High Peaks Waterfall
High Peaks Waterfall is a waterfall in South Coast, Iceland — about 156 km from Reykjavik and reached by a hike from the nearest pull-off (bring weather-appropriate footwear). 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
A waterfall on the Gönguleið um Fimmvörðuháls trail
As a photography stop, High Peaks Waterfall is a waterfall in South Coast, roughly 156 km from Reykjavik, reached by a hike from the nearest pull-off (bring weather-appropriate footwear). Plan the shoot year-round, though winter wind, ice, and short daylight rework the shot list. 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.
High Peaks Waterfall 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 cascade on the Skógá about 1.9 km upriver from Skógafoss, on the Fimmvörðuháls trail. The name is this catalog’s label, not an Icelandic place name.
- Where
- About 1.9 km up the Skógá from Skógafoss, in the first stretch of the Fimmvörðuháls trail
- The name
- A descriptive label used by this catalog. The source names almost none of the falls on this river
- The river
- The route follows the Skógá past what the Icelandic Touring Association calls an incredible sequence of waterfalls, one after the other
- The full trail
- 25 km with 1000 m of ascent — 12 km and 4–5 hours from Skógar up to Baldvinsskáli, then 13 km and 4–6 hours down to Þórsmörk
- Season
- On average the trail is open from 25 June to 15 September, though conditions vary year to year
- Warning
- The source states the weather can change in an instant near the 1,000 m pass, and notes a 1970 memorial cairn to hikers who died of exposure
- Nearby
- Another catalogued cascade sits about 113 m away; a third is 1.4 km further up
Reaching this one does not require the full 25 km — it is under two kilometres up a well-walked path from the Skógafoss car park, and it is where the crowd thins. The season note is the real constraint: outside late June to mid-September the upper trail is a different proposition entirely.
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (63.548, -19.497). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- June: sun up 03:01–23:36 (20.6 h). Evening golden hour 21:49–23:36, light coming from the NNW.
- Winter
- December: only 4.5 h of daylight (10:57–15:29), but the sun never climbs above 3.2° — the entire day is golden hour. Sunrise bears SSE, sunset SSW.
- Aurora
- Aurora-grade darkness Sep–Mar, peaking at 12.8 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
High Peaks Waterfall is a waterfall in South Coast, Iceland, approximately 156 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Waterfall map.
The recommended season for High Peaks Waterfall 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.
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 — High Peaks Waterfall can be visited year-round, though winter conditions may require a 4x4 or storm-tolerant plans.