Fjaðrárgljúfur

Useful Information

Location:	Route 206. Follow Ring Road 1, west of Kirkjubæjarklaustur the gravel road Route 206 Holtsvegur leads to the parking lot and trailhead. (63.7725995, -18.1737214)
Open:	no restrictions. [2026]
Fee:	free, Parking ISK 1000. [2026]
Classification:	Gorge
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided, L=2 km, D=45 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Fjaðrárgljúfur, Route 206, Tel: +354-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

2015	Justin Bieber uses the gorge as location for the music video of the song I’ll Show You.
MAY-2019	canyon closed by the authorities because of damages caused by the big number of visitors.

Description

Fjaðrárgljúfur is a 1 km long canyon which is rather wide compared to most slot canyons we have listed, but nevertheless it has vertical walls whih are up to 100 m high. Unlike the Klammen in the Alps, there is no trail through the gorge, the trail runs along the gorge on the eastern side on the plateau. As the cliffs are vertical and the plateau surrounding the gorge is grasland, the trail offers great views on the gorge. The hike is about 2 km to the northern end of the trail and back, so you should probably plan about 45 minutes for the visit. The trail is mostly level and considered easy and family-friendly.

Fjaðrárgljúfur translates Canyon of the Fjaðrá river. This river springs in the highland and is a tributary of Skaftá, which flows from the Vatnajokull glacier to the sea. The pages on the internet, including Wikipedia, generally tell the gorge is a mile or two kilometer long, but that’s actually exaggerated. The deep part of the gorge is only a little longer than the trail which is a little less than 1 km long, as a view on a map easily shows. Like most gorges listed here it is a direct result of the Ice Ages. At the end of each ice age the glaciers melt and thus produce an enormous amount of melting water, which flows in high amounts and with great energy downhill. It cuts fast and deep into hills blocking its way. This erosion is quite fast and so it’s quite likely that the 100 m deep gorge was formed at the end of the last ice age some 10,000 years ago in less than a thousand years. Nevertheless, erosion is still ongoing, just in a much smaller amount.

The site is under nature protection, so it’s allowed to visit it on the trail, but not to leave the trail. There are huge numbers of visitors, which is the result of a Justin Bieber video. In 2015, he filmed scenes for the video "I’ll Show You" here and on other locations on Iceland. When the video was published the number of visitors exploded. This was further pushed by the appearance of the gorge in Game of Thrones Season 8 in April 2019. In May 2019, the canyon was temporarily closed to visitors, because the huge number threatened to damage the canyon’s environment. At that time the trail was actually a footpath in the gras. Obviously the enormous visitor numbers ended with the Corona pandemic, and today the Justin Bieber effect has mostly faded away. The trail was renovated and has now clearly marked walking paths, viewing platforms, and rope barriers.