Blue Lake

Blue Lake is a small geothermal pool in the Bjarnarflag field, set beside the Ring Road just east of Reykjahlíð in the Mývatn area of northeast Iceland. Its milky-blue glow comes from silica and dissolved minerals scattering the light; up close, the water is nearly white. This is no safe lagoon — it is scalding, drawn from deep boreholes by the geothermal power station next to it. Pull in for a quick roadside photo; for an actual soak, the Mývatn Nature Baths are only minutes away.