13 Breathtaking North Iceland Road Trip Stops You Can’t Miss

This road trip through North Iceland will take you to 13 breathtaking stops you can’t miss. You can enjoy hiking up a volcano, viewing what appears to be another planet with a multi-colored landscape — the backdrop to bubbling fumaroles, relaxing in a geothermal lagoon, enjoying magnificently powerful waterfalls, gaping with awe at the alp-like scenery in Siglufjörður, and riding a ferry to the remote island of Grimsey to experience puffins and other wildlife up close. Here you will find the wildness of Iceland at opposite extremes.

Explore the Highlights around Lake Myvatn

If you’re following along with our posts as we circle Iceland on the Ring Road (with small diversions), then you’re coming from the East and are now heading toward Myvatn. Myvatn is pronounced: Mý (Mee): like the English word “me”, vatn (vaht-n): Rhymes with “bought,” with the ‘n’ being a very soft release of air. There are a few interesting places to stop here.

1 – Take a Hike at Námaskarð

According to Atlas Obscura, walking around Námaskarð is akin to walking on Mars. The colors are outrageous, but not as outrageous as the smell of sulfur. This is a popular stop as tour buses also stop here on their way back from Dettifoss. For us, we needed a place to stretch our legs. This allowed us to scale some serious volcanic mountains (Námafjall). We do a lot of hiking generally, and regularly walk six and a half miles a day with 1,000 feet of elevation gain. (We live in a hilly area.) So we’re not averse to hills. But getting up Námafjall involved careful balance and choosing our steps wisely. We did not take our walking poles, and those might have been helpful. You can see our route on AllTrails if you want to go the same way, but the first part of this hike was challenging.

I also posted our review on Google Maps, which mentions that there were no WCs. We did see WCs that were being prepped for installation while we were there. And, I notice that one of the reviews, a month after ours, said that they had pay toilets.

Here are a couple of videos of what you’ll see at Námaskarð without the smell. Like many Google reviewers said, if you’re sensitive to smells, you will need a scarf, a gator, or a mask to wear while you’re there because it’s not a pleasant smell.

And here are the photos we got.

2 – Take a Soak in Earth Lagoon Myvatn

Formerly called Myvatn Nature Baths, we had intended to go after Námaskarð, but we had to go to our accommodations first. By the time we got checked in and looked at the times for the Myvatn Nature Baths, they were about to close, which was weird because when I researched them, it seemed like they had late hours. And now their name has changed, and their website has changed, and the hours say 12:00 PM to 22:00. Regardless, it looks like fun, and I wish we could have gone. Here’s a video that shows what the experience looks like.

3 – Climb Inside the Grjótagjá Lava Cave House

Okay, you’re not supposed to climb into the cave, but people do, and we did. But don’t touch the water as it can be scalding. You can learn about the history of the cave and which episodes the cave appears in Game of Thrones by checking out Guide to Iceland. This stop is easily done in 30 minutes.

Here’s a video Rick took.

And here are the photos we got.

4 – Visit the Immense Hverfjall Crater

After visiting Grjótagjá, visit the Hverfjall Crater for a little more leg stretching. We recorded our route on AllTrails, which is another trail that’s easy to follow. I notice in our AllTrails route, it shows 0 elevation. Well, that’s just not right. So I looked at other people’s routes. One guy showed 334′ elevation gain, but his first comment in his review is that the elevation is definitely off. He thought the elevation was more like 334 meters or 1,000′. Rick’s fitness tracker shows 529′, but that could be because we didn’t walk all the way around the crater. I wrote a Google Review, but there are WCs near the parking area, and you need to pay for parking via the Parka app.

I will say it was not an easy hike, especially after having done the hike at Námaskarð. But the views at the top are worth the effort.

Here are some of the photos we took.

Stay overnight in Myvatn

We stayed very near Lake Myvatn. One thing to be aware of is that Lake Myvatn is home to hordes of midges. These are not like those you find in Scotland, which, of course, are treacherous because they bite and cause extreme itching. The ones in Iceland swarm you and are just pesky. Here’s a video of me walking from the reception building to our cabin. If you zoom in, you can see how many of them are swarming me.

There are other places to stay around Myvatn, but I doubt they have any more safeguards against the midges. We stayed at Dimmuborgir Guesthouse, which had a nice breakfast, and it had a fully functional kitchen, including a refrigerator with a freezer, which was shared by the cabins. The cabins themselves were small, but we were only there for a short time. I didn’t know ahead of time, but they will also do your laundry. This is definitely a plus in Iceland. Here are photos of the accommodations.

