Hikes in the Ísafjörður area

West Fjords Tourist Association has published a hiking map for Ísafjörður and surroundings. You can print the following out, and get the map itself by clicking here. The map can be bought for a low fee at an information centre or a at your accomodation in the area.

Distances and walking times are an estimation. The condition of the walks cannot be guaranteed and people walk at their own risk.
Have a nice trip!

Up Hnifsdalur (1)
Walking time: 3 hours
Distance: 5 km.
Elevation: 400 m.
The walk lies up the valley along Heidarbraut and up through the village along the hillside and continues across a slope overgrown with heather. Up the valley a little further than Lambaskal are the remains of the farm Fremri-Hnifsdalur, below the Midhvilft hollow. It is easiest to follow a path from the road just before you come to Fremri-Hnifsdalur, up the slope to the water works dam and then carry on along a path on top of the water mains, and then to cross over the river Hnifsdalsa just below the dam. From there it is possible to follow the old path until you come to a zigzag that goes up the slope, but then the old path disappears until you get higher and further up the valley. When you come to Heidarskard pass you have to decide whether to follow the path to Bolungarvik, or go through Thjofaskorð pass to Seljalandsdalur in Skutulsfjordur, or, turn back.

Hnifsdalur - Bolungarvik (1a)
Walking time: 4-5 hours
Distance: 8 km.
Elevation: 500 m.
This walk goes from Heidarskard pass at an altitude of 500 m. over to Sydridalur. It is convenient to follow the power line down to the reservoir on Reidarhjalli. From there you can follow a dirt road down to Reidhjallavirkjun hydroelectric power station.

Hnifsdalur-Seljalandsdalur (1b)
Walking time: 4 hours 30 minutes.
Distance: 12 km.
Elevation: 600 m.
From the end of Thjofaskard pass you zigzag down the scree until you come down to gravel plain and marshy land. It is easy to find a dry rout through the marsh. Up on the slope to the left, on the other side of Skardsengi, you can see the end post of the first ski lift in Seljalandsdalur by Gullholl. From there you walk to the north and east along the foot of Sandfell down a low shelf to the dam in Buna river.

Along Storurd scree and Baejarhlid slope (2)
Walking time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Distance: 3 km.
Elevation: 100 m.
From Silfurtorg, the walk goes out of the town centre up the Hafnarstraeti. At the top of Hafnarstraeti stands the church which was built in 1990 after the old one, which had been built in 1863, burnt down in 1987. Carry on up the road, up Urdarvegur and then turn off the paved road onto a dirt road that goes up into Storurd scree. This slope used to be the Isafjordur skiing area in days gone by. A path has been cleared along the hillside above the town from Storurd scree through the wood and down onto Seljalandsvegur.

Gleidarhjalli shelf above Isafjordur (2b)
Walking time: 2 hours 30 minutes.
Elevation: 450 m
At first sight it looks extremely difficult to walk up to Gleidarhjalli, but in reality the walk is easy for those of normal stamina and health. The view from the Gleidarhjalli shelf is well worth the walk. The best way up is to go from the power grid in Storurd. There you can see the remains of the first ski lift built in Isafjordur. When you leave the grass it is best to follow the rough scree up to the shelf. A conspicuous flag has been placed next to a little cairn an in it you will find a visitors' book. You can walk down from the shelf to the south of Urdarvegur or you can go down the same way you came..

Haabrun and down into Tungudalur (3)
Walking time: 2 hours
Distance: 3 km.
Elevation: -300 m.
The walk goes along the edges below Sandfell to Hauganes on the south side of Midfell. When you come to the river you walk down to the new skiing area in Tungudalur. Refreshments will be on offer in the new ski lodge and there will also be the future home of the skiing collection of the Westfjords Municipal Museum. Carry on down to the floor of the valley and there you can choose a number of scenic routes through the forestry area. To complete a circle you can go up along the Buna river to Seljalandsdalur.

