Hverfjall Crater

Local name: Hverfjall

The eruption that built Hverfjall about 2,500 years ago scattered tephra across the whole Mývatn area, and a landslide broke the south side of the ring while it was still going.

Hverfjall is a tuff ring volcano in Northeast Iceland, on the east side of Lake Mývatn. It formed about 2,500 years ago in an eruption on the southern part of the Krafla fissure swarm, and the crater it left is roughly 1 km across, with a high point of 452 m. Tephra from that eruption is spread across the whole Mývatn area. Two paths climb to the rim, one from the northwest and one from the south, and a trail runs around the full circle.

Hiking Volcano crater

Parking: Paid asphalt car park about 540 m from the crater; 1,200 ISK for the day in 2026. A second car park lies about 1.2 km away.
Difficulty: A climb on foot to the rim at 452 m, steep in places, on one of the two permitted paths. A trail then runs around the full crater, roughly 1 km wide.
Transport: Nearest bus stop: Mývatn – Reykjahlíð, about 4 km from the crater.
Address: Hverfjall, 660 Mývatn

What makes it special

Hverfjall is a tuff ring roughly a kilometre across, and the point of coming is that you can walk the whole rim. The path climbs from the plain onto a ridge of dark tephra, then follows the edge right around the bowl. From up there the view works in two directions at once: down into the empty crater, and out over Mývatn and the lava fields around it. Photographs flatten the place — the scale only registers when you are standing on the edge.

The circle is not quite complete. A landslide tore out part of the south side during the eruption itself, and the gap in the ring is still there.

Good to know

Wind: The rim is exposed and the wind is often strong. Bring a windproof layer — on a bad day you will not last a minute at the top.
Toilets: There is a heated toilet near the car park, and it is free to use.
Water: There is no drinking water at the crater or anywhere nearby. Fill your bottles before you drive out.
Low cloud: The climb is worth it for the view and little else. In thick cloud there is nothing to see from the rim.

Getting there

No bus stops at the crater, and the nearest stop is some 4 km away, so in practice you arrive by car. The asphalt car park sits about 540 m from the crater; a second car park lies about 1.2 km out. Information boards stand at the start of the climb. From there the northwest path goes up to the rim, and it is steep in places. The other permitted route up starts on the south side.

Best time to visit

Better: a calm, clear day. Avoid: windy weather.

Wind decides everything here. The rim is exposed on every side and strong wind is common; when it blows, staying at the top for even a minute is hard work and the loop stops being worth walking. Clear air matters just as much, because the reward is the view down into the crater and out across Mývatn.

Access & restrictions

Only two routes lead up to the rim: one from the northwest, one from the south. Using any other line, in ascent or descent, is strictly forbidden. Plan the visit as a climb on one of the two paths, a loop along the rim, and a descent by a permitted route — not a shortcut straight down the outer slope.

Sun & daylight

CaveHot Spring

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