On our way out of Myvatn, we stopped to get some photos of a couple of Icelandic horses that were grazing in a grassy area in front of the lake. It was an ideal setting, and I had been looking for such a setting to take photos of Icelandic horses from the start of our journey. These two were very friendly and really wanted whatever treat I may have had. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring any treats with me. Here’s what they looked like.

Navigate the Northeast

We’re going to lean slightly to the east here to get to several magnificent waterfalls and other attractions in the area. We spend a lot of time at the waterfalls and in a magical area called Ásbyrgi.

5 – Experience Europe’s Most Powerful Waterfall

From Myvatn drive to Dettifoss. Your navigator will take you to 862, which is fine. That goes to the west side of Dettifoss and Selfoss. There will be crowds of people here because this is a big stop for tour buses. There are WCs and a food truck/trailer, and lots of free parking. You can choose from several trails to see both falls. The route we took is on AllTrails. But while we were there, the trail closest to Dettifoss was closed due to a landslide that had occurred the month prior. It’s still not open, and I kinda wonder whether it ever will open. My Google Review has some additional details. But here are some photos from the west side, including the notice about the lower trail.

6 – Visit the Magical Ásbyrgi

This place is a nice break from crowds and gives you some nature to submerge yourself in before heading back to the lunar-like atmosphere surrounding it. This canyon/gorge is filled with trees, greenery, and wildlife like fish swimming in the pond and birds diving from atop the cliffs. There are trails you can take to explore further. If you’d like to learn more about how this gorge was formed or the folklore about it, you can find that info on the Guide to Iceland website.

Here is a video Rick took at a stop on the Botnstjörn pond trail.

And here are some of the photos we got.

7 – Check out the East Side of Dettifoss, Selfoss, and Hafragilsfoss

The road (864) to the east side of these waterfalls is gravel, and you will encounter potholes, especially on the road to Hafragilsfoss. On this side, you definitely need 4WD. Hafragilsfoss is a pretty, low waterfall. It was quite windy while we were there, so we didn’t hang out very long. Some people were hiking down below, closer to the waterfall, while we were there. There is a loop you can hike, but it was lightly misting and not the best hiking weather, especially for boulder climbing. Hafragilsfoss has a free parking lot, which is challenging to negotiate. There are no services on the east side of these falls, though.

Feel the spray at Dettifoss then navigate boulders to Selfoss

From Hafragilsfoss, drive down to the Dettifoss viewpoint. On the east side, you can see Dettifoss much better. It’s such a powerful fall, you will feel it spray you from the observation area. From Dettifoss, you can walk down to see Selfoss. There’s a little bouldering involved, but it’s not bad.

Head to Husavik

After you’re done on the East Side of the falls, drive to Husavik. I’ve linked directions to the Fosshotel Husavik’s parking lot in the back of the hotel. When we were there, the front was packed, and it was unclear where any additional parking might be; it’s easier to get your luggage from the back parking lot into the hotel.

Husavik is a hub for whale watching excursions. If you want to skip the next two waterfalls in the morning, you could instead take a whale-watching boat trip from here. But while in Husavik, grab some good fish & chips from the Fish & Chips take-out place in the harbor. Once you get your food, you can take it upstairs at the restaurant and eat while watching the sea and marina here. Here are some photos of the harbor and our fish & chips dinner.

Stay at Fosshotel Husavik

This is a very nice hotel with a very accommodating staff. Make sure to take your sleep masks, though, because the drapes lack coverage of the windows. Here’s my full review:

Booking.com Review posted

Jul 14, 2025

9.0

Lovely hotel and helpful staff, room needed better blackout curtains

Liked · The location was great. The room was spacious. The shower was great. The staff was wonderful. The breakfast was outstanding. There was a fridge in the room.

Disliked · The room was near the lobby, which had a lot of lounging areas. We stayed on a Saturday night, and there were a lot of people in the lounging areas of the lobby imbibing. So it was a little loud. Also, the curtains in the room didn’t quite cover the entirety of the windows, so it was lighter in the room than it should have been for sleeping.

Here’s what our hotel room looked like:

Investigate the North

8 – Hit the road to Aldeyjarfoss (unless you decided to whale watch instead)

The road to Aldeyarfoss from Husavik starts out paved. Once you get to Highway 842, however, you have a 41 km leg which is gravel, the last few km of which requires 4WD.

