Gullfoss

Gullfoss is found along Route 35 about a two-hour drive from Reykjavik or an hour from Selfoss. From Reykjavik, take Highway 1 north to Mosfelsbær, then head east on Route 36, following signs to Þingvellir (the visitor center at Þingvellir is passed after 30km). After 45km, bear left onto Route 365, following signs toward Geysir and Gullfoss. After another 14km, bear left at the roundabout in Laugervatn, following Route 37 north toward Geysir. In another 24km the main road becomes Route 35 at a junction, and 14km after the junction of Routes 37 and 35 the entrance to the parking area at Gullfoss is found on the right side of the road. Note, there are two parking area but the lower one is not marked by a sign. To reach Gullfoss from Highway 1 in Selfoss, take Highway 1 west from the roundabout in Selfoss to Route 35, and turn right (north), following signs to Geysir and Gullfoss. Follow Route 35 for 54km to where it intersects Route 37 and turn right, then continue another 14km to the falls. From the upper parking area boardwalks and stairs lead to trails which access viewpoints along both the upper and lower steps of the canyon - the best views being along the lower step of the canyon.Situated as a keystone along the famous Golden Circle tour route, Gullfoss is one of Iceland's most popular tourist attractions, and considering the size of the falls that distinction is well deserved. The Hvítá, a large glacial river which itself accounts for a significant portion of Iceland's most voluminous river, the Ölfusá, forms the falls as it pours into a narrow canyon carved into the otherwise flat landscape where one would not assume waterfalls to be found at cursory glance. The falls are composed of two distinct steps which fall at 90-degree angles to one another. The upper tier drops 41-feet, and stretches to nearly 800-feet in width when measured along the crest of the falls. The left side of the tier drops in a cascading type fall, while the right side plunges into a narrow throat in the canyon. The lower tier drops 69-feet but over a narrower reach of about 400-feet across, with a small island segregating the river into two distinct channels. The gorge below the falls is considerably narrower than upstream, and due to the angle at which the falls must be viewed, the base of the falls is just barely hidden from view from the developed viewpoints.The name of this waterfall translated to english is Golden Falls.