Iceland is a place that’s held my fascination for many years. It’s been on my bucket list as a travel destination. In 2023, I had layovers in the Keflavík Airport on my way to and from Scotland. It felt weird being in Iceland but not leaving the airport, twice. So I decided then that Iceland would be my next international adventure. The question was: “When?”
My buddy Coree asked me if I’d be interested in running an ultramarathon in Wales in June 2024. I thought about it, considered my own race schedule for the year, and checked airfare. I found that a non-stop flight to Iceland was only half the price of flying to the UK for that particular week. So I settled on planning an Iceland vacation, but invited Coree to join me for a few days on his way back from Wales. He ended up skipping that race over an ankle issue, but was still up for flying in from Maine for a few days.
I departed Detroit on June 20 on an overnight flight and got some sleep on the plane. My Iceland adventures began early in the morning on June 21…
Day 1: June 21 (Reykjanes Peninsula, Reykjavík)
I arrived in Iceland at around 6:30am after the 6-hour flight. After going through passport control, baggage claim, and customs, I caught a shuttle to Lava Rental Car Center to pick up the Toyota Aygo X I would be driving around for the rest of the trip. First order of business to was grab a bite to eat, so I stopped at a grocery store in Keflavík for a hot and cheesy chicken pastry thing, a donut, and some sports drinks. Check-in time at my guesthouse was 2pm, so I had about four hours to kill before then.
The morning was cool (about 50 degrees F) and cloudy, but the rain was holding off. Purple lupines bloomed along the streets of Keflavík (an invasive species there, unfortunately, but they were pretty). I was anxious to begin exploring Iceland by foot so I had picked out a trail near the airport, at the west end of the Reykjanes Peninsula, to kick things off. I was the only car to park at the trailhead. My route was a four-mile out-and-back to the Hafnarberg Sea Cliffs. To get to the coast, I followed a black sand trail cut through a relatively flat (by Iceland standards) volcanic landscape. The cliffs were neat, inhabited by sea birds, and I got to sea a cool rock arch as well.
After the sea cliffs run, I drove just a bit down the road for another short run at the Bridge Between Continents, where you can easily walk back-and-forth between the North American Continental Plate and the Eurasian Continental Plate.
I made my way towards Reykjavík, stopping for a tasty vegan sandwich at Brikk Bakery in Hafnarfjörður along the way. After checking in at Igdlo Guesthouse I took a 90-minute nap before venturing out to run the streets of Iceland’s capital city (the most northerly capital city in the world, at latitude 64ºN).
I ran a 10K route that took me past iconic sights like the Hallgrimskirkja (church), Harpa Concert Hall, and Sun Voyager sculpture (all pictured below).
I had booked a professional viking photo shoot with Mink Viking Portrait Studio at 5:30, and that was a cool experience that resulted in some really fun photos.
After the photo shoot I got dinner, a breakfast crepe, at Café Babalú. I ate there three different times on my trip because I liked it so much. Cool atmosphere, great food and caffeinated beverages, and they have their bathroom decked out in Star Wars decorations (with Star Wars music playing non-stop).
I returned to my room at about 8:30pm, showered, and then slept for about 12 hours straight.
Day 2: June 22 (Þingvellir National Park, Kerid Crater, Reykjaladur Geothermal River)
After a good sleep I walked back into the city for another breakfast crepe at Café Babalú before driving to Þingvellir National Park. Like most roadside attractions in Iceland, there was a fee to park but the National Park was otherwise free to visit. I paid the small fee at the terminal (the fee parking lots in Iceland have cameras at the entrance/exit so you just enter your license plate number and tap your credit card to pay).
I started a run activity on my watch and squeezed past other tourists on my way to Öxarárfoss, the waterfall pictured below.
From there I followed a trail through a tight little canyon, dodging puddles as a hopped from rock to rock. This area was used as a filming location for one Game of Thrones episodes, so that was neat.
I completed a 5-mile loop before getting in the car and heading to the next spot.
By the time I reached Kerid Crater, the rain had picked up and I put on my waterproof gear to hike the upper rim of the crater, and then down the slippery stairs to the ring trail around the crater lake. It was cold and windy but contrasting colors of red rock, green moss, and turquoise water really popped.
After Kerid Crater, I found the Þrastalundur restaurant just down the road and stopped in to get out of the weather and enjoy a delicious serving of chicken parmesan alfredo.
