Studlagil Canyon hike: east side or west side?
Stuðlagil has two banks, and they give you two different visits. From the west you look down on the columns from platforms at the foot of a staircase. From the east you walk to the bottom of the canyon and stand beside the river. This guide walks both banks and sorts the tours by side.
Two banks, one river
Stuðlagil is the same canyon you will see written as Studlagil, since English spelling usually turns the Icelandic ð into a d. It is a gorge of basalt columns in the Jökuldalur valley, cut by the glacial river Jökulsá á Dal, which locals call Jökla. The columns rise to about 100 feet (30 m). Landowners on each bank run their own car park and path, and the two visits have little in common. On the west side, at Grund, you see the canyon from above. On the east side, near Klaustursel, you walk into it. The canyon floor cannot be reached from the west bank, so picking a side decides what kind of day you get. How the canyon formed explains why the columns are there at all.
Platforms above the columns on the west bank
The west-side visit is short. From the car park at Grund a staircase leads down to viewing platforms above the river, a few minutes to the first one, with many steps on the way. From the platforms you look down and along the canyon at columns that stand straight in places and curve in others. You do not reach the water from this side, and the steps make themselves felt on the way back up.
Saga Travel, from ~$231, is the coach tour that says it goes to this side, with time on the viewing platforms between Rjúkandi and Gufufoss. Its catch is the bus, with up to 50 people and a lot of driving for the time you spend at the rim. Tanni's Express tour with Vök Baths, from ~$324, also stops at the west-side platforms and trails before the geothermal pools. Its catch is in the name, since it skips the walk down to the river that Tanni's other tours are built on, and it has few reviews so far.
Walking down to the river on the east bank
The east side asks more of you and gives more back. From the car park near Klaustursel a gravel track runs about 1.5 miles (2.5 km) each way, about 3 miles (5 km) in total. It is mostly flat, with two gradual climbs. On the way you pass Stuðlafoss, a small waterfall framed by its own columns and a natural place to stop for photos. Then the path drops to the canyon floor, where you stand beside the river with the walls rising above you.
The last stretch down to the water is steep, and one reviewer describes it as optional, so you can stop above it and still see the canyon from inside. Down at the bottom the rocks are often wet, and no railings line the water's edge.
Among the tours on this site, only Tanni Travel schedules this walk, on the small-group hike, from ~$328, and on the hike with Vök Baths, from ~$407. Both run 7 hours from Seyðisfjörður, with a pickup in Egilsstaðir too, for groups of 15 at most. Reviewers praise guides such as Tinna for a steady pace that suits slower walkers, and one group did the walk in wind and rain. The catch is a price well above the coach tours, and a long day.
Down to the water in a small group
Tanni Travel's small-group hike takes 15 people at most on the east-bank walk to the canyon floor, with Rjúkandi on the way, from ~$328. The day runs 7 hours, and you can cancel free up to 24 hours before.
Which tours go to which side
Three of the six main tours do not name a side on their listings, so ask the operator before you book if it matters to you.
| Tour | From | Side | Time at the canyon |
|---|---|---|---|
| BusTravel Iceland (our pick) | ~$224 | Not named, ask | About 1 h |
| Tanni Travel hike and Vök Baths | ~$407 | East, walk to the river | Built around the walk |
| Tanni Travel small-group hike | ~$328 | East, walk to the river | Built around the walk |
| Saga Travel | ~$231 | West, viewing platforms | Not stated |
| Magic Iceland Travel | ~$212 | Not named, ask | About 1 h |
| Marina Travel private car | ~$1,176 per group | Not named, ask | About 2 h |
| Tanni Travel Express and Vök Baths | ~$324 | West, viewing platforms | Not stated |
An hour is tight for 3 miles there and back, so on BusTravel Iceland's excursion, from ~$224, or Magic Iceland Travel's reindeer tour, from ~$212, do not count on reaching the water. The catch of both is that short stop, shared with a coach of close to 60. Marina Travel's private car, from ~$1,176 for your party, allows about 2 hours on marked paths and viewpoints, and one reviewer says they hiked the canyon. If the river is what you want, ask Marina before you book rather than assume. Its catch is the price for a small party.
Matching a side to your knees
- Pick the west side if time is short or a few miles on gravel is more than you want. The steps to the platforms still count, so take them slowly;
- Pick the east side if you want to stand at river level with the columns rising over you. Tanni's listings rule it out for people with mobility impairments, and the small-group hike for back problems as well;
- Pick a coach that does not name a side if the canyon is one stop among several and an hour there suits you;
- Pick the private car if your group walks at different speeds and wants a say on the day; ask Marina what fits.
Fitness notes on the other listings point the same way. Saga's tour is not for people with low fitness, and Magic's is not recommended for anyone with back or heart problems. What to wear and bring for the canyon covers shoes with grip for gravel and wet rock.
Staying safe by the river
The canyon floor is not a beach. The basalt by the water stays wet and slick, and nothing stands between you and the current. Do not wade or swim. Jökla is glacial meltwater that stays cold on the brightest day, and its current is stronger than it looks. Keep children within reach on the last steep section, and stay off any rock the river splashes. In late summer, in most years, the reservoir upstream spills and raises the river, which when the river runs turquoise explains along with the changing colour.
In winter the paths on both sides can turn icy, and the walk down to the canyon floor is not advised then. Tours from the port run mainly while cruise ships are calling. If you plan to drive in and choose your own bank, driving to Studlagil on your own describes both car parks, and what a Studlagil Canyon tour costs sets the east-bank hikes against the coaches.