Fagradalsfjall (Geldingadalir) Volcano and Langihryggur 296 m/ 971′
International– Iceland
Total Time: 3:00
Distance: 10.1 km/ 6.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 457 meters/ 1500′
Crux: Class 2
Trailhead: Road 427, fee of 1500 krs, no services.
On March 19, 2021 after a flurry of earthquakes measuring up to 5.7, Iceland’s newest volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula began erupting. The volcano is an effusive volcano with the magma oozing from the volcano crater, compared to an explosive volcano with more violent eruptions. The Reykjanes Penninsula and Fagradalsfjall volcano is just a short drive from the Iceland capitol of Reykjavik and even closer to the international airport in Keflavik, making this an instant tourist attraction. And with Iceland one of the few countries allowing vaccinated US tourists and my first international trip since Nepal at the end of 2018, seeing the volcano in person was at the top of our to do list. From our hotel in Reykjavik, it was a 50 minute drive to the trailhead, a volcanic stone lot that had been bulldozed since the eruption began 3 months prior. There were three established trails to view the volcano. “Trail A” had recently been wiped out by lava and was no longer an option. “Trail B” was a steep path that climbed onto a ridgeline above an west of the volcano, and was the plan for the ascent. “Trail C” went up to the edge of the lava field but did not have a view of the crater, and I thought it would only be a worthwhile visit if time allowed. There were very few cars in the lot starting out which I attributed to the early hour, the Icelandic Coast Guard not even out directing hikers yet.
The trailhead sign gave a list of warnings that honestly could have been significantly longer considering we were walking towards an actively erupting volcano. Following the well graded dirt road along trail B, we quickly reached a junction and found a trail closure sign although no explanation as to why. I had checked the government website the day before and Trail B was supposedly open. I wondered if the sign was up when the Coast Guard was not present to discourage people from getting too close without supervision?
Regardless, we had no intention of going beyond the closed sign in such a dangerous place, and turned right onto a connector trail to take me to Trail C. This wound around the south side of Borgarfjall and brought us quickly to the toe of the lava flow. Although there was no glowing lava and it looked solidified, there were many areas smoldering and smoking.
To my right, I could see a few people on the ridgeline above, and with a helicopter circling the smoke emitting from the crater, I figured the higher vantage might offer a glimpse into the crater itself. There was a very well worn use trail up the ridgeline and a quick chat with a descending group confirmed you could see the active crater at the summit of the ridgeline. It was about halfway up when the crater itself came into view and I witnessed my first small eruption of the day, the orange lava crashing like waves over the rim of the crater and flowing into a valley to the west.
As we climbed higher to the summit, the crater would intermittently erupt, spewing lava for 30-60 seconds, then smoldering for 8-12 minutes before another mini eruption would begin. There was a small communications tower at the summit of the ridgeline, and we continued past towards the saddle between Langihryggr and Stori Hrutur to get an even closer look at the eruption. We stopped on a rock a few hundred feet above the saddle and watched a series of eruptions.
A person on an ATV drove to the saddle below while we were watching, likely the coast guard stationing themselves there to block anyone from getting any closer.
Although the crater was probably about a mile away, you could still hear the lava with even small eruptions, sounding almost like waves crashing onto the shore. The wind was at our back all morning, optimal conditions to avoid breathing any toxic gases, although the air still smelled like fireworks. We watched for about 40 minutes before the cold wind and impending flight home forced us to retrace my steps back down the ridgeline.
Although there had been only about 30 people taking photos when I arrived, I passed several hundred people on the descent, some seeming very ill prepared for the harsh wind and steep terrain on the ridgeline. We stopped at the toe of the lava for a few final photos of the lava before continuing to the car.
Approaching the closure, it was easy enough to cut cross country at the connector trail towards the lot directly reaching the car about 3 hours from starting out, a little over 1 hour hiking each way with an hour of watching the eruptions along the ridgeline proper.