Hveragerdi Reykjadalur hot river hike
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 4.69 mi
- Elevation gain
- 873 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 873 ft
- Max elevation
- 954 ft
- TrailRank
-
46
4.9
- Min elevation
- 270 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- 3 hours 22 minutes
- Coordinates
- 848
- Uploaded
- August 12, 2015
- Recorded
- July 2015
near Hveragerði, Suðurland (Lýðveldið Ísland)
Viewed 12971 times, downloaded 615 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
Source: afar.com
ICELANDIC HOT SPRING RIVER HIKE
The town of Hveragerdi, 40 minutes west of Reykjavik is known for it's intense geothermal activity. I read online (thanks wikitravel) that about an hour's hike north of town there was a hot spring river you could bathe in.
The directions were a little misleading as you actually had to drive straight through town past the golf course to the Reykjadalur recreation area, a dirt road marked with a sign. There you drive till you reach the River Varma and the Hot River Café where you'll find a parking lot and several cars. While decently crowded, this is not a major tourist attraction.
The climb is about an hour and it's pretty challenging and almost entirely uphill. You are rewarded with amazing views, waterfalls, and geothermal pools and springs all around.
Towards the end of the hike, just when you're thinking that you took the wrong trail and ready to quit, the trail takes a turn and you're rewarded with a mountain top valley with a spring running through it that is indeed, hot. You'll know it's the right spot because there should be other bather's strewn on the banks or in the dammed pools.
It feels like being in a warm bath of running water and was greatly relaxing
ICELANDIC HOT SPRING RIVER HIKE
The town of Hveragerdi, 40 minutes west of Reykjavik is known for it's intense geothermal activity. I read online (thanks wikitravel) that about an hour's hike north of town there was a hot spring river you could bathe in.
The directions were a little misleading as you actually had to drive straight through town past the golf course to the Reykjadalur recreation area, a dirt road marked with a sign. There you drive till you reach the River Varma and the Hot River Café where you'll find a parking lot and several cars. While decently crowded, this is not a major tourist attraction.
The climb is about an hour and it's pretty challenging and almost entirely uphill. You are rewarded with amazing views, waterfalls, and geothermal pools and springs all around.
Towards the end of the hike, just when you're thinking that you took the wrong trail and ready to quit, the trail takes a turn and you're rewarded with a mountain top valley with a spring running through it that is indeed, hot. You'll know it's the right spot because there should be other bather's strewn on the banks or in the dammed pools.
It feels like being in a warm bath of running water and was greatly relaxing
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Very nice trail as first on Iceland
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Great hike, with a hot bath in the river...just arrive early to be alone
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Super cadre de rando ! Et la fin avec le baignade est super !!
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Easy to follow
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Moderate
Great experience in the snow. Got quite lucky with the weather, clear sky. May be quite tricky if visibility isn't good.