Driving to Studlagil Canyon on your own
A car turns Stuðlagil into a half-day trip from Egilsstaðir on your own clock. You can visit both banks in one go and stay at the river as long as you like. This guide covers the road in and the two car parks, then the cases where a tour still makes more sense.
Where the canyon sits
Stuðlagil lies in Jökuldalur, a long valley inland from Egilsstaðir, on the glacial river Jökulsá á Dal. With the Icelandic ð or a plain d, both spellings name the same canyon, so either will find it in a search. Egilsstaðir, the main town of East Iceland, is roughly an hour away by car. The route is simple, following Route 1 into the valley and then road 923 to the canyon.
Route 1 and road 923
From Egilsstaðir, take Route 1, the Ring Road, into Jökuldalur. On the way it passes Rjúkandi, a waterfall falling in tiers right beside the road, a short walk from where you park, which makes a natural first stop. Farther along you turn off onto road 923, which follows the valley toward the canyon.
Road 923 is paved near Route 1 and partly gravel after that. Take the gravel slowly, especially when a car comes the other way, and read what your rental agreement says about gravel roads before you set off. If rain has been heavy, ask at the rental desk how the gravel is holding up.
Two car parks, two visits
The canyon has a car park on each bank, reached separately by road, and they lead to very different visits.
- West side, at Grund. A staircase drops a few minutes from the car park to viewing platforms over the columns, with many steps. You look down on the river but cannot reach it from here;
- East side, near Klaustursel. From here a gravel track runs past the small Stuðlafoss waterfall to the canyon floor, roughly 1.5 miles (2.5 km) one way and 3 miles (5 km) return, and at the bottom you can stand by the water.
With a car you can do both in one day, which no tour on this site promises. Give the east walk the bigger share of your time, and wear shoes with grip, since the rock by the river is often wet; what to wear and bring for the canyon has the full list. The canyon hike, east side or west side compares the two banks in detail.
Parking fees and the last services
The land on both sides belongs to local farms, and the landowners charge for parking, so expect to pay at whichever car park you use and check the rate on arrival. Cards are accepted almost everywhere in Iceland, though a little cash does no harm.
Treat Egilsstaðir as your last town with full services. Fill the tank and buy food there before you head up the valley, and do not count on a shop or a fuel pump near the canyon. Pack water and snacks for the walk as well, and carry what you need down to the river.
Picking up a car
Egilsstaðir has a domestic airport with car rental, which makes it the natural start for a driving day. If you arrive on the Smyril Line ferry from Denmark, you can bring your own car off the boat at Seyðisfjörður and drive over the Fjarðarheiði pass, about 17 miles (27 km) to Egilsstaðir, before the hour onward to the canyon.
Cruise passengers have a harder time. A rental on a port day means first getting to Egilsstaðir and then returning the car before all-aboard, which leaves little margin for a slow stretch of gravel or a long walk. On most ship days a tour timed to the ship is the simpler choice, as our guide to Studlagil from the Seyðisfjörður cruise port shows.
No car, starting from Egilsstaðir
Tanni Travel's hike and Vök Baths day collects in Egilsstaðir at the Hús handanna craft shop as well as at the port. It walks the east bank down to the river and finishes in the geothermal pools, from ~$407 with baths admission included.
Winter and the shoulder months
Outside summer the drive changes character. In winter, ice can cover both the roads and the paths, and safety concerns make the descent to the canyon floor a bad idea then. Even in summer the river's colour is not guaranteed, because in most years the reservoir upstream sends gray glacial water down the canyon from about August. When the river runs turquoise explains the months.
Adding Vök Baths and Hengifoss
A car makes it easy to end the day in hot water. Vök Baths float on Lake Urriðavatn near Egilsstaðir, close to your route back from the canyon. A Vök Baths entry ticket, from ~$62, gives you about 1.5 hours in the pools. Its catch is that it is only a ticket, with no transport, which matters little when your car is in the lot. Studlagil and the Vök Baths in one day covers the pools and the shower rule.
With a longer day, Hengifoss in Fljótsdalur is a self-drive add-on that no tour on this site visits, a walk of about 40–60 minutes up to one of Iceland's highest waterfalls. The waterfalls on the way to Studlagil has the details.
When a tour beats driving
- You have no car. Tanni Travel collects in Egilsstaðir, so you can join a canyon hike without going to the port;
- You are on a cruise. Every tour on this site is timed to the ship. BusTravel Iceland's excursion, from ~$224, is our pick, though its catch is about an hour at the canyon on a coach of up to 59;
- You want a guide. Saga Travel, from ~$231, has local guides who tell stories of life in East Iceland; its catch is a lot of bus time;
- You would rather not drive on gravel. Any tour takes road 923 off your hands, and what a Studlagil Canyon tour costs compares them all.