For all its vast tracts of empty landscape, finding solitude in Iceland is becoming harder and harder — particularly at the height of the summer tourism season. Many people are drawn here to seek a reckoning with nature via the country’s jaw-dropping geographies, but more often than not, the sublime vistas Iceland has to offer unfortunately come with a few too many selfie sticks, if you catch my drift.
What this means is that if you want to get off the beaten trail, you have to, well, get off it. Dodging infrastructure and tarmac pays dividends here; ditch the ring road, pack some peanuts, and follow your nose. It might just get you places. Places like Ásbyrgi.
A horseshoe-shaped heaven
An enormous forested canyon off Route 86, Ásbyrgi is one of North Iceland’s most legendary camping spots. On paper, it immediately ticks off a few key items of Icelandic bingo. The horseshoe-shaped canyon comes with an ancient Norse myth attached, something about Thor’s horse stomping on it. It was the site of a legendary Sigur Rós performance, immortalized in their famous tour movie, At home. And, it has something that most of Iceland doesn’t: trees, a whole lot of them.
Despite all this, Ásbyrgi isn’t frequented by most tour groups. It’s on the northernmost edge of Vatnajökull National Park, and being located less than an hour from Lake Mývatn on the less-travelled Route 86, Ásbyrgi is somewhere that’s easy to miss. That’s probably why it’s such a popular camping spot for Icelanders, many of whom come here for a quiet weekend getaway in summer. At the campsite, you’re more likely to run into Thule-chugging Akureyri tweens than you are Midwestern Gore-Tex mums; less a place for sightseeing, more a place for a classic woodland camping trip.
“More often than not, the sublime vistas Iceland has to offer unfortunately come with a few too many selfie sticks.”
That’s not to say that Ásbyrgi isn’t spectacular. The canyon is absolutely vast, with bizarre, mottled rock formations lining huge 100-metre-high cliffs. The campsite itself sits on the edge of an enormous forested basin, with off-piste hiking trails leading off into dense vegetation, allowing you to walk the perimeter of the valley.
It can’t be overstated how strange it is to be so immersed in plant life in this part of Iceland. There is nothing but volcanic plains, dry valleys, seawater and sand for miles around, but on the trail in Ásbyrgi, you get a taste of how Iceland was prior to deforestation. Okay, like other woodlands in Iceland, the trees aren’t the biggest, and they’re packed in very tight — trace evidence, perhaps, of some seedbombing campaign in years past. But there’s an astounding array of flora and fauna here. Birds of prey duck and weave through the sky above you while their chicks sit hidden in the treetops, cawing. It’s a thriving ecosystem more typical of mainland Europe, except it’s fenced in by glacial geography that’s uniquely Icelandic.
Insufferable influencers and one-of-a-kind gas station
That also comes with downsides. If, like me, you’re a sweet piece of meat, pack your bug repellent. If you decide to follow the hiking trails all the way around the canyon, you can expect to encounter thousands of little midges, particularly closer to dusk, and they’ll suck you dry. But take the midges as a good sign. It means you’re getting closer to water, to the centerpiece of the whole valley: Botnstjörn lake.
What it lacks in size, this diminutive lake makes up for in scenery. It sits at the bottom of huge cliff walls, right in the heart of the valley, and is fed by a tiny waterfall situated way up high. The water is crystal clear, reflecting the rock formations and sky above, and is populated with Eider ducks and fish. You could spend hours just sitting here on the observation deck. Given that the lake is at the end of a road, this is likely to be the only place you encounter another soul in Ásbyrgi. In my case, my meditative contemplation of this sublime space was interrupted by some kind of yoga influencer and her long-suffering Instagram Boyfriend who began filming an entire vinyasa on the deck in front of me. Nevertheless, this remains one of the most understated yet tranquil spots I’ve had the joy of visiting in Iceland.
From the lake, you’ve got a few options for your next steps. If you’ve got time, you can follow the hiking trails further around the other edge of the canyon. If you need to get back to camp, you can take a shortcut via the nearby botanic trail, which gives information on the local flowers and other plants in Ásbyrgi. But you shouldn’t even think about going back to camp without following the path up the cliff face. Follow the signs with a picture of a hiker and it should lead you to a higher observation deck and then a rather rickety rock staircase.
This doesn’t go to the top of the cliff, thankfully, but it gets you just high enough to give you spectacular views over the whole canyon, including Eyjan, a distinctive rock formation, the treetops, and the volcanoes in the distance. It’s the perfect place to perch with a sandwich as you contemplate what you’ve experienced today; midges, water, bracken, brush.
Whether you decide to leave the valley after your hike or camp for the night, Ásbyrgi has one gem left to offer on your exit: the gas station Verslunin. This has to be a contender for one of the best multi-purpose businesses in rural Iceland. It’s a family-run grocery store, souvenir shop, cafe and petrol station which sells a mind-boggling array of wares, ranging from secondhand Icelandic CDs to handknitted stuffed toys. It might also be one of the few places that stocks Malt and Apples outside of Christmas. Make sure you grab one with a cheeseburger and a 1,000 ISK Hermigervill CD before you hit the road.