GeologicalInterest 4/5
Hljóðaklettar
Hljóðaklettar, the Echo Rocks, is a cluster of unusual basalt-column formations at the entrance to Vesturdalur in the Jökulsárgljúfur area of Vatnajökull National Park in North Iceland. Because the lava cooled from many directions inside old volcanic vents, the columns twist vertically, horizontally, and in rosette swirls, and short marked trails wind among caves and named rock figures.
Region
North Iceland
Coordinates
65.9356° N, 16.5578° W
Important to know
- Seasonal access
- Reached on gravel roads that are generally open only in the summer season.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair · Limited
- Natural trails on uneven ground make wheelchair access difficult.
- Limited mobility · Limited
- The shortest loop is manageable but unpaved; the full circuit is longer and rougher.
- Sensory · Full
- A calm river-canyon setting with birdsong and flowing water.
- Cognitive · Partial
- Marked trails help, but the network of paths offers several route choices.
Why it matters
The formations are the eroded roots of a crater row along the Jökulsá á Fjöllum, exposed by the river's catastrophic glacial floods. They sit between the big-name sights of Ásbyrgi and Dettifoss, offering a quieter, more intimate look at the region's volcanic geology.