What to wear and bring to Studlagil Canyon

A summer day with every kind of weather

Summer highs in East Iceland hover around 50–60 °F (10–16 °C), and a single day can swing between sunny spells and rain showers. The canyon lies well over an hour inland from the port, in the Jökuldalur valley, so a calm morning on the quay says little about the sky above the river. Pack for rain and wind arriving in the same hour and you will be comfortable whatever happens. When the river runs turquoise deals with the months; this guide deals with the bag.

Layers first, then a shell

Dress like an onion. Start with a thin base layer that dries fast, wool or synthetic rather than cotton, and put a fleece or a light down jacket over it. The outer layer is a waterproof jacket with a hood. Add waterproof trousers, which look like overkill until a shower blows through on the walk back to the car park. BusTravel's listing asks you to bring rain gear, and one group on Tanni Travel's hike walked the whole route in wind and rain, so the tours do not wait for a dry spell. A thin hat and gloves weigh almost nothing and earn their place on the rim even in summer.

Shoes for gravel and wet rock

The right footwear depends on the bank you visit. Tanni Travel's two hikes take the east-side track, about 1.5 miles (2.5 km) each way and about 3 miles (5 km) in total, mostly flat gravel with two gradual climbs, then down to the canyon floor. Tanni's listings ask for hiking shoes, and the reason is the last stretch, where the rock by the water is often wet and has no railings. A reviewer describes the steep final bit down to the river as optional, so you can stop above it if your shoes or knees object.

The west side is a different workout. At Grund you trade distance for stairs, since the platforms sit close to the car park but the climb back up is long. BusTravel's coach excursion, from ~$224, does not name a side on its listing and asks only for comfortable shoes. Trail runners or light hiking shoes with a grippy sole suit both banks, while sandals and smooth city sneakers suit neither. The canyon hike, east side or west side describes both walks in detail.

Food and water for a long day

No tour on this site includes lunch. BusTravel and Magic Iceland Travel leave food out, as do both Tanni hikes. A Saga Travel reviewer adds that its day has no planned lunch break. On a 7-hour Tanni day that means a proper packed lunch, eaten whenever the guide calls a pause, plus a refillable bottle. Viator lists bottled water on Saga's coach, but carry your own on any tour. Cruise passengers may have no time to shop before the coach leaves the terminal, so pack something from the ship. Self-drivers should stock up in Egilsstaðir, roughly the last town with full services before the valley. What a Studlagil Canyon tour costs adds food to the price of each day.

A camera that can take some spray

The waterfalls on the way throw plenty of spray, Rjúkandi beside Route 1 and Gufufoss outside Seyðisfjörður most of all, and drizzle at the canyon does the rest. A small dry bag or a zip-lock pouch keeps a phone dry in a pocket, and a microfiber cloth clears the lens between shots. Keep a wrist strap on the phone near the river. The rock there is slick and the glacial current is cold, so a dropped phone is gone for good, and nobody should go wading after it. A spare battery helps on long summer days, since cold drains them faster. The waterfalls on the way to Studlagil lists the stops tour by tour.

Swimsuit and towel for the Vök Baths

If you book Tanni Travel's hike and Vök Baths day, from ~$407, admission to the pools is included but the swimsuit and towel are not, so pack both, along with a plastic bag for the wet things on the ride back. You can check whether towels can be rented on arrival, but do not plan around it. The listing also rules the day out for non-swimmers. Tanni's shorter Canyon Express and Vök Baths day, from ~$324, needs the same kit, and its catch is the canyon half, which stays on the west-side platforms and never walks down to the river; it also has only a handful of reviews. The pool etiquette and the timing are explained in Studlagil and the Vök Baths in one day.

Small things that save the day

• A small daypack. Big enough for the layers you take off and put back on, with room for lunch and a bottle;
• A card and a little cash. Cards are accepted almost everywhere in Iceland. Some stops may charge a small fee for the toilets (Magic Iceland Travel's puffin listing mentions it), and drivers should expect to pay for parking at the canyon;
• Sun protection. In June and July the days are very long, and hours outside add up even under thin cloud. Sunglasses and sunscreen take no space;
• A head net. On still summer days midges can gather by the lakes, Lake Urriðavatn at the Vök Baths among them. A cheap net helps if they bother you;
• A walking pole. Useful on the stairs at Grund and on the climb back up from the canyon floor.

When to skip the walk down

The east-side hike is not hard, but it is long enough to matter. Tanni Travel's listings rule out guests with mobility impairments, and the small-group hike adds back problems. Magic Iceland Travel's tour is not recommended for back or heart problems. Saga Travel asks for moderate fitness and takes no children under 3, while BusTravel takes no children under 2. If the walk to the river is too much, the west-side platforms still give the view from above, with stairs as the main effort, and Saga Travel's tour, from ~$231, spends its canyon time there. For pickups and timings on a cruise day, read Studlagil from the Seyðisfjörður cruise port. And if the canyon is not for you at all, puffins, reindeer and other East Iceland day trips has gentler options.