Hengifoss trailhead and waterfall hike
Fljótsdalur · Waterfall hike from parking
Arrive at the marked parking and service centre, then follow the signed uphill trail toward Litlanesfoss and Hengifoss. Allow about 2½ hours for the return walk and stops; ask locally about trail conditions.
- 2 hr 30 min visit
- 31 km from Egilsstaðir as the crow flies
Read the red lines in the cliff
The red bands around Hengifoss sit between successive lava layers, turning the gorge into a visible geological sequence.
Hengifoss draws the eye upward, but pause to look sideways at the cliff. Red layers interrupt the darker lava strata around the waterfall. The alternating bands show that the rock face has a history in layers; it was not created as one uniform mass.
The walk also passes Litlanesfoss, where basalt columns give the same gorge a different kind of pattern. Compare the horizontal bands above with the upright columns below. Both reward a slower look as much as the waterfalls themselves. Use the maintained hiking paths and the service centre for local information; this is a walking visit rather than a waterfall directly beside the car park.
Sources: east.is, checkit.is, openstreetmap.org, openstreetmap.org
