Stuðlagil Canyon in Jökuldalur Valley is one of the most popular if not the most popular tourist attraction in East Iceland. And no wonder, as it’s a stunning site. Especially if you are lucky enough to experience it when the water running through it is turquoise colored. Then it’s extra beautiful. But no matter the color, Stuðlagil Canyon is without a doubt a site you shouldn’t miss when traveling around (or through) East Iceland.
Stuðlagil Canyon is a relative new Attraction
The basalt columns in Stuðlagil Canyon had been partly visible since long before people first came to Jökuldalur Valley. But the construction of Kárahnjúkar Hydro-Dam in 2007 took the canyon to a whole new level.
When the construction of Kárahnjúkar Hydro Dam was finished in 2007, Stuðlagil Canyon became properly visible. Then the water level in the river Jökla, that runs through the canyon, dropped and the amazing basalt columns became clearly visible for everyone to see. This construction also changed the river from being a brown/grayish glacier melt water river to a clear turquoise colored spring river. At least for most of the year.
The river Jökla is technically still a glacier river and when the Hálslón reservoir at the hydro dam is overflowing, the water in Jökla becomes brown/grayish colored. Usually that happens from the beginning of August to October but an overflow can happen at other times too.
If you want to check out the water level of the reservoir before your visit, you can monitor it here.How Stuðlagil Canyon became famous
Even though the stunning basalt columns in Stuðlagil Canyon were exposed and the river changed to a beautifully turquoise blue color already in 2007, the canyon didn’t become famous until about 10 years later.
It was probably an article in a marketing magazine from WOW air (an Icelandic airline that no longer exists) that started it all in 2017. That article brought attention to the canyon which resulted in people flocking to the site. Travel bloggers began to write about it and travelers posted some photos on social media. This all happened very fast and Stuðlagil Canyon went very quickly from being an unknown gem to being one of the most popular attractions in East Iceland.
The landowners never marketed the canyon, the power of the internet solely took care of that. When this is written (in 2022) the landowners are still trying to catch up on all the traffic the internet has directed to them. Which is a massive project by the way.
There are two Ways to experience Stuðlagil Canyon
- From a viewing platform
- By hiking
Viewing Platform
There is a viewing platform overlooking the canyon on the northern side of the river. It’s located at a farm called Grund where you’ll find parking and restrooms. The viewing platform is open year round or as long as road 923 is open/passible. This is the easiest, quickest and most safe way to experience this popular site.
Hiking to Stuðlagil Canyon
On the southern side of the river you’ll find a hiking trail to the canyon. By choosing this option, you get a chance to walk down to the canyon and come really close to the water. This is where most of the photos, you see on the internet, are taken. This option also requires a lot more time as you need to hike at least 5km (return trip), depending on what parking lot you park in (there are two of them).
Please note that there is no winter service on this trail. Therefore it depends on the weather conditions how accessible the trail is if accessible at all.
How to get to Stuðlagil Canyon?
The canyon is located in a valley called Efri-Jökuldalur in East Iceland. To get there, you need to turn off the Ring Road to a road number 923. Note that 923 is a gravel road that has a limited winter service. Therefore you need to check the road condition before you visit in winter as it may be impassable.
You can get information about road conditions here.The viewing platform
To get to the viewing platform you drive about 19km/11.8mi along road 923. Then you reach Grund, the farm where the viewing platform is located, on your left hand side. Pretty simple.
Enter “Studlagil canyon” to Google Maps and choose “Stuðlagil Canyon Jökuldalsvegur, Egilsstadir” from the results and you should be good to go.
The hiking trail
For the hiking option, you need to turn off road 923 before you reach Grund or after about 14.5km/9mi. You turn to the left where you see two signs. One that says “Klaustursel” and the other “Stuðlagil”. A few hundred meters from there is the first parking lot. The hike from here to the canyon is about 9.6km/6mi, return trip.
If possible, I recommend driving past the first parking lot, crossing the bridge and park at the next one. That way you cut ca. 4km/2.5mi off your hike and get the total distance down to about 5.6km/3.5mi. This may not always be possible though.
- Parking 1 on Google Maps is called “Stuðlagil (East Side Parking)”.
- Parking 2 on Google Maps is for some reason called “Parkplatz Klaustrusel – Stuðlagil”. The first word being German and Klaustursel wrongly spelled. But hey, it gets you to the right location 🙂
The Road from Parking 1 to Parking 2 is pretty bad
The problem is that the road from the first parking option to the second one is pretty bad. It’s both very narrow and bumpy so you have to drive very carefully. I was there in August in dry weather, driving a jeep so it went fine. I can only imagine how rainy weather could affect the condition of this road. Not to mention snow. I guess it can quickly become very muddy and difficult to drive on in wet conditions and most likely impassable when it snows. At least if it stays as it was this summer (2022).
That being said, you can’t count on being able to drive to the second parking lot at all times. Especially if you’re driving a small car or get there in fall, winter or spring.
Note there are no Restrooms by the Trail Head
As I mentioned before, the landowners were caught by a big surprise when all these tourists suddenly started to flock to Stuðlagil Canyon a few years ago. They are still trying to catch up on all this traffic they now got in their backyard. They didn’t ask for this huge attention but are, little by little, building an infrastructure in the area that both serves their visitors and themselves.
When I visited Stuðlagil Canyon in 2022, there were no restrooms in either of the parking lots where you can start your hike. On the other hand I saw a building under construction by the second parking lot. I was curious about it and found out from a local that there will be some restrooms in that building. The plan is to open these restrooms in the summer of 2023. Hopefully that plan will follow through.
This local lady also told me they are planning on opening a place with some kind of refreshments. She didn’t have a date for that yet, but it’s in their future plans.
All in all great news. The development of this young tourist attraction is in full swing and I look forward to visiting again and see the progress they have made.
More breathtaking Canyons
If you like gorges and canyons we have plenty of them here in Iceland. You might want to check some of these beauties out:
- Múlagljúfur
- Fjaðrárgljúfur
- Stakkholtsgjá
- Glymur Falls (located in a stunning canyon)
- Kotagil
If you liked this post and think some of your friends might be interested in reading it too, please help me spread the word. I’d really appreciate it if you’d share it on social media or just send it directly to a friend.
Until next time!
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