Photos of the Road to Aldeyjarfoss and Hike up to the Falls Beyond

While I was driving in, I caught out of the corner of my eye something lying on the ground in a pasture. I had to back up to see what it was. There were two Icelandic mares and their foals, which had apparently just been born. Both foals were on the ground. Their moms were standing, looking over them. Eventually, one of them got up, and later the other one did too, but I didn’t get a picture of that one. There’s a gate you have to get out and open to continue on the road to the waterfall.

There is an outhouse here and a small parking lot. When we first arrived, there was one other car in the lot. There’s a short hike out to the stunning falls, but we enjoyed the hike up behind the waterfall too. Rick launched his drone, and shortly after he did, he counted 5 other drones in the air nearby. I could hear people behind me, and when I turned around, I could see a fair number of other people coming to take photos where I was standing.

At the time I’m writing this, I have 8.3 million views of contributions I’ve made to Google Maps. Far and away the most popular thing I’ve posted has been a video Rick took, and here it is.

Here are photos of Aldeyjarfoss and the area beyond it.

9 – Head over to Goðafoss

This one is very impressive. It’s downstream from Aldeyjarfoss. It’s also easier to get to, so there are more people here than at Aleyjarfoss, but not as many as you’d find at the south coast waterfalls. You’ll find lots of free parking, but no services. Here are a couple of photos.

Make your way to Akureyri

Akureyri is the second-largest city in Iceland, behind Reykjavík. It’s easy to navigate and has a cute downtown area. Akureyri is also home to one of the few locations where you can do your own laundry. It’s second to Reykjavik for finding a B&B, apartment, or home with a washing machine, too. This was our laundry and grocery stop. It also has a very large Krónan. We went to the Backpackers Laundry first, which was outside a bar/restaurant, and positioned within the smoke break area for the workers at the bar. You pay for the machines, washers, and dryers, 2 of each, with an app called Air Wallet. Once you’ve parked, follow the walking directions to the Backpackers Laundry. Here’s what the Backpackers Laundry looks like.

10 – Hop on Highway 82 North and Head to Mígandifoss Viewpoint

This is a rocky, bumpy turnout from the highway to see the waterfall. It is a very tall fall into the ocean off the side of a cliff. If you’re planning to take the ferry to Grimsey the next morning, you will see this fall again from the ferry. It will be farther away, though. Here’s what it looks like from the turnout.

Continue on to Sigló Hótel in Siglufjörður

Next time we go to Iceland, we will spend more time here. This hotel is super cute. The food was great, but the setting is jaw-dropping. We used it as a launching point from which to get to the Dalvik Ferry, so we didn’t really have much time here. When we came in, however, the very large spa was elbow to elbow with people. Here’s what the hotel and breakfast looked like.

11 – Visit Grimsey, the Island in the Arctic Circle

You want to book your ferry tickets in advance. The ferry runs five days a week during the summer. It leaves Dalvik at 9 AM, arrives in Grimsey at noon, and returns from Grimsey at 4 PM or 5 PM, depending on the day. Boarding time for departures is 30 minutes prior. There are restrooms on the ship. They do not have anti-motion sickness medications on the ship, so come prepared if you’re subject to motion sickness. I usually am, and I forgot my meds. But the sea was so calm, I had no trouble at all. They have minimal things to eat, mainly sugary snacks, on the ferry.

The hotel’s breakfast starts at 7 AM, so if you arrive first thing, you’ll have a little time to eat before hitting the road. You want to leave extra time, though, because there are occasions when the tunnel closes to southbound traffic to allow tour buses to drive northbound through the tunnel to pick up passengers for tours. (This tunnel is single-lane.) When we were going to Dalvik, we came to the tunnel, and the gate was down. There was no explanation as to why. We waited 10 minutes, and finally, a bus and a car came through, the gate raised, and we were on our way. Here’s what the ferry port looks like.

If you want to get a seat in the enclosed, warm second deck of the ferry, you need to be in line early. We got front seats in that space, but we ultimately moved upstairs to take in the views on deck. We got to see dolphins, puffins, and other seabirds, scooping up tidbits to bring back to home base. The water was incredibly calm. Here’s what the views looked like.

We booked a tour for Grimsey, but the island is so small, a tour really isn’t necessary. When we arrived, we couldn’t find our guide. We walked up to the town to see if someone was around holding a sign or something. When we couldn’t find anyone, we walked back down to the ferry, and there was a woman there who said she was looking for us, and she’d forgotten her sign. In any case, she directed us to her sister’s small SUV and started driving us around the island. Her name is Halla, pronounced Hatla.

