Hverir and the Námafjall ridge

From the car park walk west into the Hverir field on the roped paths between the mud pots and steam vents. At its far side take the path north-west along the foot of the slope, beside the Ring Road, to the saddle of Námaskarð. Turn left and climb the ridge path along the crest of Námafjall to its top, with Mývatn to the west and the Krafla hills to the north. Return the same way.

It is 3.1 km there and back with 115 m of ascent; allow about an hour. The grade is Easy: gravel paths, then a clay ridge path, slippery when wet.

This is high-temperature geothermal ground in the Krafla volcanic system: the crust can be thin over boiling mud, and people have been badly burned stepping over the ropes, so stay on the marked paths. The direct path up the slope above Hverir is steep, loose clay and is not used here. The ridge is icy in winter.

The car park is run for the landowners and charges 1,400 ISK a day for a car, all year; pay the same day by app or at the QR terminal, or a non-payment fee is added. Hverir is beside the Ring Road at Námaskarð, about 6 km east of Reykjahlíð, where Strætó route 56 stops.

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.