Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [109]
Activities
Myriad hikes are possible in the mountains around Þórsmörk, and most can be undertaken independently. The relevant topographic sheet is Þórsmörk/Landmannalaugar 1:100,000. As well as local hikes, you can continue inland to Landmannalaugar (Click here). Alternatively, you could head down to the coast at Skógar via Fimmvörðuháls Pass – see below.
SHORT HIKES
From Rte F249, you can easily hike up to Steinholtsjökull, a tongue of ice extending off the north side of Eyjafjallajökull. The ice has carved a sheer-sided, 100m-deep gorge, and the short river Stakksholtsá flows out from under it and winds down to Markarfljót. Further west the larger glacier Gígjökull descends into a small lagoon right beside Rte F249, filling it with carved icebergs. To explore the main ice caps at Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull you’ll need special equipment – including ropes, crampons and ice axes – and ideally a GPS device.
ÞÓRSMÖRK TO SKÓGAR HIKE
The dramatic and popular hike from Þórsmörk to Skógar passes right between the glaciers of Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. The hike can be done in a long day, but it’s more enjoyable to break the journey at Fimmvörðuháls Pass (1093m), which has a mountain hut run by Útivist (see below). Although the glaciers seem close enough to touch, this walk is fairly easy and you won’t need any special gear. It’s best attempted from mid-July to early September, but always keep an eye on the weather – it can change rapidly up here.
The hike starts about 1.5km east of the Básar hut at Goðaland and then climbs steadily to Mornisheiði, which has dramatic views over Mýrdalsjökull, and Eyjafjallajökull. From here, you face a steep ascent to the ridge at Heljarkambur. The next stage takes you across tundra and snowfields to Fimmvörðuháls Pass itself, with Mýrdalsjökull on the left and Eyjafjallajökull on the right. The Fimmvörðuskáli mountain hut is a short walk off the main track, near a small lake.
The following day, you can begin the hike down to Skógar. The main trail is clear and well trodden, but an interesting alternative is to leave the track at the footbridge and follow the stream down to the waterfall Skógafoss, about 1km west of Skógar village.
Útivist ( 562 1000; www.utivist.is) and Ferðafélag Íslands ( 568 2533; www.fi.is) both run guided hikes from Skógar over Fimmvörðuháls to Þórsmörk from around Ikr24,000; contact them for details. The Icelandic Mountain Guides ( 587 9999; www.mountainguides.is) run similar trips, although their prices are much higher.
Sleeping
There are three huts in the Þórsmörk area – at Þórsmörk, Básar and Húsadalur – and another at the top of the Fimmvörðuháls Pass. All have cooking facilities, showers and running water, but they tend to get packed out, particularly at weekends. Bring your own food and sleeping bag; a stove is also a good idea, to avoid waiting for the crowded facilities.
Wild camping is prohibited, but the three Þórsmörk huts have tent sites around them; the hut at Fimmvörðuháls Pass doesn’t, as the ground is too rocky.
To book spaces at the huts (strongly advised), contact the organisations listed in the following reviews.
HÚSADALUR
The Húsadalur cabins and huts ( 894 1506 May-Sep; sites per person Ikr800, sb dm/d Ikr2800/6800, 5-person hut Ikr10,500), along with the cafe, kitchen and shower block, hot pool and sauna, almost form a tourist village of their own. They’re now being run by Hostelling International Iceland ( 552 8300; thorsmork@thorsmork.is, www.hostels.is).
ÞÓRSMÖRK HUT
The Þórsmörk hut Skagfjörðsskáli ( 854 1191 mid-May–Sep; sites per person Ikr900, sb Ikr3300) can sleep 75. Book through Ferðafélag Íslands ( 568 2533; www.fi.is; Mörkin 6, IS-108 Reykjavík). This organisation can also take bookings for huts along the Landmannalaugar–Þórsmörk track.
BÁSAR HUT & FIMMVÖRÐUHÁLS PASS
There’s space for 80 people in the hut at Básar (sites per person Ikr800, sb Ikr2300), booked through Útivist ( 562 1000; www.utivist.is; Laugavegur 178, IS-101 Reykjavík).
The comfortable 23-bed hut at Fimmvörðuskáli (sb