She was very harried because she wears five hats on the island (power system manager, tour guide, B&B host, medical assistant, and grocery store clerk). The weather was so hot that day (mid-70s) that one of the diesel generators overheated, jeopardizing power on the island. So she had to coordinate with the remote diesel generator engineer, and then she commandeered the ferry’s engineer to help her get the diesel generator back online. She had to deal with that while we were on the tour. But since Rick spent most of his career working for a utility, we totally understood the need to maintain access to power.

We did learn a lot about daily life on the island and a little bit of history, and we did enjoy talking with Halla. Here are some of the photos I took of the town.

The new church was built after the old church (from 1867) burned down in 2021. The islanders are transitioning from diesel generators to renewable energy, so they’re building solar farms. The Community Center houses a small library, a community pool, a sauna, and a place to play chess. Cod dogs are a specialty that the locals devour, and we have to agree. They are delicious. The Ferry Port is where our Ferry docked while we spent the afternoon walking and driving around the island. Fewer than 100 people live on Grimsey. Most live there part-time. According to Halla, only about twenty people live there full-time, which is why many of them have to wear several hats.

So what’s Grimsey’s claim to fame (other than the Arctic Circle crossing)? It’s a wildlife photographer’s paradise. You can find thousands of puffins. June and July are prime times to photograph them. Other seabirds are plentiful, too. Then, there are whales, orcas, seals, and sometimes arctic foxes. Get ready for puffin overload!

After you’ve spent almost five hours on the island (on the days the ferry leaves at 5, that is), you make your way back to the ferry to depart for the mainland. We had an uneventful ride back and arrived about 8 PM. We then prepared ourselves for the long drive to Hotel Laugarbakki.

Find Your Way to Hotel Laugarbakki

This journey was almost 3 hours long, counting our fuel stops for the vehicle and for us. We arrived around 11 PM, which is past the normal hours for check-in. Our key and instructions were lying on the desk when we got there. (This is one of those things that you’d just never see in the U.S.) We were filling out the paperwork when a young man with headphones on came up and greeted us. He appeared to be a member of the nighttime cleaning staff. He gave us his phone number in case we needed anything and directed us toward our room.

We brought our luggage in and proceeded to our room. When we got there, we did not find a refrigerator. It’s rare to find a refrigerator in the rooms. So, since we still hadn’t been able to find ice consistently, I called the number the young man had given me. I got his voicemail, so I left a message. After we unpacked what we needed for the night, I hadn’t heard back from him. I decided to hunt him down in the hotel. This place is rather large, so it was a bit of an expedition. Finally, I rounded a stairwell and almost ran smack into him. I explained the need for ice, and he took me to the kitchen, which he unlocked and entered to fill a bucket for me. So nice!

In Iceland, when you request a double room, you will usually get two twin beds pushed together. In the case here, we got two twin beds, which were separated. We were so tired, it didn’t really matter, though. The reason we chose this hotel, even though it seemed to be out in the boondocks, was that it was close to the attractions we wanted to see, starting the next morning. We had a lovely breakfast here, too. It turned out to be a great choice. Here’s what it looked like.

12 – Head to Hvitserkur, the Dragon-like Rock Formation

This guy is pretty easy to find, not too far off the Ring Road. When I saw pictures online while I was searching for things to do in the North, I thought he looked mighty interesting. What I didn’t count on was the bonus seals basking on the nearby beach.

To get to the beach, the easiest way is to take the trail that leads from the far right of the parking lot as you’re looking at it when you drive in. We did put our hike on AllTrails, but we went over to the observation area and climbed down from there. That was a treacherous direction to go. Here’s the AllTrails map but I’ve marked the way to go in red on it.

On the map, the black dot is the parking lot, and the end of the red line is the beach to the south of Hvitskersur. If you continue south on the beach, you may see seals lying around on the beach on the other side of the inlet. If you walk north, you’ll see the Hvitskersur. I would recommend going back to the parking lot the same way you came. Below are some photos of what we saw and the climb down to the beach from the observation point.

And here is what it sounds like at Hvitskersur.

13 – Discover the natural wonders of Kolugljúfur Canyon

We spent more time here than we’d planned just because it’s magical and beautiful. We walked down one side and back, then down the other side and back. Here’s our route on AllTrails. Because it’s right off the Ring Road, there are more people here. But even then, they don’t stay. They hop out of their car, take a photo of the waterfall that’s right by the parking lot, and hop back in their car. But there’s plenty to see here. Unfortunately, there are no services.

Next, we’ll make our way up to the Westfjords. Those highlights will be in our next post, which covers three days in the Westfjords.