Hvannagil Canyon

Hvannagil is a rhyolite gorge on the east bank of the glacial river Jökulsá í Lóni, in the Lónsöræfi highlands where the Eastfjords give way to the southeast. Volcanic heat and iron oxide have banded the rock in red, yellow and orange, and erosion has cut the soft rhyolite into ridges and pillars — the palette that draws crowds to Landmannalaugar, here almost empty. It is the goal of a day hike from Stafafell, an old farm and hostel off the Ring Road in the Lón valley between Djúpivogur and Höfn.