Glymur waterfall hike in Hvalfjörður

Glymur is the long walk near Reykjavík that earns its waterfall: a path from the head of Hvalfjörður up the Botnsá river and along the rim of a deep gorge, with the falls dropping into it. It suits fit walkers with a dry summer day and a head for heights, and a Ring Road traveller willing to take the fjord road instead of the tunnel on the way into Reykjavík. It does not suit winter, children who run ahead, or a schedule with anything else in it.

What the official source says, read today on Visit West Iceland's page: the walk is approximately four hours return from the trailhead at the Botnsá river, through scenery including a rock arch, crossing a clear river on a strategically placed log. Glymur is in the Botnsá, which flows out of Hvalvatn, a lake dammed by lava and about 160 m deep. The page carries a warning: during winter the path can be dangerous, and proper equipment and hiking experience are essential. It does not state a parking fee or the dates the log is in place; this page does not fill those gaps from elsewhere, and is marked for re-verification.

#The arithmetic

The ledgers that pass here are the seven-day and ten-day Ring Road journeys, which drive from Borgarnes or Stykkishólmur to Reykjavík or Keflavík through the tunnel. Borgarnes to Reykjavík direct is 76 km and about 73 minutes by OSRM on OpenStreetMap. Going round the fjord instead, Borgarnes to the Botnsdalur trailhead is 52 km and 46 minutes, and the trailhead to central Reykjavík 71 km and 66 minutes: 112 minutes, a 39-minute detour. Add the regional office's four hours on foot and a short stop at the car park and the hike costs that day about 285 minutes. On the seven-day route's last day, which ends at Keflavík, that is too much; on the ten-day route's day 9 into Reykjavík, it fits a long June day. From a Reykjavík bed, it is 66 minutes each way plus the walk: about 375 minutes.

#What goes wrong

The river: the crossing depends on the placed log being there and on the water level. The gorge edge: the views are from the rim itself, so keep back from it, especially in wind. The light: in the shoulder months the four-hour walk barely fits between late sunrise and early dusk. Check safetravel.is and the forecast; turn back at the river if it looks wrong.

#Alternatives

Hvammsvík hot springs on the same fjord is the soak afterwards, open until 20:30 with last entry at 19:00. For a shorter waterfall walk on the same journeys, Hengifoss in the East is about two hours return. For warm water at the end of a hike, Reykjadalur above Hveragerði.

#Sources

Visit West Iceland's Glymur page, read 1 November 2026; safetravel.is for conditions; drives by OSRM on OpenStreetMap.