Parking
Start behind Stafafell Guesthouse and church; confirm parking with the farm/guesthouse. A separate closer gravel-road approach along the Jökulsá may require a suitable 4x4 and is not the primary start for this loop.
Overview
About Hvannagil Canyon Loop
This long loop starts at Stafafell and follows the marked approach toward Hvannagil, a colorful rhyolite canyon on the eastern bank of the Jökulsá í Lóni. The complete GPS track is about 9.5 miles (15.3 km) with roughly 319 m (1,047 ft) of cumulative ascent and takes about 4.5–5 hours for most hikers. The shorter Hvannagil–Raftagil and Golden Valley variants are different walks.
Why go
- Complete loop combines Stafafell approach, colorful Hvannagil rhyolite canyon and Jökulsá í Lóni scenery
- Quiet, low-traffic route with broad southeast Iceland views and a full day-hike experience
- Officially described access and a recognizable farm trailhead
Heads up
- Long route with intermittent marking and route-finding on sheep tracks
- Steep, uneven descent into the canyon plus loose ground and possible river crossings
- Weather, fog and water levels can change the difficulty quickly; no dependable services on the loop
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Vatnajökull map
Full mapElevation16–182 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Vatnajökull alert
- ClosureFosshvammur permanently closed at DettifossFosshvammur at Dettifoss is permanently closed to all traffic; do not enter.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Vatnajökull Tour Guide
Your drive to Hvannagil Canyon Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Vatnajökull National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Hvannagil Canyon TrailListen
“The trailhead ahead is for Hvannagil. This is a great choice if you want to experience colorful rhyolite rocks, similar to the famous Landmannalaugar area, but without the big crowds or the required 4x4.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Vatnajökull Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Harlequin Ducks: White-Water Surfers
- 102 audio storiesacross Vatnajökull’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grey Seal, Harbor Seal, Caribou, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 16 trails, 72 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Hvannagil Canyon Loop
Route ExperienceFrom behind the Stafafell guesthouse and church, follow the gravel road and sheep-track…
From behind the Stafafell guesthouse and church, follow the gravel road and sheep-track approach toward the canyon. The route descends into Hvannagil, follows the canyon and river landscape, and returns through the Jökulsá í Lóni area to Stafafell. The route is a true loop; the stored line follows the full visitor itinerary rather than stopping at the canyon viewpoint.
Difficulty and ConditionsThis is a moderately challenging long day hike with a steep descent into the canyon, uneven…
This is a moderately challenging long day hike with a steep descent into the canyon, uneven ground, route-finding and likely river or stream crossings. Marking is intermittent—some wooden sticks may be missing—and fog, wind and water levels can make navigation and crossings harder. Carry an offline map, waterproof footwear and layers.
Access and PlanningBegin at Stafafell Guesthouse / farm, where the official local description places the hike…
Begin at Stafafell Guesthouse / farm, where the official local description places the hike behind the guesthouse and church. A separate gravel-road approach along the Jökulsá can reach a closer Hvannagil access in suitable vehicles, but that is not the primary trailhead represented by this long loop. Check weather, road access and river conditions before setting out; there are no reliable facilities along the route.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Vatnajökull
22 sightingsGrey SealMost seen around 5 AMSighting map
258 sightingsHarbor SealMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
184 sightingsCaribouMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
62 sightingsArctic FoxMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
168 sightingsWhooper SwanMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
68 sightingsAtlantic PuffinMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Vatnajökull. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
