Grjótagjá, Hverfjall & Dimmuborgir - Do the lake Mývatn highlights in a single epic hike

Intro

Lake Mývatn has no lack of things to see and do. The three highlights on this hike are often done as individual stops by car, but a somewhat ambitious hiker can combine these 3 in a single long hike.

• Grjótagjá: this is a cave with a hot water spring inside. The blue steamy water gives this place a very unique vibe. Furthermore it became known thanks to the HBO series Game of thrones. If you've seen the series you'll recognize it as the cave where Jon Snow and Ygritte performed some snu snu action.
• Hverfjall: this is a tuff ring volcano that erupted 2500 years ago. It is 420 meter high and about 1km in width. This hike will take you over it's rim, giving you a great view over the crater as well as the surrounding area.
• Dimmuborgir: In this lava field you'll find some of the strangest looking formations in all of Iceland. It was formed by volcanic eruptions 3000 years ago. You might recognize the name as a black metal band name themselves after this hellscape.

About the trail

The starting place for this hike is Stóragjá Parking. I parked there myself while doing this hike, there isn't much space but it's normally not busy. According to the reviews on google maps there have been some issues with a local while parking here. If this worries you, consider parking at the commercial area a bit further, or skip the first part and park at Grjótagjá.

Right at the start you have the opportunity to visit Stóragjá, a small cave with a hot water spring inside. You're not allowed to go deep into the cave or enter the water.

You continue your hike towards Grjótagjá. Before reaching this cave hot spring you'll come by a big crack in the surface of the earth. This fractured line is one of many reminders of the volcanic nature of this region. At the bottom of this crevice water boils, making steam rise from it.

Have a look inside Grjótagjá. Sadly, it is not allowed to bathe in this cave. In the past too many tourists bathed here causing some dangerous bacterial flora in the water. After that bathing was forbidden.

Next on the hike is Hverfell, the loose ground on path might make this short climb quite challenging. You'll have a great view of the Mývatn area from the top. After an evenly challenging downhill you move on to Dimmuborgir.

When you arrive at Dimmuborgir you have many options to explore the lava field, the route on our GPX track is just a suggestion. You'll find an info sign with the routes and lava formations before entering the park. Pick a route based on what you'd like to see and how much energy you have left.

To go back you'll roughly take the same route. As the map suggests you can take some alternative paths along the way.