Hopsnes Lighthouse

Local name: Hópsnesviti

The remains of the trawler Hrafn Sveinbjarnarson III, aground on 12 February 1988, lie near the lighthouse — one of many groundings on this stretch of coast.

Hopsnes Lighthouse is a bright orange light on a headland outside Grindavík, on the Reykjanes coast of Iceland. It marks the treacherous approach to Grindavík harbour. A rough single-lane road loops around the headland, past lava fields, black rock and the remains of ships that ran aground here. Roadside signs set out what happened to each of them. The tower is closed, so the visit is a slow drive with stops on foot rather than a climb.

Lighthouse

Accessibility: No wheelchair-accessible parking and no wheelchair-accessible entrance.
Parking: Free. Two car parks are mapped about 1.4 km and 1.9 km away; pull-offs with benches along the loop road are closer.
Difficulty: Driving access, with walks on foot from roadside pull-offs. The ground is rough lava, and the descent to the water is difficult.
Transport: No bus stop within 5 km. Access is by car.
Hours: Open 24 hours, every day.
Address: Hópsnes, 241 Grindavík

What makes it special

The lighthouse is the marker, but the wrecks are the reason to drive out here. Signs along the loop road describe one grounding after another, and the striking thing is how many happened in the same place within a short span of time. The trawler Hrafn Sveinbjarnarson III went aground on 12 February 1988, and what is left of it lies near the lighthouse. Older structures stand along the route, including a building that has lost its roof. The tower is a hard orange against black lava and grey water, and since you cannot go inside, the photograph is the point. Pull-offs with benches let you leave the car and walk out over the rock. The sea itself stays out of reach: getting down to the water from here is tough.

Good to know

The road is rough. The loop is mostly single-lane and very rough. A 4WD is the sensible choice; in a 2WD car, take it very slowly.
The tower is closed. It can be seen and photographed from outside, but there is no access inside.
No facilities. No toilets and no drinking water are mapped within 5 km of the lighthouse.
No bus. There is no bus stop within 5 km either; the only way here is by car.
The shore is awkward. The ground between the road and the beach is rough, and the descent to the water is difficult.

Getting there

No public transport comes out to Hopsnes Lighthouse, so the drive is the only way in. The road around the headland is mostly one lane and very rough, and it wants to be driven slowly whatever the car; a 4WD makes it easier. Several pull-offs with benches sit along the way, and you leave the car at one of them and walk from there. Two free car parks are mapped further back, about 1.4 km and 1.9 km from the lighthouse. Allow around an hour for the wrecks, the old buildings and the lighthouse itself.

Best time to visit

Better: dry weather and daylight. The shipwreck signs are read from the road, and the walking beyond the pull-offs is over rough lava.

Avoid: wet or icy conditions on the track. One visitor found sections of it dicey to drive in March.

The site is open around the clock and stays quiet, so road surface matters more here than time of day. This is not a place that fills up, and there is no queue to beat.

Sun & daylight

Hiking

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Stafnes Lighthouse