A stop without a hike
Rare in Iceland: the view is straight from the bridge.
Bromr — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rémih — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rémih — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rémih — CC BY-SA 4.0
A canyon in north-western Iceland where a series of waterfalls drops from the river Víðidalsá, visible from a bridge crossing directly above it. The name comes from local legend: Kola was a giantess said to have lived in the canyon and dug it out for herself so she could catch salmon from the river. This kind of mythological explanation for landforms is common in Iceland, where many rock formations are attributed to giants, elves or figures from the old sagas. What makes it practical is the ease of access: the bridge is directly on the road and the waterfalls are visible from it with almost no walking. That is rare in Iceland, where most sites need a hike. The site sits close to the Ring Road in the north-west, so it is a logical stop between Reykjavik and Akureyri. Practical points: free and open, needing no more than half an hour. Short paths run around the canyon but the edges are unsecured — take care with children.
Rare in Iceland: the view is straight from the bridge.
Giants and elves explain landforms in Icelandic storytelling.
The paths around the canyon have no barriers — mind children.
Víðidalur valley, north-west Iceland
Yes if you are driving the northern route — it is a half-hour stop with no effort. It does not justify a long detour, but it is among the best things to see for the least time in that area.
Because Icelandic folk narrative kept a strong pre-Christian layer alongside Christianity. The island was settled in the ninth century and its stories were written into the sagas, and many formations — rocks, canyons, sea stacks — carry a name and a story attributing them to a giant turned to stone at dawn or to elves living in the rock. Those names remain in official use on maps.
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