Fimmvörðuháls
Skógar to Þórsmörk, passing between the two craters created by the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption.
- Days
- 2
- Distance
- 25 km
- Max altitude
- 1,100 m
- Total ascent
- 1,000 m
- Grade
- Moderate
- Season
- Jun–Sep
Elevation profile
The route starts at Skógafoss and climbs alongside a river with a couple of dozen waterfalls before reaching the pass between Magni and Móði, the craters formed in 2010. The ground near them stayed warm for years afterwards.
It is not technical, but it is fully exposed and weather at the pass turns fast. Whiteout is common enough that the huts matter.
Most people walk it in one long day of 8–10 hours; splitting it at Baldvinsskáli hut makes it far more pleasant.
Common questions
How long does Fimmvörðuháls take?
Around 25 km with 1,000 m of ascent — typically 8 to 10 hours in a single push, or comfortably split across two days with a hut overnight.
Do you need a guide for Fimmvörðuháls?
Not legally, but the pass is fully exposed and weather changes quickly. In poor visibility, or early and late in the season, a guide is a sensible precaution.