A highlight of our last trip in late June/early July 2021 was the hike up to see the (then) erupting volcano Fagradalsfjall (ll sounds like tl). By the time we were in Iceland, there was only one good path up to hike — the other ways had all been covered over by the lava field.

The eruption site was not far from the Blue Lagoon, so we stopped and wandered a bit around the edge of the lava field the first time we visited the site. It was late in the day and we weren’t equipped to hike that day. We almost didn’t go back to  do the hike but decided it was a better choice than driving north to Snaefellsnes after seeing some photos from folks on our food tour. So glad we did.

The volcano erupted again in August 2022, just east of the March 2021 site. The 2022 eruption is still considered active although there is no visible activity. The lava fields are still well worth the trip; there are a range of hikes to choose from, depending on your interest and desired activity level. Some good resources to plan your trip to the site.

We were fairly prepared for the hike — good hiking shoes, plenty of water, layered clothing, windbreaker. The only thing I really wished for, especially on the way down, was a pair of Walking Sticks” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>walking sticks. The rocks were quite loose and it was fairly steep and slippy in places.

Update 13 April 2024: This area has erupted twice more since I wrote this post in 2023 and lave is still flowing. For the latest check the Icelandic Meteorological Office.