Snæfell - Austurland - Fljótsdalsheiði

Ten thousand years

Ten thousand years

It has been 10,000 years since the highest mountain in the country outside of glaciers, Snæfell, last woke up. Snæfell, which is in Vatnajökull National Park, is the youngest volcano in East Iceland, 1826 meters high, made of  rhyolite and tuff. The mountain is impressive as it rises a thousand meters from the plateau 20 km northeast of Vatnajökull. To the east of the mountain are Eyjabakkar, a green area, ideal for heather geese. To the west of the mountain are Vesturöræfi, the main home of reindeer in Iceland. The ascent to the mountain is quite easy from Snæfellsskáli, and the hike is 28 km long in total. There is a decent road to to be found to Snæfell, the queen of the East.

The many faces of Snæfell
The many faces of Snæfell
The many faces of Snæfell
The many faces of Snæfell
The many faces of Snæfell

Photographs & text : Páll Stefánsson
2019-2022 : A7RIII, A7R IV: FE 1.2/50mm GM, FE 2.8/90mm G, 2.8/21mm Z