to handle all those wanting to make their way to the volcano. Otherwise there was nothing here beforehand.

Looking back towards the parking lot, please be aware there there are no "services" along the pathway. There is no food, no water, no WC. So come prepared.

The path gets steeper and steeper.

And higher and higher but manageable to anyone reasonably healthy. The area is desolate but beautiful.

One of the lava flow areas is seen from this ridge and you can see and smell the gases coming off it. That sign in the first picture above gives advice on avoiding the poison gas.

You also go by an even closer lava flow area that passes near the way up.

The lava has hardened into black rock but you can still feel warmth radiating from it.

And within the rock, the molten lava is never far away! Keep in mind all this is fresh; the eruption began less than 3 months ago.

One final hill.....the steepest yet. Make sure you have some good hiking boots with tread to grip the terrain.

And then there it is! The object of this journey: Fagradalsfjall.

It's actually closer than it appears in the photos!

The flow goes on and off every few minutes; sometimes merely a trickle and moments later a full gushing!

Icelandic geologists have no idea how long this will continue to erupt but have speculated that it could last for decades.

Finally heading back down. Highly recommend coming to see this walk-up volcano if you have the opportunity. Americans are welcome in Iceland if you're fully vaccinated and even then you have to take a free covid19 test at the airport upon arrival. (The United States also requires another covid19 test within 3 days of your return. That one is not free and costs €50.) Icelandair begins nonstop service from Orlando International Airport to Keflavik this fall with some dates $469rt or less including all taxes. For the Reykjanes Peninsula article, click HERE. For the Golden Circle article, click HERE.