Tungudalur and up along Buna river (3a)
Walking time: 3 hours
Distance: 5 km.
Elevation: 300 m.
The walk goes from the bridge at the mouth of the river Tungua and up the road. When you are passing the golf course there is a very interesting flower-garden named after the photographer and philosopher Martinus Simson. From the parking lot by the camping grounds you walk up on the north bank of Buna river. The river has a number of little falls and one larger and very beautiful. Above you reach the Seljalandsdalur valley, where the Isafjordur skiing area used to be. Now there are only Nordic tracks in the valley since two avalanches destroyed the ski lifts in 1994 and 1998. At the head of Tungudalur are the ski lifts on the new skiing area, which was opened after the avalanche of 1994. Just beside the ski slopes is the mouth of the great tunnel that connects Onundarfjordur, Sugandafjordur and Skutulsfjordur. The fork in the road is in the centre of the mountain.
When you come up to the shelf you follow the path to the edge to Siggakofi shack. The town's goat herder used this as a base in the earlier decades of the twentieth century. From the shack you walk along the sheep fence down to the Skiroad and along this down to Seljalandsvegur.

Breidadalsheidi - Kubbi (4)
Walking time: 4 to 5 hours
Distance: 6 km.
Elevation: 150 m.
Follow the road up to Fellshals and from there walk out to Haafell and down onto Kubbi. From there you can enjoy a tremendous view out Skutulsfjordur. The easiest way back is the same way or you can go down into Engidalur. This walk has been cycled and is very exciting on good mountain bikes.

Breidadalsheidi - Seljaland in Alftafjordur (5)
Walking time: 6 hours
Distance: 14 km.
Elevation: 350 m.
It is a good idea to start walk from Breidadalsheidi and you can go in any direction. It is a very good walk from there to Alftafjordur. Where the road forks towards Botnsheidi there is another path on the other side of the road towards Nonvatn lake. It is best to walk this path. Then you walk along the north side of Nonvatn on under Nonhorn and along dry shelves above Engidalur. When you come to Thoruskard pass south of Vatnahnjukur, the slope becomes steeper and it can be a bit of a climb getting across the pass. When you come down from the pass it is a easy walk along the river down to Seljaland in Alftafjordur.

A circle at the mouth of Engidalur (6)
Walking time: 1 hours
Distance: 3 km.
Elevation: 0 m.
At the head of Skutulsfjordur there is a little cove to the south into the valley of Engidalur. With the building of a road that spans the cove a circle was formed that has become extremely popular as a walk. The cove has extensive shallows and many species of birds, especially waders and ducks find their food in the shallows. Close to where the waste disposal station Funi now stands was the far Kirkjubol. On Skipeyri there are ponds called Hopar where a great many birds can be seen. In the slope Seljabrekka above and outside Hopar is the site where the last wizards of Iceland, the father and son of Kirkjubol, were burned at the stake in 1656.

Engidalur (7)
Walking time: 3 hours
Distance: 7 km.
Elevation: 150 m.
Beside the churchyard at Rettarholt there is a road up the valley Engidalur. Far up the valley is a hydro electric power station, built a little before 1940 when Fossa river was dammed at Lake Fossavatn. About ten years later the water from Nonvatn was also led down to this same power station. The road does no go any further, but Langa river runs down a beautiful gorge a little further on and it makes a very nice walk up along the gorge.

Fossavatn (8)
Walking time: 3 to 4 hours
Distance: 6 km.
Elevation: 350 m.
Just before the fields of Nedri-Engidalur there is a dirt road down to Langa river. There you can ford the river or walk up along it to Fossar and there go up the slope. This is a little steeper, but about at the middle of the slope you come to the path that was mentioned before. When you come to the top at around 200 metres there is a good walk across gentle slopes to Lake Fossavatn, which lies at an altitude of about 320 metres. The walk goes the same way back or you can go to the north to Vatnahnjukur at the head of Engidalur and then down by the Langa river. There a huge rock with a flagpole marks the start of the skiing event of Fossavatnsganga.

