Kjölur (road 35)

Kjölur is the shortcut through the middle that a Ring Road plan can use to turn a loop into a figure of eight: Gullfoss to Blönduós in five to seven hours instead of the long way round by Borgarnes. It is the easiest of the highland crossings because every river is bridged, and the Vegagerðin highland page read today says the route "lost their F-road designation in recent years" after infrastructure upgrades; it is signed as road 35.

That does not make it a normal road. It is 200 km of gravel with washboard, loose edges and no fuel, no shop and no reliable phone signal between the Gullfoss café and the farms north of Blönduvirkjun. Hveravellir, roughly halfway, has toilets, a pool and beds. Fill at Gullfoss or Blönduós. Many hire contracts still exclude road 35 for 2wd cars or void the gravel cover on it; read the contract before you commit, because the breakdown recovery distance is the problem, not the fords.

Opening: the Road Administration's table, read today, shows Kjalvegur Gullfoss to Hveravellir opening between 30 May and 14 June over 2021–2025 (average 1 June) and Hveravellir to Blönduvirkjun between 1 and 14 June. The agency's rule: "The state of snow cover is the most important factor on deciding when mountain roads can be opened to traffic", and the roads "may not be opened until the area as a whole is in a state to withstand the pressures of visitors". The current status is on umferdin.is, and the 1777 line answers in English.

Safetravel.is: leave a travel plan, and remember that F-roads and highland routes "are usually closed mid September until June/July". Quiet always; the Kjölur buses pass in July and August.