Grabrok Crater

Grabrok is the largest of three craters strung along one short volcanic fissure. It formed about 3,400 years ago in an eruption of the Ljósufjöll system and stands roughly 170 metres above the lava field it produced. A stepped path climbs the outer wall to the rim, and the top gives a full 360-degree panorama: moss-covered lava in every direction, mountains on the horizon, and the wide Borgarfjörður landscape beyond them. In summer the lava field is green with moss and purple with lupine. Birds are all over the slopes. The climb is short for the size of the view, which is why the crater has become a standard stop on the West Iceland drive.

• No facilities: no toilets, drinking water or information point are mapped within 5 km of the crater.
• Wind: the summit is fully exposed. Bring a windproof coat; the top is cold and windy.
• With children: the wooden stairs and the clear path make this a realistic climb for families.
• Weather: the view is the whole point of the climb, and in low cloud there is nothing to see from the rim.

Grabrok stands beside the Ring Road in West Iceland, and visitors reach it by car. No bus runs to the crater itself. The last stretch is on foot: a made path leads to the base of the crater, then climbs the outer slope on wooden stairs that run all the way to the rim. The path is clear from end to end, and the climb is the only demanding part of the visit.

Better: summer, when the lava field is green with moss and the lupine is in flower.

Avoid: days of strong wind — the rim is bare and there is no shelter anywhere on the climb.

The reason to come here is the panorama from the top, and the weather decides whether there is one. On a clear day the view reaches the mountains behind Borgarfjörður.