Askja & Víti Crater

An Askja hike is one of the great highland experiences in Iceland, taking you into a remote and otherworldly landscape. Askja is a vast volcanic caldera in the northern highlands, ringed by the Dyngjufjöll mountains and floored with lava, pumice and lingering snow. The short walk from the Vikraborgir car park crosses this lunar plain to Öskjuvatn, one of the deepest lakes in Iceland, and Víti, a smaller explosion crater filled with milky-blue geothermal water.

The out-and-back walk is about 5 km with only around 50 m of ascent and takes one and a half to two hours. The path is easy and well marked, but you are at over 1,000 m in a high desert, and the weather can be bitterly cold and windy even in midsummer. Snow often covers parts of the trail into July.

Askja's eruption in 1875 blasted out Víti, triggered the collapse that formed Öskjuvatn over the following decades, and sent ash across eastern Iceland, contributing to a wave of emigration to North America. In the 1960s, NASA astronauts trained in the area because of its moon-like terrain. Getting here is part of the adventure: long highland roads with river fords, or a super jeep tour from Mývatn. Either way, plan a full day for the round trip.

Highlights

• The milky-blue crater lake of Víti
• Öskjuvatn, one of Iceland's deepest lakes
• A lunar landscape of lava, pumice and snow
• Remote highland driving across the Ódáðahraun lava desert

The route

Getting to the trailhead

Askja is reached via F-roads F88 and F910 from the Ring Road east of Mývatn, or via F905 and F910, then F894 for the last 8 km from Drekagil to the Vikraborgir car park. These roads involve unbridged river crossings and require a well-equipped 4x4 and experience. The roads usually open in late June or early July, depending on snow. Super jeep tours from Mývatn and Akureyri are a popular, safer option. Check road status on umferdin.is.

Where to stay

Dreki huts at Drekagil, about 8 km from the Vikraborgir car park, are run by Ferðafélag Akureyrar and include a campsite; book ahead. Ferðafélag Akureyrar also runs Þorsteinsskáli hut and a campsite at Herðubreiðarlindir. Most visitors stay in the Mývatn area and visit Askja on a day trip. Camping outside designated sites is not permitted.

Best time to hike

The roads to Askja are usually open from late June or early July to September. July and August are best. Even in summer, temperatures can drop near freezing and snow can fall. Rangers are typically stationed at Drekagil in summer and can advise on current conditions. Rangers and hut wardens usually leave in mid-September, after which services end and roads may close at short notice.

Safety

Askja is remote and exposed, and weather can change rapidly, so bring warm, waterproof layers even in summer. Do not attempt river fords without experience and a suitable vehicle. The ground uplift that began at Askja in 2021 ended in summer 2026 and the volcano's alert level is back to normal, but steam explosions can still occur in geothermal areas and the slopes into Víti are prone to rockfall, so follow ranger guidance. Check vedur.is for volcanic and weather updates, leave a travel plan at safetravel.is, and call 112 in an emergency.