Hafragilsfoss
Hafragilsfoss is a waterfall in North Iceland, Iceland — about 541 km from Reykjavik and reached by a drive to the trailhead and a short walk in (footwear and weather check). Shoot it during the summer window, when light, road status, and crowd levels line up for photography, then use the GPS coordinates, parking notes, and nearby waypoints below to fold this stop into a longer photography route.
Overview
Hafragilsfoss is a waterfall in Iceland. The waterfall flows downstream from Dettifoss within the depths of the Jökulságljúfur canyon.
As a photography stop, Hafragilsfoss is a waterfall in North Iceland, roughly 541 km from Reykjavik, reached by a drive to the trailhead and a short walk in (footwear and weather check). Plan the shoot during the summer window, when light, road status, and crowd levels line up for photography. The downloadable Waterfall map pins exact GPS coordinates, parking, and nearby waypoints so you can fold it into a wider route instead of hunting for the pull-off on arrival.
Hafragilsfoss sits inside all 43 waterfall locations, alongside the other spots worth routing a day around.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
A single 27 m drop, 91 m wide, on the glacial Jökulsá á Fjöllum — downstream of Dettifoss inside the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon, and visible from both sides of the river.
- Size
- 27 m in a single drop, averaging 91 m wide
- River
- The glacial Jökulsá á Fjöllum
- Position
- Downstream of Dettifoss, within the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon
- Viewing
- Visible from both sides of the river
- Not in the source
- The cited page gives no canyon depth and nothing about roads 862 or 864; the sourced road facts for these two banks are in the Dettifoss brief
Wider than it is tall by more than three to one, and set deep in the canyon rather than at its lip — so this is a looking-down subject where Dettifoss is a looking-across one, despite being the same river twenty minutes apart. Being visible from both banks also means the west-side road decision made for Dettifoss serves this too.
SourcesHafragilsfoss — Wikipedia
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (65.832, -16.401). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- 23.7 h of daylight in June and the sun barely sets, dipping only 0.8° below the horizon — effectively continuous golden light through the small hours.
- Winter
- December: only 3.1 h of daylight (11:29–14:33), but the sun never climbs above 0.9° — the entire day is golden hour. Sunrise bears SSE, sunset SSW.
- Aurora
- Aurora-grade darkness Sep–Mar, peaking at 13.1 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
Hafragilsfoss is a waterfall in North Iceland, Iceland, approximately 541 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Waterfall map.
The recommended season for Hafragilsfoss is Summer. 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.
Hafragilsfoss is best visited during Summer. Outside that window, expect limited access, weather closures, or significantly different photographic conditions.