Northern Iceland is a dream for the adventurous traveler (well, really Iceland as a whole, to be honest!). The Hverfjall crater, or Hverfjall volcano, in northern Iceland gives people the chance to walk the rim of an ancient volcano. It is one of the best preserved ancient volcanoes you can see today. Walking the rim of this huge crater gives visitors a sense of the immense size and dramatic explosion that must have occured when the crater was created between 2,500 and 2,900 years ago.
The Hverfjall Crater
The Hverfjall, or Hverfell, crater is the remnants of a volcano that erupted approximately 2,500 years ago. At that time, there was a shallow lake that covered the entire area. There was a very large but brief explosion and the lava mixed with the water from the lake. It also formed the crater as we see it today with its black ash and gravel. The Hverfjall crater is located within the Krafla fissure zone, a caldera that extends 10 km wide by 90 km in length. Also located within the Krafla caldera are Lake Mývatn and the Dimmuborgir lava fields.
At the top, the Hverfjall volcano is almost a mile wide, or 1.6 km and from the ground surface, it is approximately 650 feet, or 200 meters tall. A landslide that occurred during the eruption along the southern portion of the volcano has distorted the shape of the crater so that it’s not a perfect cone.
Hiking
There is a hiking trail along the top of the crater that encircles the entire cone proving visitors with a breathtaking view of the volcano itself and the stark surroundings. There are two access points that take you to the top. One trail leads from the designated Hverfjall volcano parking area, and the second from the Dimmuborgir lava fields. This hike should take you between an hour to an hour and a half from start to finish.
Where is it located?
The Hverfjall crater is located on northern Iceland just east of Lake Mývatn and northeast of the Dimmuborgir lava fields. It is about an hour and a half drive from Akureyri along road 848 off of Road 1.