Laugavegur & Fimmvörðuháls Trails

Summer 2026

iceland’s highlands

– Southbound from Landmannalaugar to Skógar – 

About this trek

Iceland is home to many trails, but the most famous long-distance hikes are on the country’s southern coast. The Laugavegur Trail is a 55-km trek that begins in Landmannalaugar and ends in Þórsmörk (Thorsmork). Once hikers reach this southern trailhead, they can connect to the 29-km Fimmhorðuváls Trail, which continues south toward the ocean.

This combined 84-km backcountry route takes hikers through lush green forests, past rhyolite mountains and black volcanic windswept landscapes, into geothermal valleys, and between two massive glaciers. Hikers must ford several glacier-fed rivers, and the weather can be highly unpredictable, even in summer. There are huts every 10-15 kilometers, but hikers must make reservations in advance to stay there. One major perk of doing the full route is ending the trek in Skógar, near the iconic Skógarfoss waterfall.

I’ve always wanted to experience Iceland’s natural beauty. So I made plans to hike the Laugavegur and Fimmvörðuháls Trails during a late-summer trip to Iceland with my college-age son. Check back soon to see my daily trail journal – along with some additional random thoughts about this wild Icelandic adventure.

Trail Journal

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