Asbyrgi is a horseshoe-shaped glacial canyon in Northeast Iceland, part of Vatnajökull National Park and a stop on the Diamond Circle road. It runs about 3.5 km from end to end and over 1 km across, walled by cliffs up to 100 metres high. A rock formation called Eyjan splits it down the middle. The floor carries birch and willow woodland and the small lake Botnstjörn. Catastrophic floods from the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum cut the canyon out; the river now runs about 2 km to the east.
Asbyrgi Canyon
Local name: Ásbyrgi
The canyon is nicknamed Sleipnir's footprint: legend has Odin's eight-legged horse setting one hoof down here, leaving a horseshoe 3.5 km long.
- Parking
- Free car park at the visitor centre by the entrance. A second, small car park sits inside the canyon near the lake, reached by a road into the canyon.
- Difficulty
- Marked paths run across the flat canyon floor. A separate trail climbs the cliffside to the rim, up to 100 metres above the floor, and follows it to the head of the canyon.
- Transport
- No public transport: no bus stop within 5 km. Access is by car, off Route 861.
- Address
- Ásbyrgi, 671
What makes it special
Two different walks fit inside one canyon. The floor is wooded — birch and willow, with spruce, larch and pine planted between 1947 and 1977. Marked paths lead through it to Botnstjörn, a small lake clear enough to watch Arctic char swimming. The other walk is above. A trail climbs the cliffside and follows the rim to the head of the canyon, looking straight down onto the trees and the water. Between the two runs Eyjan, a rock formation 25 metres high that splits Asbyrgi down the middle for more than half its length. The walls reach 100 metres and they carry sound: birds nest on the cliffs above the lake, and the calls come back across the forest floor.
Good to know
- Toilets: free, at the visitor centre by the entrance and at the car park beside the lake inside the canyon.
- Water: bring your own — there is no drinking water point at the canyon.
- Two walks, not one: the view down into Asbyrgi comes from the rim trail above the cliffs, not from the canyon floor.
- Wildlife: Arctic char swim in Botnstjörn, and birds nest on the cliffs that bend around it.
Getting there
Asbyrgi lies off Route 861, on the Diamond Circle road about 38 km east of Húsavík. There is no bus stop within 5 km, so the approach is by car. The visitor centre stands at the entrance, and a handful of trails into the canyon start from there. A second road runs into the canyon itself and ends at a small car park near the lake at the southern end. From that car park the lake is a short walk.
Best time to visit
Better: summer, when the birch and willow woodland is in leaf and birds are nesting on the cliffs above Botnstjörn.
Avoid: treating the car park by the lake as the whole visit — the wide view comes from the rim, and the climb up the cliffside is a separate walk.
Asbyrgi is quiet. Sound carries off the 100-metre walls, and bird calls come back across the forest floor.
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Asbyrgi Canyon on the map
The rim trail runs along the top of cliffs up to 100 metres high, with the drop going straight down to the canyon floor. Keep well back from the edge.
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Frequently asked questions
How big is Asbyrgi?
About 3.5 km long and over 1 km wide, with cliffs up to 100 metres high. Eyjan, a rock formation 25 metres high, divides the canyon down the middle for more than half its length.How was the canyon formed?
Most likely by catastrophic glacial flooding of the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum after the last ice age — first 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, then again about 3,000 years ago. The river has since changed course and now runs about 2 km to the east.Can you drive into the canyon?
Yes. A road enters Asbyrgi and ends at a small car park near the lake at the southern end, so the lake is a short walk from the car.Where is the view over the canyon from?
From the rim. A trail climbs the cliffside and follows the top to the head of the canyon, with views down onto the forested floor and the lake. Eyjan, the rock formation in the middle, also opens up a wide view.Is there public transport to Asbyrgi?
No. There is no bus stop within 5 km of the canyon, and visitors arrive by car. Asbyrgi lies off Route 861, about 38 km east of Húsavík.