Grábrók Crater

Why I recommend it

I love Grábrók because the reward is much bigger than the effort. The climb is short, and once you reach the rim you get a fantastic view over the crater itself, the dark lava fields and the wider Borgarfjörður landscape. Walking around the rim gives you that very Icelandic feeling of being right on top of the geology rather than simply looking at it from a distance.

What to do

Walk up to the rim and continue around the crater if conditions are good. The path is well defined, and the views change quickly as you move around the edge. It is especially worth stopping here if you are already driving through West Iceland, because the crater is so easy to reach from the Ring Road.

Good to know

Do not underestimate the wind here. I can confirm from experience that hiking up Grábrók in strong wind is a very bad idea. The wind on the rim is even stronger than it feels below, and getting back down can become genuinely difficult. Our guide broke several teeth during our hike down the crater. If the wind is bad, turn around. This is one of those places where the crater will still be there another day. And yes I have had to crawl back down because the wind was that strong. See the pictures for proof.