[This post is part of a series documenting my last trip to Iceland in October 2017. The previous post is here and the next post is here.]
Today was my only full day in the north. I planned to spend the day seeing the sights in the Mývatn Lake area, staying for a second night at Laxhús. I stopped at the Mývatnsstofa Visitor Center and got some great suggestions for places to visit. There is also a market in the same parking lot there — a good place to stock up!
I first drove to Víti Crater, after passing the Krafla geothermal power station. I decided not to hike the rim, though if you look closely on the right you can see someone doing so; it gives a good idea as to how massive this crater is.
My next stop was Leirhnjúkur geothermal area, a very short drive from Víti. I really enjoyed this place, which was reachable from the parking lot via a wide walking path and a boardwalk. Along the way, I couldn’t help but notice some nice ice formations on the rocks and in pools by the side of the path.
The trail through the active geothermal area is very worthwhile, with steam and unusual lava formations throughout. It’s an easy hike and not very long with some vistas of the area as well. It was also pretty quiet — only a few other people there and I was often alone on the walk.
My next stop — Hveraröndor Hverir — was crowded, at least by comparison. This was a chance to see the Earth in action. Where Leirhnjúkur had steam drifting lazily over the landscape, here steam jets at high speed in plumes across the site and there are plenty of opportunities to see bubbling mud and brightly colored mineral deposits.
Despite the fact that it was now late in the afternoon, I decided to visit Dettifoss waterfall rather than waiting and stopping on my way east the next day. This turned out to be an excellent decision since I had scheduled myself a crazy drive for the following day and I had other side trips already planned.
The sun was low when I arrived at Dettifoss and there weren’t very many people there on the west side. The viewing platforms are nicely situated for good views of the falls and I didn’t bother walking the path to get a closer view. Again, for scale, you can see some people on the path at the upper right. It’s quite a large and powerful waterfall.
Selfoss, shown in the 2nd photo, is just upstream from Dettifoss.
I stopped at the market on the way back to Laxhús and then headed back up Rt 87. As I drove, I passed several very large earthmoving vehicles loading dump trucks with soil from beside the road. Another case of different practices than we see in the US since there were no people directing traffic around the work — everyone simply did the responsible thing and it all worked out safely. Despite seeing all of this activity, I was still surprised as I crested another hill to see a very large dump truck drop its load right in the middle of the road and drive off. I was still wondering how I was supposed to proceed with this 3-4 foot barrier of black earth blocking my way when the blade of a bulldozer appeared from the other side. With a few passes, the material had been spread thin enough for me to proceed.
Dinner from supplies and overcast all evening, so no Northern Lights.
Proceed to Day 5.
Iceland on My Mind 
2 thoughts on “Day Four: In the North”