A very Scenic Drive across Jökulháls Mountain Pass on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula

In this travel-blog I want to show you the very scenic drive across Jökulháls mountain pass on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. This road, F-570, is only open for a couple of months in the summertime.

The Jökulháls mountain pass will take you from Útnesvegur road no 574 from Arnarstapi in the south to Ólafsvík village on the north side of the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

Jökulháls means the Mountain Pass by the Glacier, and here we will be driving by the roots of the majestic Snæfellsjökull glacier.

Top photo: the view from the roots of the glacier

By the roots of the Snæfellsjökull glacier - this part is called Hyrningsjökull glacier

The road is impassable for the major part of the year as it is so high up and sometimes it doesn't open until July.

I once tried passing the heath on the 4th of July, but at the highest point there was too much snow, so we had to turn back.

We met 2 Spanish guys who were also trying to pass Jökulháls, but in vain, so they offered me red wine, and we had a toast on Jökulháls next to the snowcats which were parked in this spot :)

On the 4th of July Jökulháls was impassable due to snow, so we had a drink instead

It is well worth it to drive this road in the few months when it is open and on a sunny day, the views from the Snæfellsjökull glacier are breathtaking.

In my video below, which I shot from the roots of Snæfellsjökull glacier, you will see what I am talking about.

Here we see f.ex. Mt. Sandkúlur, Brennivínsþúfa - Booze Tussock (I would like to know the story behind this name), Mt. Stapafell and Snæfellsjökull glacier.

Standing by the root of Snæfellsjökull glacier on a sunny day

The drive on Jökulháls is like driving across lunar landscapes, as here we are driving in yellow tephra/pumice in a pure volcanic landscape.

It is for sure raw beauty and when driving in such landscapes, I always think to myself: "Now, this is Iceland!". I had the exact same feeling when I was being driven up to Askja in the highland of Iceland:

The amazing Lake Askja & Víti explosion Crater in the Highland of Iceland

Sönghellir - the Singing Cave

Inside Sönghellir cave

Before you reach the spot in the video you can visit Sönghellir - the Singing Cave which is a well-known cave in this area, and well hidden away, as the entrance to it is quite small.

According to the Saga of Bárður Snæfellsás, then Bárður Snæfellsás - the Protector of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, stayed in this cave with his men, before he settled at the farm Laugarbrekka.

Inside Sönghellir cave on an earlier visit

We are talking about the 9th century here, so the name of the cave is very old and there are great acoustics in the cave.

We visited Sönghellir cave on an earlier visit and didn't stop by now. On this trip, our main purpose was the pass the mountain pass.

Now, let's continue to the root of the glacier.

This road leads to the root of the glacier - Mt. Sandkúlur to the left

On Jökulháls it is possible to drive straight up to the foot of Snæfellsjökull glacier, to the glacial tongue Hyrningsjökull. The next glacial tongue to Hyrningsjökull is called Jökulhálsjökull.

The road through the pumice is bumpy and winding and some parts of it are a bit scary.

The road is coarse and so steep that on parts of the road leading up to the glacier, I felt like I was going to fall out of the car as it leaned so much! 

And it was so steep in one part of the road that we couldn't see if anybody was driving right at us! I was not amused. This part of the road is for jeeps only.

Jeeps driving up to the roots of Snæfellsjökull glacier

Many people left their cars and walked the rest of the way. But not my husband, he was driving a small jeep and he is not scared of anything... unlike me, I wanted to get out of the car midway up and walk the rest of the way.

In the 3 jeeps behind us there was a group of Icelanders, and when the women got out of the jeep they all said that they were going to walk down the steepest part of the road, there was no way that they were getting into the car again.

I couldn't have agreed more with them, and was glad that I was not the only one who was uncomfortable while driving up this road!

The view from the root of the glacier - Brennivínsþúfa - Booze tussock

You might notice that I am wearing pink wading shoes in the photo below, which is not the right footwear in such a volcanic landscape. 

We were driving some Faroese and Danish friends around the peninsula and I had put my things in the trunk of the car before we took off; provisions for the trip, the right footwear, and the right clothes.

