Essential Guide for Climbing Hvannadalshnúkur

This guide is going to cover everything you need to know about hiking Iceland's highest mountain. Located on the rim of an active volcano, crossing a crevasse riddled glacier and the exposure to the unpredictable and freezing weather conditions - this is no walk in the park. But the rewards can be incredible. Hopefully, this guide will give you all the information you need and help you to make the right decision if this peak is one is for you.

About Hvannadalshnúkur

Hvannadalshnúkur is the name of the pyramidical peak on the Northwestern rim of the Öræfajökull volcano. It's actually the volcano that makes up the majority of the 2110m of this summit. The volcano has an active status and is one of the largest in Europe.

Hike Details

The most common route to take when submitting Hvannadalshnúkur is from Sandfell carpark. (63°56'40.6"N 16°47'35.7"). Located just off Iceland's route 1 - the main southern circular road. There is a signpost on entrance but in case you miss it while admiring the local scenery than one of the most recognizable features a single lonely tree situated just off the edge of the carpark.

From the car park follow a track up over the loose stones in the direction of NNW. Shortly after the beginning of the journey, you will cross a stream.

Hike in stats

Ascent - 2000 meters

Distance - 22km round trip

Time - allocate around 12-15 hours for the hike.

Maps - Skaftafell 1:100,000

Another possible route up is Hnappaleid. This one requires permission to do but involves taking a 4x4 jeep up Hnaooavellier to an elevation of between 700m to 1000m. From here a hike to the summit is made.

Hvannadalshnúkur also offers the opportunity to ski down if desired. This can make a decent achievable within a couple of hours if weather conditions and the snow cover are good. From what I've been told, this is the preferred option by many of the locals.

How difficult is climbing Hvannadalshnúkur?

By all measured, this is towards the higher end of the difficulty scale. If you re contemplating doing it you should have a good level of physical fitness and stamina. Getting to the summit and back requires a long day of strenuous activity.

Best time to climb

The climbing season for this one is between April to August. However, the best months are from April to June. The later on in the season more of the crevasses along the glacier open up as the snow bridges over them begin to melt away. This makes it more tricky to navigate over and a higher risk of falling into one. Be aware as well that there have been years where the guilds have had to cut the season off early because of too much snowmelt.

That being said, in the season is also more susceptible to unpredictable weather. I would recommend that an additional day should always be kept free after the first proposed attempt to avoid any disappointment.

Winter assents can be done for this but it is not recommended as it is even more exposed to harsh changes in weather conditions and the shorter hours of daylight.

Using Professional Guides

I would strongly recommend to use a local guild for this one if you don't have much experience in alpine climbs or walking over glaciers. Despite its low height compared to other European peaks, this is a serious accent that pose real dangers. There are a few companies that offer a summit hike service for Hvannadalshnúkur.

One that I can personally recommend is Summit Explorers. I used them on my hike up and the main guide and owner Reynir, who is an Icelandic native has a wealth of knowledge of the area and mountaineering. The experience of himself and his team got us to the summit and safely back again even in the bad weather conditions we had that day.

Others companies that offer tours include the Icelandic Mountain Guides and Glacier Adventure.

What you need

Full alpine clothing with me needed for the hike. To break this down it consists of:

Clothing

Waterproof walking boots with good ankle support
Gloves - two pairs of wool or synthetic
Gaiters
Waterproof insulated trousers
Base layer (1st layer)
Fleece underlayer (2nd layer)
Down jacket (3rd layer)
Waterproof/windproof shell (4th layer)
Gloves - two pairs of different thicknesses
Hat

Equipment

If you are booking the hike through a guide then the specialist glacier gear and safety equipment should normally be included within the fee.

Crampons
Ice axe
Harness
Rope
Deadman
Sunglasses or sun goggles - critical
Sunblock and Lip balm with a high SPF (30+)
Navigational equipment / Compass / GPS devise

An attempt should not be made without a compass and map or a GPS device. The lack of features on this can make it very easy to go off track in bad weather conditions. have been the result of a number of deaths on this one.

Optional

Walking poles
Baseball cap - for sun protection
Camera

Food and drink

Packing a full days food on the hike should be allowed for.
2-3 liters of water
Sandwiches - 3 or more
Energy bars/chocolate/nuts

Where to stay?

The hike is a long day and requires a very early start so you want to be reducing travel time to the hike as much as possible. I would recommend staying somewhere between Kálfafell and Hali the night before as well as the day of the hike as a minimum. There are plenty of different options available to choose from depending on your budget. Many of these are located in the settlement of Hof that is around 10 mins away from the starting point.

Hotels

Hotel Skatafell - Located just 10 mins from the Sandfell car park start point. Ideal if you have a bit more in the budget to spend on accommodation. It also offers excellent views of Öræfajökull and its glaziers' as well as a restaurant first floor.

Hostels and sleeping bag arrangements

There are a few hostels located When I went, I stayed at Vesturhus in Hof and got really lucky because I had the whole guesthouse to myself.

Camping There are two main local options for camping around the area. One being the campsite at the Skafafell National Park where there is a visitor center and small shop on site. The other being at Svinafell.

How to get there?

Car Rental in Iceland

By far the most convenient way to get around Iceland is to hire a car from Keflavík airport. A full day could be allocated to get to the area around Hvannadalshnúkur. This would give you the opportunity and flexibility of making stops at some of the other local scenery on route.

Public Transport

Skaftafell National Park can be reached in the summer months by public or private bus services. Some more details can be found at www.publictransport.is.

Carpooling and Hitchhiking in Iceland

Hitchhiking may also be possible to get around the area. However, there is little traffic and once near Skafafell everything is so spread out that it would require further forms of transportation to get around. A useful website that can be used to carpool in Iceland is www.samferda.net.

My Top Tips

Bring food! - I would highly recommend either bringing or buying your food before you arrive around the area. Apart from what is available at the local petrol station, there are very few other opportunities to buy any food around the here. This could be done while passing through Vik or Kirkjubæjarklaustur on the way as it would be most likely that you would be approaching from the Reykjavik direction. I bought three sandwiches, a bar of Icelandic chocolate, and 5 or 6 protein flapjacks bars (they were all reduced at the Kr supermarket in Vik) for the hike and I felt that this was just right for me. Quick, simple, fast releasing energy food.

Fill up your water on route! - Take advantage of the freshly melted glacier water and fill up at 400m on the accent as the trail leaves the stream for the last time. This will save you a few kilos at the start of the walk.