Name of Waterfall

Gufufoss

GPS Coordinates (Approximate)

7M8C+RV Egilsstaðir, Iceland

Location

7M8C+RV Egilsstaðir, Iceland

Description

In the city of Egilsstaðir, turn off Highway 1 on to Route 92 where signs point to Seyðisfjörður and Reyðarfjörður. Just under one kilometer later, turn left onto Route 94, then in another 1.7km right onto Route 93, all the while following signs to Seyðisfjörður. Once on Route 93, continue up the hill for another 2km and turn right into the parking area where a sign points to Fardagafoss. The trail leads from the road and gradually climbs up along the canyon, passing Gufufoss just a few minutes from the road, and then continues another kilometer to the base of Fardagafoss.Gufufoss is a moderately sized waterfall found just outside of the city of Egilsstaðir along the road leading to Seyðisfjörður. The falls plunge 63 feet in two steps, with drops of 19 and 44 feet, into a narrow canyon. As the stream continues down the hill, the canyon makes a sharp bend to the left just below the falls, providing a unique horseshoe bend type vista of the falls, but also hiding the falls from view until one hikes to a point that looks directly up the gorge.
The trail leading to Gufufoss continues upstream to Fardagafoss (and is marked from the road as such), passing three significant waterfalls in all, but there does not seem to be any distinctions as to which waterfall has been given which name (though the middle falls is likely not named). The National Land Survey of Iceland has marked the lowermost of the three falls as Gufufoss, however we question whether this is accurate because of another waterfall about 13km to the east near Seyðisfjörður which is also called Gufufoss. Furthering this confusion, they have marked Fardagafoss as being situated well downstream of any of the waterfalls we documented along the Miðhúsaá - though this is likely a mapping error. So ultimately we may have the names of these two waterfalls mixed up, or they may be correct, but there is little documentation to suggest which scenario is correct.

Other Names

[]

Magnitude

28.94

IWC Rating (International Waterfall Classification)

0.84

Total Height (ft)

63

Tallest Drop

44

Number of Drops

2

Average Width

15

Average High Volume (Cubic ft per second)

35 cfs

Average Low Volume (Cubic ft per second)

0 cfs

Pitch

75 degrees

Run (ft)

40

Watershed or Feeder Stream

Miðhúsaá