After my meal I hiked across the road down this trail to where there were “moss huts” indicated on my Google maps, but when I got there they were not like the online photos as they were very rundown and in the process of being renovated. But the river view and cloud-shrouded mountains were nice to look at!
My next adventure of the day was a short trek to the Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River. Driving into the parking lot took me through a valley where steam vented from the earth, and the first part of the trail passed bubbling mud pots and steaming fumaroles. This trail featured a bit of climbing, about 1,000′ gain over 2.5 miles to the geothermal river. The views of black volcanic rock covered in moss, and waterfalls, were great.
Once I reached the designated hot springs area I had to take a soak! I had work board shorts so I didn’t need to change. I just removed my shoes and socks, shirts, and waded into the pleasantly hot river water.
I didn’t have a towel or change of clothes, but in the Icelandic breeze my shorts had fully during my run back down to the parking lot. I stopped for a dinner of fish and chips at a food court in the nearby village of Hveragerði before returning to Igdlo Guesthouse for the night. I was surprised at how light it stayed, even at midnight. The sun technically set, but the sky stayed bright enough that you never see the stars.
Day 3: June 23 (Reykjavík, Hvammsvík Hot Springs)
My third day in Iceland started earlier, since my buddy Coree was flying in and I had to pick him up at the airport at 8:30am. I met him just outside the baggage claim area and we grabbed coffee and breakfast sandwiches at the cafe there before hitting the road. Coree had recently been a contestant on the show Race to Survive: New Zealand on USA Network and it was fun to hear about his experience since I’ve been watching the show.
I had checked out of Igdlo Guesthouse and I had a reservation at Viðines Guesthouse for the final seven nights of my trip. We couldn’t check in there until 4pm, so Coree and I went downtown for a 10km-ish run through Reykjavík.
After our run we stayed in town to grab coffees and crêpes at Eldur og Ís on Rainbow Street. And then after that we went to Mokka Kaffi across the street for tea and conversation. We wandered around the city to kill time and checked out the Icelandic Phallological Museum. When in Reykjavík…
We checked in at our Viðines Guesthouse at 4pm. It was a good deal for the weekly price, and situated a bit out-of-the-way at the end of a peninsula north of Reykjavík (about 30 minutes drive from the city). It was a converted nursing home with private bedrooms and shared bathrooms and kitchen space. Home for the week. Coree and I joked that it was an asylum. The fact that the sky never got dark made it a lot less creepy than it probably would have been in the dark!
We opted to spend the evening at the Hvammsvík Hot Springs. Just the drive there was beautiful, with the shifting sunlight and shadow and occasional rain showers as the road curved between the sea and mountains. This place had hot springs at different elevations, with the higher ones being really hot and cooler ones closer to the ocean. The lowermost springs actually mingled with the sea water at high tide. A dive into that North Atlantic water made for an invigorating cold plunge between soaks in the hot spring water.
The late evening sunlight painted the surrounding mountains, and it was nice to just sit there and watch the landscape colors change with the passing clouds. We even caught a few full rainbows!
They also had a steam room and non-alcoholic beer/drinks on the menu. Neither Coree nor I drink alcohol so that was nice to see!
We left the hot springs with enough time to make it to Mosó Grill for a quick dinner before their 10pm closing time. When we got back to the guesthouse the sun was still shining bright despite it being nearly 11pm. This is pretty much what Icelandic night looks like from 10pm through 3am, with the sunset merging seamlessly into sunrise without the dark of night between.
Day 4: June 24 (Snæfellsnes Peninsula)
With never-ending daylight there was no urgency to wake up early to get to our trail running adventures. We had a leisurely coffee and breakfast at Mosfellsbakarí in the closest town of Mosfellsbær before we hit the road north to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. The road north led through a 6km-long Hvalfjörður Tunnel underneath the seafloor en route to our destination.
Our first stop was another cafe, for a bathroom break, second cup of coffee, and pastries. On the road again, there was a scenic pulloff spot that we stopped at to snap a picture. We didn’t realize right away that there was a trail down to a cool little waterfall that you can walk behind, so we checked that out.
The Selvallafoss waterfall was a hidden gem along the road. It was sunny but windy when we stopped, and a cold rain started as we were leaving.
The views from the road were amazing. We pulled over at the spot pictured below to take photos of the sun-dappled mountains under ominous clouds.
