Stórurð
Stórurð is a landscape in East Iceland, Iceland — about 662 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.
Access restriction
Stórurð is one of the protected areas where flying a drone requires a permit.
- a drone flight needs a permit from Náttúruverndarstofnun
- permits are issued only for commercial work — research, monitoring, construction, film, news and professional photography — and never for recreational or educational flying
- commercial permits may be granted year-round
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Overview
One of East Iceland's most illustrious spots is the Stórurð ("The Giant Boulders"), located to the east of the road leading to Borgarfjörður Eystri.
As a photography stop, Stórurð is a landscape in East Iceland, roughly 662 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 Landscape 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.
Stórurð sits inside all 62 landscape viewpoints, 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 valley of glacially moved boulders with blue-green ponds between them, in the east near Borgarfjörður Eystri. Reaching it is serious marked hiking over elevation and boulder ground, not a walk from a car park.
- What it is
- Giant glacially moved boulders dropped across the valley floor
- The ponds
- Blue-green pools among the blocks
- Effort
- Marked but serious hiking over elevation, uneven ground and boulder terrain; usually a half to full day once driving, walking and stops are counted
- Season
- Best later in the hiking season — snow can linger far into summer at this elevation
- Approach
- From the Borgarfjörður Eystri side of Route 94
- Route lengths
- Several routes exist (an out-and-back from Vatnsskarð, or point-to-point via Njarðvík or Borgarfjörður Eystri). Published distances and times differ between guides, so take them from whichever route you actually plan rather than from a single figure
A half to full day on boulder ground is a whole-day decision, not a stop — and snow lingering into summer means an early-season attempt can turn back. Carrying a tripod across unstable blocks is also its own problem, and worth deciding about before setting out rather than at the first scramble.
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (65.543, -14.006). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- 22.7 h of daylight in June and the sun barely sets, dipping only 1.1° below the horizon — effectively continuous golden light through the small hours.
- Winter
- December: only 3.3 h of daylight (11:12–14:30), but the sun never climbs above 1.2° — 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.
Bar height is daylight hours. Months marked • have enough astronomical darkness for aurora; the rest do not.
Questions & answers
Stórurð is a landscape in East Iceland, Iceland, approximately 662 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Landscape map.
The recommended season for Stórurð 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.
Stórurð is best visited during Summer. Outside that window, expect limited access, weather closures, or significantly different photographic conditions.