Hringvegur Plus #15: Golden Circle

Our one new "discovery"

As I mentioned, the weather got pretty bad on the Reykjanes Peninsula during our final days.

Dreary

In our attempt to escape it, we headed up to Gullfoss on the “Golden Circle.” It’s ironic because I originally had booked one night at the Hotel Gullfoss and then changed it so that we could visit the volcano that we couldn’t visit because of fog. 

Gullfoss

Gullfoss is a spectacular waterfall and worth seeing in any weather, but this weather was pretty bad.

It's Gullfoss after all; Photo: Scott Stevens

Still we braved it for another look. I’ve seen it in all seasons. Summer is pretty. 

 

But, I must say I prefer winter. 

Photo: Caty Stevens, 2015

I have written about Gullfoss before, so I will just recap briefly: One of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland, Gullfoss (“Gold Falls”) makes a sharp turn, falls over a three-step “staircase” and then drops 105 feet in two stages into a narrow canyon.

The scale is difficult to grasp; it is really impressive in person

This route gives viewers an interesting perspective from several viewing platforms above the river. 

Wet tourists walking to the closest viewing area; Photo: Scott Stevens

We went to both levels and even walked in the driving rain out to the end. We did not go to the end of the lower platform because the rain PLUS wind was soaking everyone who traveled that way. We got wet enough as it was. 

A damp walk

Had I never been before, I would have braved it. But, I have been to Gullfoss on prettier days. 

You can see the people getting soaked; this trail closes in winter because of ice

As I walked down the trail I surprised to see a caterpillar on such a chilly day. I haven’t seen a lot of bugs in Iceland, but this little guy was doggedly crossing the path.

A Broom Moth Caterpillar minding its own business on the trail

Not much happening this time

Geysir

While on this excursion, we also stopped briefly at Geysir, which I have also written about before. This is one of Iceland’s main geothermal areas and the home of the original geyser, Geysir, from which all spouts of superheated geothermal water get their names. 

Mushroom soup, 2015

It was pretty miserable, so we didn’t spend a lot of time there (as I have said before, it is far less impressive than Yellowstone). 

But, we did stop at the very nice café for lunch. They make excellent soup. I recommend the mushroom if it is on the menu. 

Kerið Crater 

The one “new” place (new for us) we stopped at on this outing was Kerið, a lake at the bottom of a small intact volcanic caldera. 

Finally, a pretty volcanic lake!

Developed as a tourist attraction, it has a nice walking trail around it and to the bottom. I only walked around the top because Scott was waiting in the car. Plus, I think the coolest thing is the view from above. 

Kerið is one of the few places we visited with an entrance fee, which is only about $3.00.

I don't mind paying a fee if it does good

Like the other volcanic rock in this area (but not all of Iceland), Kerið is composed of red (rather than black) volcanic rock. The 3,000-year-old caldera is approximately 180 feet deep, 560 feet wide and 890 feet across. It is about half the age of most of the surrounding volcanic features.

A sister cadera next door isn't deep enough for a lake

Most of the crater is steep-walled with little vegetation, but one side has a more gentle slope and is covered with a deep moss.

The trail goes down the gentle side

Don't believe everything you see

The depth of the mineral-rich lake ranges from 22 to 45 feet. It is a bright, but fairly opaque, aquamarine color. 

I have seen aerial photos that depict it as a giant eyeball. But, those pictures are highly photoshopped.

The lake actually looks like, well, a lake. But, the colors are as vibrant as my photos show.

Although volcanologists originally believed Kerið was formed by a huge volcanic explosion, as is the accepted norm with volcanic craters, more thorough studies of the region failed to find any evidence of such an explosion in Kerið. It is now believed that Kerið was a cone volcano that erupted and emptied its magma reserve. Once the magma was depleted, the weight of the cone collapsed into the empty magma chamber.

The colors are amazing!

The current pool of water at the bottom of the crater is at the same level as the water table and is not caused by rainfall. It was a nice stop on a gloomy day that had us zooming past other attractions because they just looked too soggy.

Trip date: August 13-September 1, 2021