Kaldalón is a lagoon in the Westfjords of Iceland, where a valley running down from Drangajökull meets the sea. Meltwater from the ice cap reaches the lagoon through a wide, braided river, and suspended rock flour keeps the water pale rather than clear. The valley behind is a glacial trough, with moraine ridges on the floor and birch and willow scrub on the lower slopes. The name means cold lagoon.
Kaldalón
The composer Sigvaldi Kaldalóns took his surname from this valley, where he worked as the district doctor.
- Entrance
- Free
- Accessibility
- Limited — remote gravel road; rough, boggy ground by the lagoon
- Parking
- Free — pull-offs along Road 635
- Difficulty
- Easy roadside view; a long hike toward the glacier
- Transport
- Self-drive — gravel Road 635 (Snæfjallastrandarvegur)
- Address
- Kaldalón, Ísafjarðardjúp
What makes it special
The draw is the glacier. Drangajökull lies above the head of the valley, and Kaldalón is where its meltwater reaches the sea. The river arrives in braided channels across gravel flats, and it shifts course from year to year. The water carries rock flour ground from the bedrock, so it runs pale and opaque rather than clear. The valley behind the lagoon is a glacial trough: steep walls, a flat floor, moraine ridges left as the ice retreated. Birch and willow scrub covers the lower slopes, kept low by the wind. Fresh water and seawater mix in the lagoon, and waders feed on the flats.
Good to know
- Free and always open — just a valley, with no gate, ticket or facilities.
- Access is by gravel Road 635 — remote, with almost no phone signal; drive with care and save it for summer.
- The lagoon carries glacial silt, and the ground near the water can be soft and boggy — wear proper boots.
- Never walk onto Drangajökull itself without a guide. Look at the glacier from the valley floor.
Things to do nearby
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Kaldalón on the map
Never set out onto Drangajökull without a guide — its crevasses are deadly — and keep off the soft glacial silt near the lagoon; the gravel road is remote, with little phone signal.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Kaldalón?
A glacial lagoon in the Westfjords of Iceland, at the mouth of a valley that runs down from the Drangajökull ice cap. Fresh meltwater and seawater mix in it.What does the name mean?
Cold lagoon, in Icelandic. The cold comes from the glacial river that feeds it.Which glacier feeds the lagoon?
Drangajökull, the northernmost ice cap in Iceland. It sits inland from the lagoon, above the head of the valley.Why is the water pale and cloudy?
Rock flour. The glacier grinds the bedrock to a fine powder, the river carries it down, and it stays suspended in the water.