When walking South to North, from Skógar to Þórsmörk, you start by taking a staircase up along the impressive Skógarfoss Waterfall. From there follow the trail along the river up the Skógaheiði heath. After about 8km along the trail, you cross a bridge where the landscape changes from green moss to barren dark and rocky soil. From there you will start to get a view of the Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull Glaciers. Depending on the time of year you can expect some snow in this area. About a 1 hour from the bridge you should be reaching the un-serviced Baldvinsskali Hut. This hut is a good place to stop and have lunch and rest before continuing.

About a 40-minute walk from Baldvinsskáli you should find the Fimmvörðuskáli, located on a ridge, 1.100 meters above sea level, slightly west of the trail. Booking well ahead of time for this hut is advised.

The Fimmvörðuskáli Hut marks halfway of the trail and from there you will be crossing Fimmvörðuháls Pass at 1.043 meters above sea level, right between the two glaciers Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. At this altitude, you will have to traverse fields of snow, which can be difficult to navigate in whiteout conditions.

From there you will reach the new lava fields, created in 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption with the craters Móði and Magni standing above the lava fields below. From this area, you should have a good view over Þórsmörk below, the Mýrdalsjökull’s outlet glaciers in the East and over to the Laugavegur trail in the North.

The terrain around the top of the pass is snow-covered well into the summer. Heljarkambur ridge lies beneath the pass and forms a narrow, 50m traverse with a vertical rock-face rising on one side and a steep snowfield dropping 75m on the other side. From there you reach the flat, snowy or muddy gravel plateau of Morinsheiði. Cross the plateau and make your descent to Þórsmörk along the Kattarhyggur ridge (“Cat’s Spine” ridge). Once you are down to the bottom of the valley of Þórmörk and Goðaland you are only a short way from the Básar hut.

To get to the Volcano Huts from here, you cross the Krossá river using a pair of portable bridges adjacent to the Básar Hut. From there you follow the river bed to the Langidalur hut and from there you take the trail through the Húsadalur valley over to the Volcano Huts. The trek between the Básar Huts and the Volcano Huts is 6 km and should take around 1.5 hours. At the Volcano Huts, you will find accommodation, restaurant, sauna and the main bus stop in Þórsmörk.

Weather and conditions can change very quickly from good to bad with strong winds, snowfall and zero visibility. Make sure to monitor the weather forecast and consult the wardens at the huts before heading out onto this trail. In case you cannot traverse due to weather, we recommend staying in Þórsmörk and hiking the Þórsgata Volcano Trail or other trails in the area with views over parts of the Fimmvörðuháls trails.

The trail is usually passable from around mid-June to September. Traversing the Fimmvörðuhás pass outside summer season is not recommended unless with a guide and proper mountain equipment.