Our first planned stop of the drive was Kirkjufellsfossar (waterfalls) and iconic view of Kirkjufell Mountain. This is one of the most photographed locations in Iceland and is easily accessible from paved roads.
We then drove to the west end of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, to the parking lot at Saxhóll Crater (literally a volcanic crater with a parking lot that serves as a trailhead for several rustic routes. We donned our running vests and packed layers for a long run here, planning to do an approximately 13-mile loop based off our Gaia and CalTopo maps. We started with a run up the staircase to the top of Saxhóll Crater.
Then we headed up along the trail into the mountains of Snæfellsjökull National Park. It was windy, but the rain held off for the first 90 minutes of our run.
As we climbed higher, the trail on the ground disappeared. We followed the lines on our digital map, but there really isn’t any obvious trail on the landscape. We scrambled up and across a mix of solid rock and loose scree. The views looking back at where we had started, and to the North Atlantic Ocean beyond, were pretty sweet.
We made our way to a ridge and plateau, where the route supposedly wrapped around the back side of the mountains on its way back towards the car park. But when we reached the ridge the wind kicked up to an estimate 35-40 mph and we got hit with heavy rain and pelted with sleet and snow. We made the call to descend the way we’d come and I think we were both pretty happy with that decision.
“It was fun, until it became type-2 fun.”
Fortunately, the rental car had heated seats and we took full advantage of those to warm up and dry off. We stopped at a country club on the drive back and found a delicious buffet dinner that we thoroughly enjoyed.
Day 5: June 25 (Þingvellir National Park, Sky Lagoon Hot Springs)
The following day, Tuesday, had a wetter forecast than Wednesday, so we stayed closer to our lodging and ran at Þingvellir National Park. We ran the same little stretch to Öxarárfoss that I’d done a few days earlier, and then branched out into an extensive trail system laid out in triangles like slices of pie or pizza to complete a trail marathon.
Aside from the occasional fissure in the earth those trails were flat and runnable, albeit a bit slick with mud in spots. It was breezy and we had some on-and-off rain showers, but it was a lot more pleasant to run in than the wild weather we’d experienced the day before at Snæfellsjökull.
My favorite part of this run was coming up to the windy shores of Lake Þingvallavatn. I felt a blend of nostalgia for my 2023 adventures in Scotland with the new experience of being there in Iceland while I gazed out at over the water and listened to the waves lapping the shoreline.
One of the flooded fissures connects to the lake and we ran past a spot where they do SCUBA and snorkel tours. That has to be so cold! When we finished our run I noticed the front half of my right foot was stained in blood. It looked worse than it was, just a minor cut. I fixed it by eating some deydrated salt cod jerky. Yum!
We went to another hot springs for the evening, this time to Sky Lagoon. It’s a spacious artificial springs in Reykjavík built into the side of a cliff, with a geothermal infinity pool overlooking the ocean. They also have a little cold plunge pool, which I dipped in a few times. It was icy cold.
Perhaps the most well-known hot springs in Iceland is the Blue Lagoon, but unfortunately it was closed due to ongoing volcanic eruptions near there and the town of Grindavik, which was closed off to tourists. Our choices of Hvammsvík and Sky Lagoon were both great, though!
We got to catch yet another hot springs rainbow at Sky Lagoon, and enjoyed an hour or two there before heading out to make it to a restaurant before 10pm for dinner. We missed the Mosó Grill by a few minutes so had to settle for KFC, but at least we found some hot food before everything closed for the “night”.
Day 6: June 26 (Seljalandsfoss, Kvernufoss, Skógafoss, Fimmvörðuháls Trail, Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach)
We started our Wednesday with another stop at Mosfellsbakarí before heading east this time, through the town of Selfoss along the southern coast area of Iceland. We stopped at Seljalandsfoss, which is a really fun waterfall with a trail wrapping in underneath and behind it.
A short hike away was the Gljufabrui canyon and waterfall. A unique one, on an island full of waterfalls!
A short drive from there was the destination I’d picked out for our long run. We’d hit two cool waterfalls right by the trailhead, Kvernufoss (the first three photos below) and Skógafoss (another spot featured in a Game of Thrones scene with Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen).
