Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the west car park take the broad path east across the lava towards the canyon. Near the rim keep left on the newer path to the viewing platform north of Dettifoss; the old path straight on into the hollow of Fosshvammur is closed for good. Come back to the fork and follow the path south along the rim, away from the falls, to the viewpoint over Selfoss. Return north for about 400 m and bear left on the inland path back to the car park.
It is 2.9 km round with 20 m of ascent; allow about an hour. The grade is Easy: gravel and rock paths over the lava, almost level.
Dettifoss is about 45 m high and 100 m wide, and the national park calls it the most powerful waterfall in Europe. The park has found hidden cracks under paths near the falls: stay on the marked paths and follow the signs, as paths are being moved. The canyon edges are unfenced, and spray makes the rock slippery and, in cold weather, icy.
We found no parking fee; the park charges only at Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón. Roads 862 and 886 are paved, but snow is cleared only on set days, fewer as winter goes on, and from January only on request: check umferdin.is. There is no bus.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Dettifoss is about 45 m high and 100 m wide, and the national park calls it the most powerful waterfall in Europe
- The falls eat back into the canyon by about half a metre a year, and the rim near them is cracked
- Selfoss, about a kilometre upstream, is lower and wider, a long broken curtain across the river
- The west side is reached on paved roads 862 and 886; the east side has its own gravel road and car park
Getting there
Start: Dettifoss west car park. 65.81151, -16.40016
Directions to the start
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.