My husband, without me knowing, then went to empty the trunk so that he could put in the things that our friends were bringing!

Wearing pink wading shoes at Jökulháls

So when we arrived at Arnarstapi I realized that I had no appropriate shoes for this journey, not to mention food!

It was a hot summer day, sunny and 16 degrees C and I was wearing my heavy hiking boots and boiling in them.

The only footwear left in the trunk of the car were my pink wading shoes - I was not happy with my husband at that moment ;)

But, I was happy to be in this beautiful and scenic spot, which I had never visited before.

By the roots of Snæfellsjökull glacier

Snæfellsjökull glacier, the landmark of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, is Iceland's 8th tallest glacier. It towered over us at an altitude of 1446 meters. 

The glacier is a stratovolcano and the last eruption took place some 1750-1800 years ago.

This majestic glacier possesses some strange powers and some people believe that it is one of the 7 chakras of the world.

Others believe that it is a meeting place for extra-terrestrials.

Snæfellsjökull glacier as seen from the main road

Many people, while visiting the Snæfellsnes peninsula are aware of the magnetic energies of the glacier, and I for one, have a hard time sleeping when I overnight in this area.

Remember Jule Verne's science fiction from 1864 - the Journey to the Center of the Earth?

The story is about a group of scientists who ventured into the crater of Snæfellsjökull.

A movie was made in 2008, Journey to the Centre of the Earth starring Brendan Fraser. Some parts of it were filmed on the Snæfellsnes peninsula, and his co-star, Anita Briem, is Icelandic.

Bárður Snæfellsás at Arnarstapi. Mt. Stapafell in the distance

And let's not forget that Bárður Snæfellsás, the half-troll, half-man, might still be residing in Snæfellsjökull glacier. He is the one who spent time in Sönghellir cave.

Bárður disappeared into the glacier more than a thousand years ago after he had, in a terrible rage, killed 2 of his nephews and broken his brother's leg.

You can read more about Bárður and the reason why he was so angry at his nephews, in my travel-blog:

Bárður Snæfellsás - the Mythical Protector of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Another road leads up to the roots of the glacier

After admiring the view, we descended the steep road, which was much easier than ascending it, and continued on our journey across Jökulháls mountain pass.

We then arrived at a junction, a side road leading up to Snæfellsjökull glacier.

If we had followed the road to our left, we could have joined one of the guided tours to the glacier.

Snowcats on Jökulháls mountain pass

Guided tours on Snæfellsjökull glacier:

The Top of the Diamond - a tour to the Top of the Glacier

Snaefellsjokull Glacier Hike

Snowcat Tour on Snaefellsjokull Glacier

Exciting 2-Hour ATV Tour of Snaefellsjokull from Hellnar

I have to try out some of these tours one day, it has been on my agenda for way too many years.

Pumice landscape on Jökulháls

But we followed road F-570 and drove through fields of pumice, which glowed like gold all lit up by the sun.

And we saw colourful lava mountains, ranging from yellow to brown, red, and black. This yellow pumice landscape is, in my opinion, the most beautiful part of this route.

Soon the landscape changed and other mountains showed up, like Mt. Hrói in my photo below.

Mt. Hrói in the distance

When we approached the end of the road we arrived by the dam at Rjúkandavirkjun. 

Right above the waterfall Rjúkandi, below the spot where Gerðubergsá river joins Fossá river, a dam was built and activated in 1954.

It was named Fossárvirkjun, but renamed Rjúkandavirkjun.

Rjúkandavirkjun dam

We stopped by the dam to have a closer look at it. This was the only stop we made after we had driven up to the roots of the glacier.

After visiting the dam we started descending from the mountain pass and saw the sea on the northern part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

We passed through Fossárdalur valley, which lies between Mt. Lambafell and Mt. Bugsmúli, and joined Útnesvegur road 574.

Fossárdalur valley

We then explored Ólafsvík village, which I have written about in another travel-blog: Ólafsvík Town and the Bridal Veil Bæjarfoss Falls on Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Now, let's look back at Jökulháls and the Snæfellsjökull glacier, as I want to tell you about the terrible giantess, who lives on Jökulháls.

