NatureInterest 5/5
Goðafoss
Goðafoss is a horseshoe-shaped waterfall on the Skjálfandafljót river in North Iceland, dropping about 12 meters over a 30-meter-wide curved rim. It sits directly beside the Ring Road roughly 45 minutes from Akureyri, making it one of the most accessible major waterfalls in the country.
Region
North Iceland
Coordinates
65.6800° N, 17.5400° W
Plan the stop
- Allow
- 45 min
Accessibility
- Wheelchair · Full
- Paved, mostly flat paths run along both banks of the falls with multiple viewing platforms and a footbridge connecting them, and the main west-bank viewpoint is reached via a level 400m paved trail with free accessible parking nearby.
- Limited mobility · Full
- Close parking, paved paths, and multiple nearby viewpoints make this one of the easier waterfall stops.
- Sensory · Partial
- Water noise, spray, wind, and tour-bus crowding can be noticeable but are usually manageable.
- Cognitive · Full
- Clear paths and visible platforms make navigation simple.
Why it matters
According to a widely told (though historically unverified) legend, the lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði threw statues of the Norse pagan gods into the falls after Iceland's assembly voted to adopt Christianity around 999-1000 AD, giving the waterfall its name, 'waterfall of the gods.' The falls gained formal protected status in 2020.