Ófærufoss

Highlands

Ófærufoss drops roughly 40 meters in two tiers inside Eldgjá, a volcanic fissure canyon cut into the Highlands south of Mýrdalsjökull. What makes the site notable is partly an absence: until the early 1990s a stone arch spanned the canyon between the two falls. The arch collapsed through frost-shattering and erosion, and the open gorge it left is dramatic in its own right. Eldgjá was formed by a massive eruption dated to around 939 CE, one of the most voluminous lava-producing events of the last two thousand years. The canyon runs roughly 40 kilometers and reaches around 270 meters deep. The walk from the roadside parking area to the viewpoint at the base of the falls takes 30 to 40 minutes each way on a marked trail across mossy lava. The only practical access is via F-road F208 through the Highlands, requiring a 4x4 and passable only from roughly July through September. Check road conditions at road.is before setting out — snow closes the route early and late in the season. Budget around 90 minutes on site to walk in, view the canyon, and return.

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