Northwest Iceland Road Trip: How To Experience Beautiful Landscapes

Northwest Iceland Road Trip: How To Experience Beautiful Landscapes

As many of you know, our favorite way to travel is by road trips without a plan. Our family has visited Iceland several times—each time by driving around the entire country on the Ring Road. Recently Tim, our son, has been a member of a team researching Iceland’s volcanoes. We hope you enjoy this Iceland road trip adventure from Tim. As they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. 

I traveled to Iceland as a team member with The University of Idaho to research lava flows from the Krafla volcano near Mývatn. Our research was for a project used by NASA, and its purpose was to compare glass particles in lava flows to see if there was any indication that water could be on Mars. When lava meets water, it creates glass particles during volcanic eruptions. 

After finishing our research, I took a road trip through Iceland’s countryside with my colleague, who is also my friend. We rented a Jeep Renegade with a rooftop tent from Reykjavik for our road trip around the island. Since finding things like campsites, gas stations, landmarks, and attractions in small towns is not usually shown on paper maps, we purchased WiFi with the Jeep. We also bought the best car insurance available to cover any issues that might happen, which they did.

Our Icelandic Road Trip Begins With Rhubarb, Wool, And Doughnuts

For this part of our road trip, we stayed overnight in northwest Iceland at the Borðeyri campsite on Road 68. The campsite is about 10 minutes off the Ring Road, or Highway 1, near the 500 Staður N1 station—an N1 station is another name for a gas station. So before you turn on Road 68, fill up your tank and stomach with a hot dog and ice cream cone at the N1 Staðarskáli since there isn’t gas or food until Hólmavík, around 60 miles. When we left at 6 a.m. the following day, we drove to the Prestbakki church off the shore of a fjord. Seeing this church in the middle of nowhere with the fjord, hills, and snow behind it makes a beautiful stop. 

 

Shortly after leaving Prestbakki church, the asphalt road ended and changed to a one-and-a-half lane gravel road, then turned back to asphalt for a short distance. The road switched from paved to gravel while weaving around the fjord. We stopped to walk around a hilltop near Broddanes, where a campervan with two German travelers pulled up to discuss the view. 

We left, waved at our new friends, drove around the next fjord, and found a sheep farming museum about 7 miles south of Hómavík. This museum shows how Icelanders survived through decades of farming sheep.  

Furthermore, the exhibits show how Icelanders used every part of the sheep, from meat to wool. The gift shop had local handmade items like lopapeysur, warm Icelandic wool sweaters, and hand soap. The café had a variety of local favorites, from Heitt rabbarbarapæ (hot rhubarb pie) to eftirlæti bóndans (called The Farmers Favorite, consisting of rye bread with smoked lamb and salmon with cake). I chose kleinuveisla, a favorite of mine, traditional Icelandic twisted doughnuts. 

Shopping For Handmade Wool Items And Enjoying Exhibits In Hólmavík

After enjoying my doughnuts and exploring museum exhibits that included seals and polar bears, we continued to Hólmavík. This small town was a good stopping point to look around, fill up on fuel, and get food for the road trip. 

While in town, we came across Strandakúnst, a gift shop with local handmade wool items from sweaters to mittens and even socks. This little shop was so small that only a few could fit in. Plus, the shop’s owner didn’t speak English. I tried using my Swedish basics to start a conversation, which surprisingly worked. 

Glacier And Fjords Sightseeing In Iceland’s Sparsely Populated Highlands

After exploring Hólmavik, we left with a full tank of fuel because we wouldn’t see another gas station for 82 miles. We departed Hólmavik on Road 61, then began driving to Road 608 to cut across the other side of the fjords. While driving across the alpine tundra, we saw Iceland’s second-largest glacier to our right, then a fjord. We missed our road somewhere between Hólmavík and Ísafjörður. I stopped to check the map for a backup route and found F66, about 15 miles past the road we should have turned on. We must have missed the road while sightseeing, or the sign was missing. After studying the map, I realized that Road 608 was near the Neyðarskýli emergency shelter I had taken a photo of. 

We drove along the fjord, passing a natural hot spring and an abandoned castle-like farmhouse. Shortly after, our road came, an F-road, that I decided we should take. F-roads are the “offroad” routes that standard rental cars cannot use because they are rough and typically have rivers to drive through. This unpaved mountain route is one of the country’s most challenging and complex roads to drive. Our F-road-rated Jeep was allowed, so here comes our next adventure.

Driving F-Roads To Experience Some Of Iceland’s Most Remote And Beautiful Landscapes

Double-checking the map, we decided it was a go-ahead of F66, formally named Kollafjarðarheiði. The road was easy initially but had narrow spots with bushes as big as the Jeep on both sides and boulders to squeeze around. Those were the first obstacles—Next, the first river crossing. Like usual, we stop, and I get out to scope out the best route and check the river depth. Fortunately, the river was easy to drive through. On the other side, we parked long enough to have a snack, took our boots off, and listened to the relaxing sound of the river with our feet in the cold mountain water.

During our break, we enjoyed the peacefulness. We were glad we missed our turn because Road 608 would not have had this beautiful scenery. The next obstacle on our Iceland road trip was going over Kollafjarðarheiði Pass, with steep switchbacks and giant potholes. Since I couldn’t see traffic coming when turning into the switchbacks, both of us carefully watched the road ahead. 