From Skógafoss there is a set of stairs leading to an upper veiwpoint, which connects to Fimmvörðuháls Trail, which you can follow about 50 miles all the way to Landmannalaugar via the famous Laugavegur Trail (they host an epic ultramarathon race on it!). We followed it north past myriad waterfalls and moss-covered canyons for ten miles before turning around and returning the same way for our 20-mile run.
About six miles in, we reached a bridge and left the mossy canyon walls and waterfalls and found ourselves climbing a rocky road through a dense fog. We followed stakes with blue paint for a couple of miles through the limited visibility until the sky became noticeably brighter. I posited that we’d climb above the clouds (“if you don’t like the weather, climb over it”) and perhaps get to see an undercast.
While it wasn’t an undercast, the fog burned or blew off and we to see clear views of snowy mountains emerge.
We made it to the A-frame shelter and consulted our digital maps. We could do a strict out-and-back, or we could attempt a bit of a lollipop route that would take us back to the bridge and river canyon a different way. Looking ahead at the terrain, we decided it could turn into mud and/or postholing so we decided to go back the way we’d come up. The fog had dissipated, even at lower elevations, so we were able to enjoy clear views of the landscape on the way back down to the river.
I held my phone tightly with both hands for this photo!
We finished our amazing run (seriously, I only shared a fraction of the photos I took of this amazing place) at 9pm. Coree looked up dining options and found a crêpes food truck in Vík that was open until 10pm. We had time to get there, and that sounded amazing. I ordered a ham and cheese one.
Because we were on no one’s schedule but our own, we took advantage of the permanent daylight to visit the nearby Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. The “sunset” lighting was beautiful.
This location has also been used as a set for Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and other films. This spot is also known as one of the most dangerous places in Iceland, with dangerous “sneaker waves” that have pulled people to their deaths.
We didn’t leave the beach until about 10:30pm and had a 2.5-hour drive back to the guesthouse. The sky was beautiful, but the sun sat perched on the western horizon (we had to drive west to get back) the entire time. It was the only time in Iceland I would’ve appreciated some more cloud cover.
Day 7: June 27 (Esjurætur; Keflavík; Seltún Geothermal Area; Smáralind Shopping Mall)
Coree had to catch a noon flight home (well, actually to Western States 100 to pace a friend) on Thursday, but we had time (with an early start) to fit in a run partway up Mount Esja on a trail near our guesthouse. It was memorable for all the purple lupines and the morning sun over the bay, looking back to Reykjavík. I struggled to hold pace with Coree on the way up, but I held my own as we flew down the rocky descent.
I dropped Coree off at the airport and headed into Keflavík for a slice of carrot cake and a cappuccino at Kökulist Bakery. My body was calling for an easier day, and I was good with limiting my windshield time, so I found some easy spots to check out and hike between the airport and Reykjavík.
The spot above is a roadside pull-off spot with a view of the lake Kleifarvatn. The next two photos below are from a short hike through the Seltún Geothermal Area, and the church below those is Krýsuvíkurkirkja.
After this easy afternoon adventure I went to a shopping mall in the city, which was about as 180-degree difference in human experience as you can get from running from 40 mile-per-hour winds and the driving sleet atop a volcanic mountain at Snæfellsjökull. I perused a bookstore and ate crêpes, again, before holing up back at Viðines Guesthouse to catch up on social media and sleep. I made ramen noodles for dinner there and went to bed early.
Day 8: June 28 (Skógafoss; Vatnajökull National Park; Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon; Höfn)
I had two full days left in Iceland, and I debated with myself between driving six hours each way to Höfn or staying closer and avoiding so much driving time (and fuel costs – gas in Iceland is not cheap!). I made the right decision. I drove east.
Before hitting the road I ate a breakfast of granola and skyr (Icelandic yoghurt) at the communal kitchen and then I stopped at a gas station in the town of Hella, for coffee and Collab drinks (Coree and I polished off dozens of these during the week).
I also revisited Skógafoss to stretch my legs and snap a few more pictures. Once I drove east past Vík (after a stop at the crêpe shack yet again) it was all-new scenery for me, so that was exciting. A moody drizzle fell on a landscape of volcanic rock covered in eerie-pale gray-green moss. To fit the mood, I streamed The Witcher soundtrack for the drive.
I stopped at the little water closet pictured above for a bathroom break. There was a group of cyclists camping out in tents in the top portion. A few miles down the road, I stopped at a couple of spots for short runs (1, 2) in the unique landscape.
