Litlanesfoss

Waterfall East Iceland

Litlanesfoss is a waterfall in East Iceland, Iceland — about 665 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.

East Iceland · Iceland — exact GPS in the map file

Updated East Iceland · Summer

Overview

Towering waterfall framed by massive, hexagonal basalt columns, reached by an uphill hiking path. Located in Eastern Region of Iceland.

As a photography stop, Litlanesfoss is a waterfall in East Iceland, roughly 665 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.

Planning more than one stop? Open the Iceland waterfalls GPS map to put Litlanesfoss on the same offline layer as everything nearby.

Notes on this location

Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.

About 30 m on the Hengifossá in Fljótsdalur, set in a bowl of unusually regular basalt columns — high and straight enough that its other name is Stuðlabergsfoss, "columnar basalt falls".

Height
About 30 m
The rock
Forms an apron in a cliff, within a large rock choir of unusually regular, high and straight columns
River
The Hengifossá, in Fljótsdalur, east Iceland
Other name
Stuðlabergsfoss

It sits on the same river and the same walk as Hengifoss, so the two are one outing rather than two — and they are opposites: Hengifoss is 128 m of red-banded strata, this is 30 m enclosed by columns. Shooting only the taller one wastes the walk.

SourcesLitlanesfoss — Wikipedia

Light & aurora at this spot

Calculated from this location’s coordinates (65.084, -14.884). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.

Summer
22 h of daylight in June and the sun barely sets, dipping only 1.6° below the horizon — effectively continuous golden light through the small hours.
Winter
December: only 3.6 h of daylight (11:05–14:44), but the sun never climbs above 1.6° — the entire day is golden hour. Sunrise bears SSE, sunset SSW.
Aurora
Aurora-grade darkness Sep–Mar, peaking at 13 h a night in December. Not possible Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug — the sky never gets dark enough.
Jan — aurora possibleFeb — aurora possibleMar — aurora possibleAprMayJunJulAugSep — aurora possibleOct — aurora possibleNov — aurora possibleDec — aurora possible
59121519222017131064

Bar height is daylight hours. Months marked have enough astronomical darkness for aurora; the rest do not.

Questions & answers

  • Litlanesfoss is a waterfall in East Iceland, Iceland, approximately 665 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Waterfall map.

  • The recommended season for Litlanesfoss 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.

  • Litlanesfoss is best visited during Summer. Outside that window, expect limited access, weather closures, or significantly different photographic conditions.

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