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Overheating And Peaceful Glacier Views

We almost reached the top of the pass, but we had to stop because of a problem. Because of the narrow road, we had to pull over close to the edge in case another car needed to pass. The Jeep didn’t have enough radiator fluid so that it would overheat and steam like mad. A scorching hot radiator was a common issue for us, even on flat F-roads. I consistently watched the dashboard gauge to ensure the temperature did not get too hot, causing us to stop. Each time the Jeep overheated, we took turns opening the hood, fastly lifting it up and down to fan the engine. However, it was worse this time, so we let the Jeep sit long enough to cool off. In the meantime, we sat on a rock, looked at the glacier in the distance, and waited. At least we had a beautiful view. 

Driving An F-Road For An Adventure With Waterfalls, Gorges, And Through Rivers

Our Jeep finally cooled off, and we continued our Iceland road trip adventure. We reached the top of the pass after driving along gorges, patches of snow, waterfalls, and through rivers. About 4 miles later, we encountered our next problem—a flat tire after going through another river. Luckily, the car had a tire pressure alert, and I saw that one tire was losing pressure extremely fast. We drove far enough across the rocky river bottom to a flat spot to change the tire. Regardless, the tire had lost all air by the time we drove 20 feet from the stream to a flat rock-covered area. If another car came, it would have to wait for us to change the tire. The narrow road would make driving around almost impossible.

 

A Flat Tire And Onlookers Eating Sandwiches

The flat tire happened in a good spot, even with the narrow road. We found enough large rocks to put around the other tires and found a flat rock to set under the jack. With our Jeep jacked up and the tire sitting on the rocky road, another car came with two guys from Washington, D.C. They wanted to help, but we had almost finished changing the tire, so they ate sandwiches in their car while waiting to continue their road trip. Since their car was so small, we were surprised they made it this far on the road with so many boulders and potholes.

After putting the doughnut spare tire on, we continued along. I had to be extra careful to avoid sharp rocks, which was difficult. I drove through streams slowly until we reached Road 60. This 15-mile road, which probably should have only taken a couple of hours, took us about 6 hours. Again, we had problems that some would consider frustrating. But we had a lot of fun and still laugh about our adventure driving on that road. 

A Paved Road That Made Me Smile, And Another Fjord To Drive Around

On the way to a mountain pass on Road 60, we briefly stopped and checked out Djúpidalur, a farm with hot steaming streams and a newer-looking campground. Once we reached the top of the pass, we saw a crossing that looked like a bridge over a long fjord. Unfortunately, the bridge wasn’t completed yet, causing us to weave around the long fjord. Shortly after, we came to an old N1 gas pump in front of Hótel Bjarkalundur. Thankfully, we still had enough fuel since we filled up at every chance. 

Even though we were 170 miles away from Reykjavík in a slow-moving car with a 50 mph rated spare tire, I never thought seeing a paved road would bring a smile to my face like the one I saw in the distance.

Where To Find Delicious Icelandic Hot Dogs, A Steep Tunnel Under A Fjord, And Clean Restrooms

Past Króksfjarðarnes, we drove on a 2.5-mile-long causeway stretching across a fjord during high tide. On one side, the water rose to the road’s edge. On the other, a thick carpet of seaweed. After the fjord, the road cut through a valley where we only passed sheep farms and tractors. On the way to Búðardalur, our route again followed the outskirts of another fjord. Búðardalur, a bustling small town, had a tiny grocery store and gas pumps that we could use. Since there were few gas pumps around, the station was busy. We had to wait about 15 minutes to fill up. A tractor, semi-truck, and a few cars were ahead of us. We got a famous Icelandic hot dog at the store while waiting. 

It was getting late, so we started driving back to Reykjavík. We made a rest stop halfway from Búðardalur and Borgarnes at the ÓB gas station. It had clean bathrooms, various snacks, food, and a café. Near Reykjavík, we drove through the Hvalfjörður Tunnel, which was an experience. You start with a switchback with an 8% grade at 45 mph. It feels like you are dropping straight down fast, suddenly straight up, and exiting with another switchback. The tunnel lasted only 4 to 5 miles but seemed much longer. If you get car sick, this is not a good route. The decline causes a sudden drop and rise in your stomach. 

Late Night Shopping And Burgers In Reykjavik

After a few hours of driving from Búðardalur, we reached the Reykjavík city center at about 7 pm. Since we still had time, we looked around shops and went to a burger joint on Laugavegur for dinner, our first restaurant in a few days. After dinner, we checked out gift shops for a few hours and bought some items. We drove around sightseeing and then decided to find a campsite. There aren’t many campsites in Reykjavík, and the ones available can be pricey. We finally camped in Keflavík at the Volgar Campsite. We finished packing for our flights the next day and were in our sleeping bags around 1:30–2 am while the sun was still out. 

Would I Experience Iceland’s Rugged Beauty By A Road Trip Again?

Would I retake a northwest Iceland road trip to experience some of the world’s most remote and beautiful landscapes? Yes! Overall, this trip segment was quite the experience with the flat tire and often stopping for the radiator to cool off. However, we saw beautiful landscapes, from mountain passes to the shores of the fjords, where we enjoyed astonishing scenery. Even though we had issues with the car, it still got us to areas unknown to most Icelandic tourists. 

Travel Tips For A Northwest Iceland Road Trip

 

• • Fill up on gas whenever possible (green pumps are unleaded, and black pumps are diesel).

• • A word of advice: Iceland has many rural, remote pumps that don’t accept international credit cards or cash. 

• • A 4×4 vehicle is required to go on F-roads.

• • If possible, get the best insurance that the rental company offers.

• • Rent WiFi for the car since it helps to find a campsite, and if you need help.

• • For a remarkable road trip through Iceland, drive the entire Ring Road and eat Icelandic hot dogs and ice cream cones.