From there on, the wind was so extreme that I was going under the posted speed limit with mild concern that a gust could push the car off the road. The cars in front of me were visibly leaning on their suspensions from the push of wind, which the road signs had at up to 48 mph. Perhaps another hour down east, I pulled over for another brief run at this mountain called Lómagnúpur.
And then another run a few miles later…
Those snow-capped mountains and glaciers are part of Vatnajökull National Park. I parked at the Skaftafell area and from the same trailhead logged two very different runs in different directions.
First, I ran to the Skaftafell Glacier. It was more sheltered than the road I had been driving but still windy, and getting windier by the minute. Probably gusting over 35 mph. But it was dry, and I had my layers on for it. The approach trail was stunning!
And the views of the glacier were really cool. My first good look at a glacier since I was in New Zealand way back in 2006.
My second run there was a climb up a wide, well-maintained trail through shrubs to Svartifoss. This waterfall was on my Iceland bucket list due to the unique basalt columns. The trail to get there was a good one, too, and it required a bit of work to reach so that added something to the experience.
I had a room booked at Höfn HI Hostel for the night, but check-in was 4pm-9pm so I had to make sure I got there in time to secure my place to stay (and also to find food in that small town). So, I told myself “no more stops today”. If I saw anything cool, I would be driving through the next day on my way back and could check it out then.
But. Then. I. Saw. This.
The lighting was too good at the Diamond Beach/Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon to pass up a stop. I logged a one-mile photography run there and stood in awe for a few moments at the colors in the sky, on the ice bergs, and on the mountains. What a neat location!
The light and shadows on the mountains were pretty amazing. I only snapped a couple of pictures but the whole hour-long drive from the glacier lagoon to Höfn featured views that had me awestruck.
I reached Höfn in time to check in for my room (I still had my room at Víðines Guesthouse but it had been cheaper to book 7 nights than 6 so getting the second room in Höfn was essentially a wash). Höfn is a cool little village with amazing views of the mountains on three sides, the Atlantic Ocean to the other.
I had a burger and fries at the N1 gas station grill for dinner, and it was actually pretty good.
Day 9: June 29 (Viking Village – Vestrahorn; Long drive back to Reykjavík)
I started my final full day in Iceland with a visit to the Viking Village on the Stokksnes Peninsula just east of Höfn. This place was built as a movie set and has been featured in a few viking/fantasy films and shows. I had a waffle and coffee at the cafe before touring the village and surrounding area via a run.
The viking village is nestled in the shadow of the mountain Vestrahorn, pictured below. There is a flat expanse of firm black volcanic sand that was inundated with just a half inch of water, allowing one to run or hike through it without getting too wet. The photographic draw of this is that the shallow water creates some fantastic reelections of the sky and mountains, even if there’s a bit of wind. Running those flooded flats and admiring the mountain scenery was a highlight of my trip.
After getting my fill of the viking village area, I hit the road back west. I had to time constraints, so I stopped a few times to take photos or run some more.
I stopped on the other side of the Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon for a run (in my Oofos recovery slides) and to take some more photos in different lighting conditions. I’m glad I stopped there twice, as it looked so much different in the middle of the day.
I also stopped in Vík for dinner (I lost track of time and never ate lunch) at the Ice Cave Bistro and a run along the Vikurfjara Black Sand Beach and then up to the Vík i Myrdal Church and Cemetary Vík.
I jammed to the soundtracks of Skyrim and Game of Thrones on my last drive back to Viðines Guesthouse.
Day 10: June 30 (Reykjavík; Travel Home)
I had an afternoon flight back to Detroit, so I had time to drive into the city for one last run in Reykjavík, and one last meal at Café Babalú. This time I got a savory breakfast crêpe AND a sweet chocolate banana crêpe (are you crêped out by how many crêpes I ate?). I ended the run in a nice little city park and then drove the 40 minutes to the airport and returned the rental car and it I was on my way back to Michigan!
Iceland is high on the list of most scenic places I’ve ever been. It was an all-around great trip and I’m glad I packed a lot in (including 108 miles of running/hiking and 18,441′ elevation gain per my Coros Vertix 2).
Special thanks to Coree for joining me for a few days! I enjoyed exploring Iceland with you! Special shoutout also to my friends that have traveled to Iceland before: Jenna, Kara, Aly, and Bo, whom shared some tips and things not-to-miss that helped make this adventure so wonderful!