Búrfells Forest
Búrfells Forest is a landscape in Golden Circle & Nearby, Iceland — about 129 km from Reykjavik and reached by a drive to the trailhead and a short walk in (footwear and weather check). Shoot it year-round, though winter wind, ice, and short daylight rework the shot list, then use the GPS coordinates, parking notes, and nearby waypoints below to fold this stop into a longer photography route.
Overview
Þjófafoss, a waterfall on the Þjórsá in the Merkurhraun lava field west of Route 26, below the 480 m Búrfell. Búrfellsskógur, the birch wood the entry is named for, lies south of the mountain.
Búrfells Forest is one waypoint of many — you can load the landscape GPS map for Iceland before you leave signal.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
The pin sits about 400 m from Þjófafoss, a waterfall on the Þjórsá in the Merkurhraun lava field, with Búrfell — 480 m — behind it. Búrfellsskógur, the birch wood the entry is named for, lies south of the mountain.
- What is actually here
- Þjófafoss, on the Þjórsá, in the middle of the Merkurhraun lava field. Its source page gives 64.0568, -19.8661 — about 410 m from this pin
- The name
- Þjófafoss means thieves’ falls; the story is that thieves were drowned there
- Búrfell
- 480 m, on the western boundary of Þjórsárdalur, standing behind the falls
- Búrfellsskógur
- A birch forest south of the mountain — not at this location
- Access
- A 4x4 is recommended for the route; conditions vary, so check road and track status and local signs
- Nearby
- Tröllkonuhlaup also feeds the Þjórsá east of the mountain; Þjóðveldisbær, a reconstructed Viking longhouse, stands at the mountain’s foot
- The power station
- Búrfell hydroelectric station, named after the mountain, began operating in 1972
The name still sends you looking for a forest, and the pin puts you at a named waterfall with a 480 m mountain behind it — which is the actual composition here, and a much better one than a wood suggests. The 4x4 note is the part that changes plans.
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (64.053, -19.863). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- June: sun up 02:51–23:49 (21 h). Evening golden hour 21:55–23:49, light coming from the NNW.
- Winter
- December: only 4.3 h of daylight (11:07–15:23), but the sun never climbs above 2.7° — the entire day is golden hour. Sunrise bears SSE, sunset SSW.
- Aurora
- Aurora-grade darkness Sep–Mar, peaking at 12.9 h a night in December. Not possible Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug — the sky never gets dark enough.
Bar height is daylight hours. Months marked • have enough astronomical darkness for aurora; the rest do not.
Questions & answers
Búrfells Forest is a landscape in Golden Circle & Nearby, Iceland, approximately 129 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Landscape map.
The recommended season for Búrfells Forest is All. For light, plan around blue hour and the first hour after sunrise; Iceland's long shoulder-season twilight extends usable conditions on either side.
Drive/Hike access. Bring weather-appropriate footwear and check conditions before setting out. The downloadable GPS map puts the waypoint on your phone; your own app routes you to it from wherever you are.
Yes — Búrfells Forest can be visited year-round, though winter conditions may require a 4x4 or storm-tolerant plans.