Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the lower car park take the path down through the lava gap of Nautastígur, past two small lagoons, to the four lifting stones below the path, where fishermen once tested their strength. Walk out onto the black pebble beach, scattered with rusty iron from the British trawler Epine, wrecked nearby in 1948. At its western end pick up the marked path over the low headland. It drops into the bay of Dritvík, for centuries a big seasonal fishing station, with the ruins of the old huts. Return the same way.
It is 2 km there and back with 35 m of ascent; allow about half an hour. The grade is Easy: a short walk on rough lava paths and loose pebbles.
Treat the beach as dangerous. Big waves can surge far up the steep pebbles without warning, with a strong undertow, so never turn your back on the sea and keep well above the waterline. Wading and swimming are banned. The path over the headland is rough lava.
Since August 2026 Snæfellsjökull National Park charges a service fee through its car parks: 1,100 ISK for a car with up to five seats, valid at all its car parks until midnight, paid through Parka. Road 572 runs about 2 km down from road 574; 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
- The beach is named after two small lagoons behind it and is covered in smooth black pebbles
- Four lifting stones lie below the path, where fishermen once tested their strength
- Rusty iron on the beach comes from the British trawler Epine, wrecked nearby in 1948
- From the 16th to the 19th century Dritvík was a big seasonal fishing station, with hundreds of men rowing from the bay
Getting there
Start: Djúpalónssandur lower car park. 64.75340, -23.89518
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.