Iceland has no shortage of wilderness, but genuine solitude is getting harder to find — especially in summer, when tourist numbers peak and even remote-feeling spots fill up fast. People come here for nature, for space, for quiet. What they often get instead is a queue for the viewpoint and the distant click of someone’s selfie stick.
If you actually want to get away from it all, you have to make a deliberate effort. Step off the paved roads, leave the ring road behind, pack some snacks, and trust your gut. That’s how you find places like Ásbyrgi.
A Horseshoe-Shaped Haven
Sitting along Route 86, Ásbyrgi is a forested canyon of real drama — widely considered one of North Iceland’s best camping spots. The horseshoe shape is ancient, wrapped in Norse mythology: legend has it the canyon was carved by the hoof of Thor’s horse. It also has a more recent cultural footnote, having served as the setting for a memorable Sigur Rós concert, captured in their film At Home. But what strikes you first, arriving from the surrounding landscape, is the trees. Actual trees, dense and green, in a country where bare lava fields are the norm.
Ásbyrgi tends to slip under the radar for organised tour groups. It sits at the northern edge of Vatnajökull National Park, less than an hour from Lake Mývatn, reached via the quieter Route 86 — and that relative obscurity is part of the appeal. Icelanders know it well; in summer, the campsite fills with locals rather than visitors, and you’re more likely to share a firepit with teenagers from Akureyri than someone in brand-new hiking boots fresh off a package tour. That’s not a complaint. It’s exactly what makes the place feel like it belongs to you.
“More often than not, the sublime vistas Iceland has to offer unfortunately come with a few too many selfie sticks.”
None of this means Ásbyrgi lacks ambition. The canyon opens up dramatically, with strange rock formations and sheer cliffs that reach 100 meters. The valley floor is forested, and hiking trails weave along the perimeter, through thick vegetation that feels nothing like the Iceland most visitors photograph.
Walking through that greenery in this part of the country is a genuinely odd experience. The surrounding area is volcanic plains and empty valleys. Here, though, you get a sense of what Iceland might have looked like before centuries of deforestation stripped it back. The trees aren’t tall — they grow close together, dense and low, probably the result of reforestation work at some point — but the variety of flora and fauna is surprising. Eagles circle overhead while their chicks sit in the canopy below. The whole ecosystem feels borrowed from somewhere further south in Europe, then transplanted into Iceland’s glacial geography.
Influencer Challenges and a Unique Gas Station
One practical note: bring bug repellent. If you’re hiking the trails around the canyon and notice midges thickening in the air as evening comes on, that’s actually useful information — it means you’re getting close to water. Specifically, to Botnstjörn Lake, which is the real centrepiece of the valley.
The lake is small, but it earns its place. Tucked into the heart of the canyon, hemmed in by cliffs, fed by a thin waterfall dropping from above — the water is clear enough to reflect the rock formations and sky in detail. Eider ducks drift across the surface; fish move below it. There’s an observation deck where time has a way of disappearing. My own moment of stillness there was interrupted by a yoga influencer and her Instagram boyfriend mid-elaborate photoshoot setup, which felt about right for 2024. Even so, Botnstjörn remains one of the quietest, most genuinely lovely spots I’ve come across in Iceland.
From the lake you have options. The hiking trails continue further along the canyon edge if you have the energy. If you’re heading back to camp, a botanic trail offers a shorter route through local flora endemic to Ásbyrgi. Either way, don’t skip the path that climbs the cliff face. Follow the signs with the hiker illustration — they lead to proper panoramic views and a slightly improvised staircase built into the rock. It has character.
The path doesn’t take you all the way to the top, but it gets you high enough. From up there you can see the whole canyon spread out below: the Eyjan rock formation, the treetops, volcanoes on the horizon. It’s a good place to eat a sandwich and think about midges, and water, and how you ended up somewhere this good.
Whether you camp overnight or head out after the hike, keep an eye out for Verslunin as you leave the valley. This family-run gas station is also a grocery store, café, and souvenir shop, and the range of things it stocks is genuinely baffling — secondhand Icelandic CDs, handmade stuffed toys, the works. It’s one of the few places outside the holiday season where you can find Malt og Appelsín. Get one with a cheeseburger, pick up a 1,000 ISK Hermigervill CD, and you’re set.
