Ok volcano from Húsafell, Iceland (08-03-18)
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 17.02 mi
- Elevation gain
- 4,806 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 4,806 ft
- Max elevation
- 3,901 ft
- TrailRank
- 46
- Min elevation
- 358 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- 6 hours 29 minutes
- Coordinates
- 23358
- Uploaded
- April 20, 2018
- Recorded
- March 2018
near Ás, Vesturland (Lýðveldið Ísland)
Viewed 2429 times, downloaded 63 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
The Ok is a typical shield volcano with a very wide base compared to its height. This basically means that you have to walk a lot to get to the top, although the slopes are normally very gentle. The steepest part of this route is actually the first slope you see from the bottom of the Húsafell valley, in which you hike up one third of the route´s elevation gain in just 2 km. In this first part you can take any of the two paths on both sides of the small canyon (in winter is better to take the left one). From the top of that first slope the slopes are much less steep, so you need to walk another 10 km to hike up the other two thirds of the route´s elevation gain. The second part of the route is just a straight line up with only one remarkable point: a series of lagoons located around one kilometer after the top of the first slope (see waypoint on the map). On the summit of this volcano you will see the remains of a double crater. Locals like to go up to this mountain by 4x4 or ATV.
The only things to be concerned with on this route are, first, that this mountain has generally bad weather conditions (very strong wind and fog are very common here), and second, there can be a lot of ice during the autumn, winter and spring.
The Ok was considered as the smallest glacier in Iceland until few years ago. Now scientists have taken its glacier title because the ice cap on the top doesn’t meet the conditions for being considered as a glacier anymore, i.e., to move downwards by its own weight and that there is ice cap from winter to winter.
The only things to be concerned with on this route are, first, that this mountain has generally bad weather conditions (very strong wind and fog are very common here), and second, there can be a lot of ice during the autumn, winter and spring.
The Ok was considered as the smallest glacier in Iceland until few years ago. Now scientists have taken its glacier title because the ice cap on the top doesn’t meet the conditions for being considered as a glacier anymore, i.e., to move downwards by its own weight and that there is ice cap from winter to winter.
Waypoints
Lake
1,709 ft
Summit
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