Fosstorfufoss

Take Highway 1 east from the town of Hvolsvöllur for 47km, then turn left where signs point prominently to Skógafoss (the falls are visible and very obvious at this point). In half of a kilometer take the next left and follow the road to its end adjacent to the camping area. The trail to the top of the falls begins adjacent to the grass field at the camping area, climbing up several hundreds of stairs for about one-third of a kilometer to a viewing platform at the top of the falls. From here the trail uses a stile to cross a sheep fence, and then continues gradually uphill. This waterfall is encountered six-tenths of a kilometer past the top of Skógafoss, and about 400 meters past Hestavaðsfoss.The Skógá features dozens of waterfalls as it cascades down from the saddle between the Eyjafjallajökull and Katla volcanoes where it originates. The vast majority of visitors to the area are (understandably) satisfied with the spectacular Skógafoss just above the Ring road, but those looking for further satisfaction can hike the famous Laugavegur trail upstream along the river and pass many more waterfalls. Fosstorfufoss is the second of these waterfalls encountered as one hikes upstream is found about 600 meters above Skógafoss (or about 400 meters past the previous waterfall). Here the river makes a nearly 90-degree bend to the west, and in doing so falls 34 feet over a vaguely horseshoe-shaped ledge. The river actually starts out by running directly toward the view along the trail, with a portion plunging directly over the fall immediately. The majority of the water however sheets down a cascade and spreads out across a ledge, then reverses direction and falls over the cliff facing away from the trail. It may be possible to find a more revealing vista along the rim of the canyon downstream, but there likely will not be an entirely clear view of this waterfall accessible without fording the river. Immediately upstream of the falls are some interesting rock spire formations, with large boulders littering the river below that appear to have cleaved off and fallen into the canyon from the adjacent cliffs.