Kolugljúfur
Víðidalur · Canyon & waterfalls
Walk to the viewing platform above a narrow canyon where the Víðidalsá drops over the Kolufossar waterfalls.
- 40 min visit
- 19 km from Hvammstangi as the crow flies
A giantess in the name of the canyon
Kolugljúfur and Kolufossar preserve the name of Kola, a giantess of local tradition.
As the Víðidalsá reaches the gorge, its calmer flow changes into a rush of waterfalls. Their name, Kolufossar, remembers Kola, a giantess; the canyon is called Kolugljúfur. Even before hearing a longer tale, a traveler encounters folklore in the names on the map.
Pause at the viewing platform and consider how a name changes the scene. A narrow canyon becomes a place associated with a character, rather than simply a set of rock walls and falling water. Kola belongs to local tradition, and this short introduction does not claim that a giantess formed the gorge or identify an exact dwelling.
Sources: northiceland.is
