About Ásbyrgi
Ásbyrgi is a horseshoe-shaped canyon in the northern section of Vatnajökull National Park, about 40 km east of Húsavík via Route 85. The canyon is 3.5 km long and around 1 km wide, with walls rising up to 100 metres. Unlike most of the surrounding highland landscape, the sheltered canyon floor supports dense birch woodland, making it one of the more unusual and immediately striking places in north Iceland.
The canyon was formed by catastrophic glacial outburst floods -- jökulhlaups -- during and after the last ice age, when ice dams broke and released enormous volumes of water from the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river system. The horseshoe shape reflects the specific flow patterns of those flood events. Norse legend offers a different explanation: that Ásbyrgi is the hoofprint of Sleipnir, Óðinn's eight-legged horse, left when he touched down from the heavens.
What to see
The canyon floor and Botnstjörn
The canyon floor is accessible from the main car park via well-marked paths. Eyjan -- "The Island" -- is a large rock formation rising from the centre of the canyon, dividing it into two arms and creating the distinctive closed horseshoe shape when viewed from above. At the closed northern end of the canyon, Botnstjörn is a small, calm lake frequented by several species of waterfowl. The walk from the car park to the lake and back takes around one to two hours on flat, easy terrain.
Rim viewpoints
Trails also lead up to the canyon rim, where the horseshoe shape becomes fully apparent. The views from the top show the scale of the canyon and the contrast between the wooded floor and the bare surrounding landscape. These trails involve some steeper sections and take two to four hours depending on the route chosen.
Gljúfrastofa visitor centre
The visitor centre near the canyon entrance has trail maps, current conditions, exhibits on the canyon's geology and wildlife, and clean facilities. It is a useful first stop before heading into the canyon.
Getting there
Ásbyrgi is on Route 85 on the Diamond Circle route in northeast Iceland. From Húsavík it is about 45 minutes east. From Akureyri it is roughly 1.5 hours via Routes 1 and 85. Dettifoss is about an hour to the south, and Ásbyrgi is also the northern trailhead for the 32 km Jökulsárgljúfur canyon hiking trail that leads to Dettifoss.
