Nature comes to mind when reflecting upon Iceland.  Two aspects of Iceland’s natural beauty come bundled together on the Golden Circle Tour through which many tourists to the island nation gain their introductions – geysirs and waterfalls in the form of the geothermal area of Haukadaulur and the amazing waterfall, Gullfoss – Golden Waterfall.

A quick note, the first stop on the Golden Circle tours, Þingvellir, was covered on another post. Here are the other two main stops along the Golden Circle pathway.

Iceland’s very nature ties it directly to vulcanism.  Those volcanoes tie directly with the tectonic plates of North America and Eurasia grinding against each other.  Iceland’s topography is determined by the lava outpourings from the 32 volcanic systems in play with some 130 different volcanic mountains in play.  Other fun statistics include as much as 25% of Iceland’s surface lies covered by volcanoes; and the island some think as home of 30% of all the lava that ever flowed onto the earth’s surface.  This last statistic I have questions about after driving through the nearby Columbia River Gorge and visiting the vast areas of vulcanism found in the western regions of North America.

Definitions:  Geysers are hydrodynamic and thermodynamically unstable hot springs.  Estimates put the number of active geysers in Iceland at between 20 and 29 over 38 different locations.  The most well-known accumulation of geysers occurs in the Haukadalur Geothermal Field.

HAUKADALUR GEOTHERMAL FIELD

First noted in 1294, the geysers of Haukadalur first activated, in written history, following an earthquake.  Visited by royalty from Denmark in 1907 – Frederik VIII – and 1922 – Christian X – the eruptions of the Great Geysir came to epitomize notions of Iceland.  The only problem with that, unlike Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park which erupts on a regular basis of between 44 minutes and two hours, the Great Geysir does not operate on a schedule.  That seemed a problem, so in 1935, a channel was dug to cause a lowering of water table and a revival of activity.  This did not last long before the silica rim clogged the geyser vent and eruptions became rare.

In 1981, the trench was cleared so eruptions could again blast forth.  For special occasions, eruptions were induced with the addition of soap.  Further forced eruptions for Icelandic National Day – 14 June – in 2000 revived the eruptions with heights of up to 122 meters reached for two days.  But be careful what you wish for.  All activity at the Geysir ended around 2008 with only rare eruptions afterwards.

Geysir is a hot water geyser unlike a cone geyser like Old Faithful.  This results in much of the heat lost to the atmosphere.  You will be very lucky today to witness an eruption as opposed to the past with the name – literally in Icelandic from the verb geysa – to go forth quickly. 

gEYSIRS BEYOND THE GREAT ONE

The area over which the Haukadalur volcanic system works only consists of 1.2 square miles (3 square kilometers).  There has been no volcanic activity in the area for over 10,000 years at about which time the geothermal area became active. 

There are a couple other geysers producing more activity than the Great Geysir.  A path leads you past Litli Geysir – Little Geyser – Stokkur and Blesi.  Litli Geysir is merely a boiling hot spring though eruptions in the past have recorded heights up to 8 meters.

Stokkur is the king here for most visitors.  Erupting every five minutes or so in a plume reaching 15 to 30 meters high.  Tourists gather to photograph or video eruptions before moving on.  Stokkur means “the churn” and is the real star of most visits to the Haukalalur area.  Blesi – “the Blazer” – sets between two pools behind the Geysir.  The two pools of Blesi lay separated by a thin rock wall.  In total, over 40 geothermal features lie in the Haukalalur fields.

Across the road from the hot springs are the Hótel Geysir and the Guesthouse Geysir if you should wish to spend more time or simply use the area as a base.

GULLFOSS THE GOLDEN

Gulfoss is not the highest nor the most massive waterfall – think Dettifoss, here – in Iceland, but it is one of the most memorable.  Fed by the Hvita River, the waterfall cascades 32 meters (105 feet) in two dramatic steps.  The glacially fed water flow builds to 140 cubic meters (4,943 cubic feet) per second in the summer dropping to 109 cubic meters (3,849 cubic feet) in the winter.  Surrounding canyon walls downstream of the falls in the Gulffossgjurfur canyon rise to over 70 meters (230 feet) high.

