Múlagljúfur
Vatnajökull National Park, Southern Region, Iceland, 2024
Hands-down my favorite hike that we did in Iceland. Also, my biggest heart-break
My hiking toxic trait: thinking the weather will get better, not worse...
At the start of our hike, there was some (90% 😅) cloud coverage, and we threw some positive vibes into the universe, asking for the clouds to blow out and the sunshine we were treated to the prior day at Fjaðrárgljúfur to make an appearance. SPOILER: the sun most definitely did not make an appearance.
You know you've made a terrible mistake when you're 2 miles from your car, your Goretex has reached its max, and you look like a drowned rat. We had a good chuckle when we finally made it back to the parking lot: another car was pulling in, they took one look at us and turned around. Choices were made, some better than others 😂
TRAIL DEETS
Length: 3.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,194 feet Max Elevation: 1,371 feet
Route Type: Out and Back
AllTrails Difficulty: Hard
DARCY WANDERS' ROUTE
I downloaded the navigation for Múlagljúfur from AllTrails. This is a heavily trafficked trail, making it easy to reach the end of the trail (view point for Hangandifoss). Please be leery of social trails, these run rampant in Europe, with some places encouraging the behavior (I almost died when I read that sign in the Dolomites).
With the explosion of tourism in the past decade, Iceland is trying to play catch up with educating visitors about the fragile ecosystem. Icelandic moss is a vital part of the island's ecosystem, crucial to soil fertility and humidity, extremely fragile, and can take decades to recover. Always hike on marked trails to avoid damaging the moss (do not touch or walk on the moss!). Unfortunately, many of the trails made popular through social media have been significantly scarred by social trails 😞
What is a Social Trail? A social trail is an unofficial, user-created path that forms over time as visitors take detours off of designated trails. When hikers repeatedly walk over an area, the soil becomes packed down so densely that it cannot support plant growth. Delicate mountain plants die and are unable to repopulate the area, leading to growing areas of barren land. Over time, these barren areas expand, scarring the landscape for years to come. While it might not seem like a big deal, plant die-off can have hefty consequences for our wilderness including soil erosion, landslides, and trail destruction. Please, stay on trail!
Halfway to Hangandifoss (currently still visible in the distance 😅)
GETTING THERE
The easiest way to get to the Múlagljúfur trailhead is to use the navigation system of your choice with your destination set as Múlagljúfur. At the time of publication, parking was free 🥳
TO WANDER, OR NOT TO WANDER
If you're favorite hikes include waterfalls, river crossings, and wandering through a wilderness unlike anything else in this world, then this is the hike for you! Get lost in the beauty of this trail, guaranteed to give you all the Pandora (Avatar) feels!
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