Kerið Crater Lake
Kerið
Region: South IcelandCoordinates: 64.0410° N, 20.8850° W
Kerið is a volcanic crater lake in the Grímsnes area of the Golden Circle, formed roughly 6,000 years ago on the Tjarnarhólar fissure row. Its steep red and black scoria walls, up to 55 meters deep and 170 meters wide, encircle a shallow, mineral-tinted aquamarine lake whose depth varies from about 6 to 14 meters with the groundwater level.
Plan the stop
- Who it suits
- All ages
- All ages, but supervise children closely as much of the crater rim has no guardrail above a steep drop.
- Allow
- 45 min
Accessibility
- Wheelchair · Limited
- An immediate rim view may be possible from the entrance/parking area, but the full rim route and the descent to the lake use gravel, stairs, and uneven crater surfaces; the trail is not wheelchair accessible.
- Limited mobility · Limited
- The rim view can be a short stop, but the full rim loop is about 0.5 miles and the lake descent is about 164 meters each way on gravel/stairs; the route may be difficult for visitors with limited mobility and becomes more challenging in ice.
- Sensory · Partial
- Open-air crater stop with wind exposure, bright lake/glare, loose volcanic gravel, and peak-hour crowds; generally less intense than waterfalls or surf beaches but not a fully low-sensory site.
- Cognitive · Partial
- The route is simple, but visitors must keep away from steep unguarded rim edges.
Why it matters
Kerið is a well-preserved crater lake in Iceland's western volcanic zone. Its operator describes it as the remains of a cone volcano whose magma reserve emptied and left the structure to collapse, rather than a crater excavated by a single explosion. The water follows the surrounding groundwater table. The lake also has a documented research history: German scientists measured its depth and sampled its life in 1932, and naturalist Geir Gígja carried out repeated studies from 1941 to 1954. Those surveys measured a maximum depth of 8.8 metres, a 4.8-metre variation in water level, summer water temperatures around 12 to 16°C, and a community that included sticklebacks, crustaceans, molluscs, insect larvae, and plankton.