The Mývatn Area — Rifts, Craters, Caves, & The Yule Lads

If you do find yourself doing a Ring Road trip or a trip to just the northern part of Iceland, the Mývatn area is definitely worth checking out. One of the really nice things about this area is that there is so much to do in such a small area that you could easily fill an entire day, possibly two days. And, while the hubby and I were there that’s exactly what we did.

First up in this area for us was the Stóragjá Rift. This is a (relatively small) rift in the earth and can be hard to find but a pretty cool and quick stop to add into your day. What makes it worth stopping is that you can actually get down into the rift and walk a path along the bottom to get really cool views of the rock formations. If going down into a mini crater isn’t your thing, you can always walk the path up top as well.

For directions: When you’re driving east along Route 1 you’ll come to the intersection with 848. Google will likely tell you to turn right onto 848 and then it’ll be on the left. This is true; however, in order to not miss the turn off for the head of the path, rather than turn onto 848, you’ll see a small pull off right at the intersection of 1 and 848 that’s in front of you while you’re still on Route 1. This is what you want to pull off to so you can park your car. You’ll know you’re in the right place by finding the sign labeled “Stóragjá”. This is the beginning of the trail, and you’ll find the rift just past the sign to your right.