The Hvita comes off the Langjokull Glacier dropping into a fissure between two rock ridges with two distinct steps – 11 meters (36 feet) followed by a second plunge of 21 meters (69 feet).  The ravine dates to glacial floods during the end of the last ice age.  The falls is an arctic version of Africa’s Victoria Falls or South America’s Iguazu both of which also feature slot-like canyons after the water drops.  Iguazu by comparison features an average flow rate of 1,756 cubic meters (62,010 cubic feet) while Victoria pours over at a rate of 1,088 cubic meters per second (38,400 cubic feet).  Iceland’s largest falls by volume is the Urriðafoss located on the Þjórsá River flowing a couple miles further to the east in a parallel direction to the Hvita.

DAMS HEADED OFF

Both waterfalls have come under threat of hydroelectric development.  In 1907, an English businessman leased the land around Gullfoss with the hope of building a dam and power plant.  The farmer’s daughter Sigríður Tómasdóttir took steps to stop the development.  Legal proceedings dragged out over years until the Englishman failed to keep current with the costs and hassle and withdrew in 1929 from the scene.  There is a plaque commemorating Sigríður at the top of the lower Gullfoss falls.  The lawyer who helped Sigríður by the way, Sveinn Björnsson went on to become Iceland’s first president in 1944.

From the parking lot – and the crowded visitor center featuring the normal array of Icelandic souvenirs – there are walking paths to the top of the upper and the lower falls.  The latter path becomes closed out of summer due to ice forming on the path. 

VIEWPOINT LESS TRAVELED

There is another viewpoint on the opposite side of the falls.  The east side rarely sees visitors, harder to get to, and with essentially no infrastructure. You’ll likely be alone there.  To reach the east viewpoint, you need your own car.  Take the Ring Road – Highway 1 – to about a mile short of the Urriðafoss viewpoint turning left onto Highway 30.  About twenty miles on, turn right onto Highway 349 just before Highway 30 crosses the Hvita River at Brúarhlöð Canyon – follow the signed direction for Hrunamannaafréttur.  After about five miles, turn left onto a road signed for Gullfoss.  The parking lot is maybe a half mile further, with a twenty-minute walk – after an initial ladder climb over a sheep fence – takes you to the east viewing point of the falls.

OTHER SITES ALONG THE CIRCLE

Returning to the capital takes you place other sights better seen with a car – unless they are included on your particular Golden Circle tour. One sight is the Secret Lagoon. This was the first swimming pool in Iceland, warmed by the geothermal boreholes you see smoking all around the town of Flúðir. Continuing onto the junction with the Ring Road – Highway 1 – on the north side of Selfoss, you pass by a small volcanic crater – Kerið – which features a lake within.

On the way around along your Golden Circle Tour, keep an eye out for steam plumes coming off either geothermal springs or geothermal power stations.  Continue into Hveragerði and drive to the Reykjadalur hot spring thermal river for more walks into the fringes of the Hengill.  You can enjoy a steaming river without the costs of the Blue Lagoon and-or continue your hike into the Hengill reaches beyond.  Here are perfect examples of using the Golden Circle as an appetizer for the off-the-beaten trek sites Iceland offers.

Along the route you pass near two of Iceland’s largest geothermal energy plants. One is at Nesjavellir on the west side of Þingvallavatn, the large lake near Þingvellir.  About half of the heating and hot water needs of the Reykjavik area comes from this plant which also generates electricity.  The other plant – larger – is the Hellisheiðir Geothermal Power Plant just off the Ring Road – Highway 1 – about 25 kilometers south of Reykjavik.  There are tours offered here. Going past the Exhibition takes you to the trailhead for walks up the Hengill Volcano offering super views over the landscape.

With your own car, after a visit to the Geothermal Exhibition at Hellisheiðir, there is a nice walking path at the Hveradalir Geothermal Area just off the Highway 1 about another kilometer before reaching the turn off for Hellisheiðir.  Note that there is another Hveradalir Geothermal Area located in the Central Highlands past Gullfoss which is much larger but is only accessible in the summer with 4×4 vehicles.