Naustahvilft (9)
Walking time: 1 hour
Distance: 1 km.
Elevation: 300m.
Most people who come to Isafjordur for the first time cannot help but stare at the Naustahvilft hollow, which some people call The Bowl or the Troll Seat. From the road across Kirkjubolshlid it is a fairly easy walk up along the creeks that flow from the hollow. At the mouth of the hollow, there is a large rock which, it is said, has the names of many townspeople carved in it from days gone by. That side of the rock is now underneath it, as it rolled over sometime in the twenties or thirties.

Arnardalur - Sudavik (10)
Walking time: 4 hours
Distance: 9 km.
Elevation: 400 m.
It is possible to drive into the centre of Arnardalur valley, but be advised that it is a private road and you have to have the permission of the owner to drive there. Arnardalur is a lush valley and easy to walk. It is best to cross the river at the head of the valley as it does not have as much water in it there. The walk has been marked and it is best to follow the sticks.

Sudavik - Sauratindar (11)
Walking time: 4 hours
Distance: 3 km.
Elevation: 800 m.
You start from the reserve power station above Sudavik. From there you walk up grassy slopes to the south of Tradargil, fro where an enormous avalanche fell on the village on the 16th of January 1995, killing 14 people. In some places there are sheep paths that are easy to follow. Above the gorge there is a great hollow with unique rock formations. The rock is acidic basalt and, like Sauratindar, the remains of an old volcano.

Arnarnes and the shoreline (12)
Walking time: 2 hours
Distance: 4.5 km.
Elevation: 0 m.
It is best to start the walk at Vebjarnareyri just to the west of the hole in the cliff, observing the bird life and the shore. Then you walk along the shoreline all the way to Basar, which are black rock intrusions. From then on the shore becomes rocky and difficult to traverse. On this walk you can find many interesting geological formations. There is also an abundance of life on the shore. An ideal walk for the whole family.

Arnarnes (13)
Walking time: 1 hour
Distance: 2 km.
Elevation: 50 m.
From the highway at Arnardalur there is a dirt road leading up onto the promontory. This road is very rocky and uneven and harmful for smaller cars, but passable. There is a great view and a view guide on the nose of the promontory. It is a good walk from the view guide along the edge to Arnarneshamar. On the way you look down onto a small spit, Vebjarnareyri. A little further in is Arnarneshamar, a great rock intrusion which sports the first road tunnel made in Iceland. The beach under the promontory is the richest mussel bed of the region.

Breidadalsheidi - Engidalur (walks 5 and 7)
Walking time: 4 hours
Distance: 12 km.
Elevation: -450 m.
When you come to lake Nonvatn you can follow the water pipe down into the valley or you can walk to the head of the valley and follow the Langa river down into the valley. Cyclists are advised that you can cycle down from the heath along the road to Lake Nonvatn. From there you cycle under Thverfjall above Engidalur, by Vatnahnjukur and down onto the road below Lake Fossavatn.

Valagil (14)
Walking time: 3 to 4 hours
Distance 2.5 km.
Elevation: 30 m.
Valagil gully is extremely beautiful. There you can see very clearly how water has cut through the rock base of the Westfjords and you can see some very interesting geological formations. In the rock you can see impressions of tree trunks that were formed when lava ran over wooded areas and you can find petrified leaves if you are lucky. This walk has been marked with sticks and a bridge has been built across a creek that can sometimes be a little difficult.

Alftafjardarheidi (15)
Walking time: 4 to 5 hours
Distance: 15 km
Elevation: 700 m.
The walk starts where the farm of Seljaland once stood. The walk goes up by the inside of the river and you follow the sticks. When you come up to the shelf the way across Hestskard pass is marked with cairns. There you come to a big snowdrift that never melts away. From the you follow sticks all the way down to the farm Kirkjubol.