Rauðfeldsgjá Saga

West

Rauðfeldsgjá is a narrow crack in Botnsfjall mountain on the southern Snæfellsnes Peninsula — wide enough to walk into but tight enough that the walls close in almost immediately. A stream runs along the floor and mossy basalt rises steeply on both sides. The first section of the canyon is manageable without gear; going deeper requires climbing over wet rocks, and the water deepens as you go. Waterproof boots and a headlamp are worth having, and it is not a place to enter when water levels look high. The name comes from the Saga of Bárður Snæfellsás. According to the tale, Rauðfeldur and his brother Sölvi sent Bárður's daughter drifting toward Greenland on an iceberg. Bárður — a half-troll guardian of the peninsula — threw Rauðfeldur into this gorge and hurled his brother off a nearby cliff, Sölvahamar. The landscape here is layered with these kinds of saga associations. The gorge is just off Route 574, a few kilometres from Arnarstapi, about 2.5 hours from Reykjavík. Parking is a short walk from the entrance and entry is free.

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