“I am not going to be dramatic about this or make a big deal out of this, but this is as far as I want to go. You can continue on if you want, I will wait here, with this fantastic view.” – Things Said on the Glymur Waterfall Hike in Iceland
Is the calmness with which I shared that with Mr. Family Trip while on our recent trip to Iceland the sign of maturity in our marriage (we were, after all, hiking on the day of our 16th wedding anniversary), a pearl of newfound wisdom in me, or an unbelievable happiness to be on the rock-strewn, narrow path I’d just climbed? At the time, I was looking at Iceland’s second tallest waterfall.
Either way, I knew that I was done with the elevation gain.
While no stranger to strenuous adventure hiking (and, well, general hiking) I found the Glymur Waterfall hike to be a mental game. While I was thoroughly happy with where I was at that moment (How could I not be? Look at those views!), I had no desire to continue even further up, exposed on a precipice, only to have to find some way to fjord glacial water at the top.
So, I sat down, smiling, and calmly made myself known. Mr. Family Trip sat down next to me, more than willing to continue but also pleased with where we were, all things considered.
Given my pronouncement and the fact that I stopped early – I know you are asking if you should do this hike, or if you can trust my review.
And, of course, my answer is YES. Do the Glymur Waterfall Hike. And YES, we still spent hours experiencing this hike and are avid outdoors adventurers as a general rule.
But this was a beautiful hike from start to finish. It took us to an area of Iceland that felt precious and untouched (quite a different vibe from the Golden Circle drive.)
If you’re going to hike Glymur Waterfall, there are some things to know.
What to Know About Hiking the Glymur Waterfall Trail in Iceland
Table of Contents
Overview of the Hike
Glymur Waterfall Hike Stats and Quick Look:
- The top sits at 1300 ft.
- The loop is 4.1 miles (although, as we did, you can do an out-and-back at whatever distance you want and still enjoy).
- It is just over an easy hour’s drive from Reykjavik.
- This is Moderately Challenging: The inclines are steep but well-maintained, wires and ropes help. But the height and the closeness to the edge are more challenging, in my opinion.
- Start and end in the Glymur Waterfall parking lot (Google Maps was accurate for us).
- Plan 3 hours, regardless of whether you do the loop or an out-and-back.
Links, Maps and Decisions
The Glymur Waterfall Hike is a short drive from Reykjavik and we drove part of the Golden Circle. Google Maps took us where we wanted to be without any problems. We found the drive beautiful in and of itself.
At some point during this hike, you’re going to have to make a decision: do the full 4.1-mile loop or go up (as far as you want), then back down the way you came.
There are five waypoints (clearly marked) on the way up. Number five is the highest and the top of the waterfall.
There are two river crossings if you do a full loop. The one to cross the river at the top is a fjording – no set trail, no guide wire. Just wade across either in bare feet or water shoes (we did not do this).
Regardless of which option you choose, the first river crossing comes very early in the hike. After walking about 30 minutes to get from the parking lot to the river, you will turn left and descend through a fun little tunnel and work your way towards the river.
Once you reach the water, there is a makeshift pole that resolves halfway across into large, slick stepping stones, requiring hikers to shimmy under the guide wire to finish the crossing.
I felt fairly unstable on this. The pole part was fine. No problem. The super large stepping stones were not awesome. The steps were awkward, the rocks slick, and the water rushing under me.
From there, again, I would say this is a moderately challenging hike. It’s no Old Rag or Guatemalan volcano, but it gains elevation very quickly, with rocky topsoil.
This isn’t the whole hike, but just to give you an example of the elevation gain:
I decided I was officially “done” just past viewpoint number 3. That’s where my wise, calm pronouncement was made.
First, my knees are old and get a little bothered with incredibly challenging inclines. I am strong and cardio challenges are easy for me. But joints are something I can’t control.
Second, if you have a fear of heights, this is not the right hike for you. This is fairly exposed on the edge of a cliff. The trail is narrow and rocky, sometimes very steep, right on the edge of a large ravine. It’s a little unnerving in some places. I wouldn’t say heights bother me, yet I was still a bit spooked.
Third, we read all over the Internet that the hike down the other side after doing the loop is fairly uninspiring and, also, confusing. While making it all the way to the top is something I wish I had been able to do, I don’t regret the out-and-back either.
So whether you want to do an out-and-back or do the loop, know that anything is available to you. Just listen to your instincts and simply stop when you are done.Â
Best Times to Hike Glymur Waterfall
This hike really needs to be done in the summer months. In winter, the first river crossing “log” is removed. There doesn’t seem to be any formal announcement as to when this crossing closes and opens. But there is no good way to get across the river at that first crossing without the pole/log. Signage says the crossing is taken away due to the water overflowing and swamping the log under during winter.
We read many exclaim how crowded this hike is but they’ve obviously never been to the Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg.
We arrived at the Glymur Waterfall trailhead mid-day on a weekday and had no problems with parking or crowds. I suspect a gorgeous summer weekend may be different, so plan accordingly.
What to Bring and How to Prepare
- Wear good hiking shoes.
- Dress in layers.
- Bring a rain jacket, no matter what the forecast says.
- Take a camera!
- Bring snacks and water. Even though it may not feel hot (because, after all, it’s ICEland), you will still sweat.
- If you plan to do the second river crossing at the top, you either need to do that barefoot or bring a change of shoes. It’s a total foot soaker and you will not want to wear soggy hiking boots the rest of the way down.
Getting to see this waterfall was an experience unlike any other. Even if I didn’t make it to the top, or fjord the river, I loved this hike.
Jaime Kurtz, in her book The Happy Traveler, talks about how it is worth it, particularly while traveling, to seek out opportunities that create a sense of awe.
Awe is often talked about as being transformative. It brings us into the present and pulls focus from the self. Everyday concerns melt away. When grappling with the reality of, say, the Grand Canyon, there are no thoughts of what's for dinner. The argument you just had with your children? As you stand there, contemplating the incomprehensible, it's disappeared. Awe makes us more generous and prosocial, probably because it pulls focus from our own small selves and orients us to the power and scope of the world outside of ourselves.
Glymur Waterfall produces a sense of awe. That alone makes aching knees and wet feet completely worth it.
So much of Iceland that is popular right now is an easy drive and teeming with people who pop out and walk a few feet to get a glorious photo (which we also did).
But getting out to Glymur? To see seagulls flying lower than you were standing? To watch buckets of water slashing through striated sediment and green moss? Well, not too many get to see it
And while we weren’t alone out there in the vast Icelandic wilderness, it still felt like a sanctuary.
On the return walk, even though our feet were stepping on the same stones and path we had just taken up, it felt so different. The clouds were moving like slot machines, revealing different views behind them the entire time. The valley below spread out. The blue lupine was showing off.
Glymur Waterfall was an epic Icelandic waterfall hike that I will remember forever,