On the route

Time needed

2–6.5 h

Price

Low cost — Parking 1,000 ISK per passenger car (up to 7 seats), valid until midnight, at P1 and at P2; late-payment fee 1,960 ISK (parka.is, read 2026-11-01).

Season

Year-round when no eruption closure is in force; winter snow on the trails and weather warnings are posted by Visit Reykjanes.

Access

Car park P1 on Suðurstrandarvegur east of Grindavík; marked gravel paths from there, steep and uneven in places. Overnight stays in the car parks are prohibited.

Checked

1 November 2026

P1 is the main car park for the 2021–2023 Fagradalsfjall eruption sites, on the south-coast road east of Grindavík: 35 km and about 45 minutes from Keflavík airport and 56 km and about 70 minutes from Reykjavík by OSRM on OpenStreetMap. From here marked paths climb into the lava fields of Geldingadalir, Meradalir and Litli-Hrútur, and Visit Reykjanes gives a blue path from P1 towards the 2023–2025 Sundhnúksgígar craters as well.

The practical line, read on 1 November 2026: parking is paid on parka.is at 1,000 ISK per passenger car, valid until midnight, with a 1,960 ISK charge added if it is not paid within 24 hours; the car parks are open around the clock but overnight stays are not allowed. None of the pages read lists water or food on the trails, so carry both.

Safety, from safetravel.is on the same day: there is no active eruption, but walking on the lava is strictly forbidden because molten rock may still lie under a thin crust, gas pollution remains possible (live readings on loftgaedi.is), and walkers must stay on marked pathways. The paths have gravel, uneven ground and steep hills. In winter Visit Reykjanes posts snow warnings and advises against hiking when yellow weather warnings are in force.

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On the route

Fagradalsfjall eruption site (P1)

What you can do from Fagradalsfjall eruption site (P1)

Nearby on the same roads