Hexagonal basalt columns
Entire walls of them — the densest concentration in Iceland.
ArniGael — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rémih — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rémih — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rémih — CC BY-SA 4.0
A canyon in eastern Iceland lined with hexagonal basalt columns at a density found nowhere else in the country, with a blue-green river running along its floor. The columns form when lava cools slowly and evenly and cracks into a hexagonal pattern — the same phenomenon as the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. What distinguishes Stuðlagil is the quantity: entire walls of these columns along the length of the canyon. The story of its discovery is recent and striking: the canyon was under water until 2009, when the river was diverted to build a hydroelectric station, the level dropped, and the columns were exposed for the first time. This view was invisible to anyone until about fifteen years ago. Decisive practical points: the canyon has two banks with entirely different access. The western side needs a walk of about five kilometres each way to reach a close view of the columns. The eastern side has a viewing platform a short walk from the car park, but the view is from above and further off. Choose according to your time and fitness. The road to the car park is partly unpaved — check road conditions.
Entire walls of them — the densest concentration in Iceland.
Nobody saw it before 2009 because it lay under water.
The west is closer and finer but ten kilometres of walking there and back.
Jökuldalur valley, east Iceland
If you can walk ten kilometres, the western side without hesitation — you reach river level and see the columns close up, an entirely different sight. If your time or fitness is limited, the eastern side gives you a viewing platform after a short walk; the view is good but from above and further away.
Summer, June to September. The roads become difficult or closed in winter, and the river rises in spring with the melt and covers part of the columns. The blue-green colour of the water is clearest in late summer when the level drops.
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