viewpoint · Iceland · East
On the route
- Time needed
- 45 min – 3 h
- Price
- Low cost — Parka car park at Grund (west side): 1,000 ISK for vehicles up to 9 seats per 6 hours, toilets, Wi-Fi and snow clearing included (parka.is, 2026-11-01).
- Season
- Summer; road 923 has limited winter service and the east-bank walk is for dry ground.
- Access
- About 18 km of road 923 from the Ring Road to the Grund car park; stairs to the west viewing platform; the east-side walk is a longer unpaved trail from the Klaustursel bridge.
- Checked
- 1 November 2026
65.162, -15.307 · Iceland
Stuðlagil
Photograph: Basalt columns of Stuðlagil canyon above the turquoise Jökla river — Syrio / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Stuðlagil is the East's one big detour and it has to be planned as such: the turn onto road 923 is on the Ring Road south-west of Egilsstaðir, the drive to the Grund car park is about 18 km, and the return to the Ring Road is the same road. The quick version, the viewing platform on the west bank, is 45 minutes from car to car at Grund plus the drive. The full version, walking the east bank from the Klaustursel bridge down to the water, is a half day.
The practical line, from parka.is today: the Grund car park is a flat 1,000 ISK for any vehicle up to nine seats, covering six hours and including the toilets, Wi-Fi, a seating area and snow clearing. Pay in the app or online within 24 hours. No fuel, no shop; Egilsstaðir is the base for both. Road 923 is gravel for part of its length and the operator's own page warns it "has limited winter service", so treat it as a May to October stop.
Safety wording is from safetravel.is, checked today: "The river is icy cold and has a swift current, even when waters appear calm", "Visitors should stay out of the water always", "Paths can be slippery and edges unstable in many places", "Do not walk on the riverbank", and "stay on these designated areas to ensure your safety". The colour of the water depends on the Kárahnjúkar reservoir: it is clearest in early summer before the overflow.
Quiet early morning; busiest 11:00 to 15:00 on the Egilsstaðir day-trip wave.
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What you can do from Stuðlagil
- Stuðlagil canyon walk on the east bank
The walk down to the basalt columns from the Klaustursel side: about 5 km return from the Stuðlafoss car park or 10 km from the bridge; an hour's drive from Egilsstaðir.
hike · Iceland1.5–3 h · Price not publishedadds 3 h 35 to a day
Journeys that pass Stuðlagil
- Iceland Ring Road in 7 days
Anticlockwise from Keflavík: about 1,555 km and 19.5 hours at the wheel in seven days, with nights in Vík, Höfn, Egilsstaðir, Mývatn, Akureyri and Borgarnes.
7 days · Iceland1,555 km · 19 h 35 drivingChecked 1 Nov 2026 - Iceland Ring Road in 10 days with Snæfellsnes
The 7-day loop plus Snæfellsnes, a second east night and the full Diamond Circle: about 2,160 km and 27.5 hours of driving, with a half-day kept for weather.
10 days · Iceland2,160 km · 27 h 40 drivingChecked 1 Nov 2026
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