Skessan á Jökulhálsi - the Giantess on Jökulháls - Icelandic Folklore

Looking back at the Snæfellsjökull glacier - I think this valley is called Gerðubergsdalur

Bárður Snæfellsás is not the only mythical figure of this area, our folklore also tells us the story of a giantess, who lives here at Jökulháls mountain pass.

The story goes like this, translated into English:

"Vigfús Helgason, who lived for a long time at Hallbjarnareyri, was in his youth at Hellnar. He was the father of Ásgrímur Hellnaprestur - the minister of Hellnar.

One winter the inhabitants faced a great shortage of food, and food could not be found, apart from in Ólafsvík village.

Snæfellsjökull glacier towers over Hellnar

A group of men decided to ride and go on foot across Jökuháls mountain pass, as it was passable at this time.

Vigfús was in charge of the expedition and the only one who was riding a horse.

The trip went smoothly and they bought provisions in Ólafsvík, loaded their horses, and returned home across the mountain pass.

Vigfús stayed for a little while behind, so he was a solo traveller across Jökulháls, as the others were way ahead of him.

Pakkhúsið - the Warehouse in Ólafsvík was built in 1844

As he had almost reached the highest point of the mountain pass, he saw a giantess coming from the direction of the glacier. She was not tall, but extremely fat and she walked very briskly.

Vigfús was startled and rode his horse as fast as he could. The giantess also hurried up, walked much faster, and after only a short while she reached the horse and then passed it.

She had gold on every finger and a cap with tassel (skotthúfa).

The group must have passed through Fossárdalur valley

She started gently talking to Vigfús, but he didn't understand her language. She wanted him to join her up to the glacier, but Vigfús struggled to continue on his journey across Jökulháls. 

As the giantess realized that Vigfús was not willing to accompany her, she took the reins of the horse and wanted to lead the horse by the reins to the glacier by force. 

Vigfús tried to loosen her grip on the reins but did not succeed. So he had no other choice but to take a knife from his pocket and cut across the wrist of the giantess.

An Icelandic horse

The giantess thus lost the grip of the reins and Vigfús acted quickly and rode away as fast as he could. He heard the giantess yelling something far from nice, but he didn't understand her.

He managed to escape her and reached his men at Stapaklif. They noticed blood on his clothes, the blood of the giantess!

They asked him what had happened and he told them the story.

The giantess might have yelled a curse at Vigfús as he and some of his sons faced great adversity. This curse seems to have become an ancestral curse, and there were some strange men in this family."

(Translated into English from Þjóðsögur Jóns Árnasonar - the Collection of Folklore of Jón Árnason - Volume III, pages 231-232).

Mt. Stapafell - descending from Jökulháls on the south side of the peninsula

The abovementioned Vigfús Helgason was born around 1720. In 1762-1778 he was the manager of the leprosy hospital at Hallbjarnareyri here on the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

Other men than Vigfús have also claimed to have met a giantess while passing the Jökulháls mountain pass.

Icelandic folklore contains quite a lot of troll stories, so we never know...

The new Visitor Centre at Hellissandur

Always stop at the Visitor Centre in Snæfellsnes and talk to the local guides before embarking on a trip across Jökulháls, just to make sure that it is passable, and check the weather forecast. 

Take into account that the annual Snæfellsjökulhlaup run takes place in late June (around the 22nd of June), on Jökuldalsheiði heath, and the runners run from Arnarstapi 22 km across the mountain pass to Ólafsvík.

On Jökulháls mountain pass

There are a couple of other shortcuts on the Snæfellsnes peninsula that will take you from the south part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula to the north part.

One such route is the Vatnaleið route number 56, which will take you to Stykkishólmur town, and the Fróðárheiði route number 54, leading to f.ex. Ólafsvík village. 

There is yet another route, a gravel road number 55, that I have driven that will take you directly to Skógarströnd.

Jökulháls mountain pass is the most scenic route, in my opinion.

Have a lovely time on the Snæfellsnes peninsula :)

Ref.:

Skessan á Jökulhálsi - folklore