North Iceland Rivers

41 rivers in North Iceland — mapped with live road conditions, drive times, and directions.

41 rivers in North Iceland

Eyjafjarðará

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Fishing permits are required and often expensive for prime salmon rivers.

Öxnadalsá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Glacial rivers are cold, fast, and dangerous. Never underestimate current strength.

Fnjóská

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Many rivers offer rafting opportunities - operators know the safe sections.

Hörgá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Glacial rivers are cold, fast, and dangerous. Never underestimate current strength.

Gljúfurá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Fishing permits are required and often expensive for prime salmon rivers.

Vatnsdalsá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

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Sunnudalsá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

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Suðurá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

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Svalbarðsá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

Svarfaðardalsá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

Svartá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

Svartá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

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Svartáskvísl

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Fishing permits are required and often expensive for prime salmon rivers.

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Svínadalsá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

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Syðri-Bótará

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Fishing permits are required and often expensive for prime salmon rivers.

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Syðri-Króksá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Fishing permits are required and often expensive for prime salmon rivers.

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Sölvadalsá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

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Austari Héraðsvötn

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

Highland river in the interior, typical of Iceland's braided glacial systems. These rivers shift channels constantly. What's fordable today might not be tomorrow. Highland rivers demand respect. Cold, fast, glacially-fed, and unforgiving of mistakes.

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Vestari Héraðsvötn

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

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Teigará

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Many rivers offer rafting opportunities - operators know the safe sections.

Reykjadalsá

Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Many rivers offer rafting opportunities - operators know the safe sections.

Blanda

North Iceland river with excellent salmon fishing. One of Iceland's premier angling destinations. Access is strictly controlled and expensive. International anglers travel specifically for Blanda salmon. The river drains Blöndulón reservoir in the highlands. Hydroelectric infrastructure and fishing somehow coexist.

Jökulsá á Fjöllum

Glacial river powering Dettifoss - Europe's most powerful waterfall. Wild and untamed. Rising from Vatnajökull's northern edge, this river carries massive volumes of gray glacial water through volcanic canyons. Selfoss, Dettifoss, and Hafragilsfoss are all on this river. The canyon system (Jökulsárgljúfur) is protected as part of Vatnajökull National Park. One of Iceland's most dramatic landscapes. The river eventually reaches the Arctic Ocean at Öxarfjörður. Its entire course is wild and roadless.

Glerá

The Glerá is a river in northern Iceland. It originates from glaciers in the mountains of the Tröllaskagi peninsula and also draws from some freshwater springs on its way down Glerá Valley. It runs through the town of Akureyri before it flows into the sea in Eyjafjörður. The river formed the sandbank of Oddeyri where it enters the sea. It was important in the dawn of the industrial age in Akureyri when it was dammed and used to produce electricity from 17 September 1922. The original power station has been demolished now but the dam remains. A new power station has been built to commemorate 10... Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Glacial rivers are cold, fast, and dangerous. Never underestimate current strength.

Hofsá

The Hofsá river is a spring creek in Höfðaströnd in Skagafjörður, Iceland. The river originates from Unadalur where it is called the Unadalsá river. When it leaves the mouth of the valley, its name changes to Hofsá. It leads up to flat meadows where it meanders past the church site Hof and continues on to the sea at Hofsós. Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Glacial rivers are cold, fast, and dangerous. Never underestimate current strength.

Norðurá (Skagafjörður)

Norðurá is a river that runs the length of Norðurárdalur valley in Skagafjörður, Iceland, where it creates extensive sandbars on the valley floor. The river joins the Héraðsvötn below Flatatunga. Many tributaries flow into the Norðurá, some located in massive ravines, including Kotá, Valagilsá, Horná, Heiðará, Grjótá, Króká, Egilsá, Stóralækur rivers. Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

Héraðsvötn

Héraðsvötn, whose name is often shortened to Vötn or Vötnin is a glacier river in Iceland. It is formed by the confluence of Austari-Jökulsá and Vestari-Jökulsá rivers. The Héraðsvötn is located in Skagafjörður, a municipality in northern Iceland, and it is one of the deadliest watercourses in the country. Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

Jökulsá á Dal

Jökulsá á Dal, also called Jökulsá á Brú or Jökla, is a river in the northeast of Iceland. Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Glacial rivers are cold, fast, and dangerous. Never underestimate current strength.

Hofsá

Sæmundará

The Sæmundará river is a spring creek on the western side of Skagafjörður, Iceland. It originates in Vatnsskarð pass, in Vatnshlíðarvatn lake and Valadalur dalur, curving to the north as it descends from the mountain pass, and running along the full length of Sæmundarhlíð. At the end of Langholt, it turns east and runs along the hay field in Reynistaður, then curves northward again before finally ending in Miklavatn. After the bend in the river, it is generally called the Staðará river, named after Reynistaður. The Landnámabók refers to it as Sæmundarlækur. Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Glacial rivers are cold, fast, and dangerous. Never underestimate current strength.

Húseyjarkvísl

Húseyjarkvísl is a rock stream in Skagafjörður, Iceland, that comes up to meet the Svartá in Eyvindarstaðaheiði. It runs down Svartárdalur along Reykjatunga into Vallhólmur, where its name then changes to Húseyjarkvísl. The river continues between Vallhólmur and Neðribyggð, below Varmahlíð and then out along Langholt before flowing into the Héraðsvötn. Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Glacial rivers are cold, fast, and dangerous. Never underestimate current strength.

Kolka

Kolka or Kolbeinsdalsá is a river that originates in the Tungnahryggsjökull glacier and is therefore often glacier-colored. Near its source, the river splits into two branches, with the eastern called Kolka and the western Tungnahryggsá. They are sometimes called Austurá and Vesturá, respectively. The Kolka flows lengthwise along Kolbeinsdalur valley in Skagafjörður, Iceland and continues north along Óslandshlíð until it reaches the sea in Kolkuós. After the rivers run parallel for a good distance, the Hjaltadalsá river and Kolka merge together a little further down at the farm Þúfur in Ósland... Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Glacial rivers are cold, fast, and dangerous. Never underestimate current strength.

Selá

Selá is a river in Vopnafjörður, Iceland, and one of Iceland's most exclusive rivers for salmon angling. Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Fishing permits are required and often expensive for prime salmon rivers.

Djúpadalsá

Djúpadalsá river, or Dalsá for short, is a spring creek in the Blönduhlíð district of Skagafjörður, Iceland. It originates in Djúpárdalur valley, which runs deep into the eastern Tröllaskagi mountain range. It is south of Glóðafeykir and south of the river the valley is named after, Akradalur valley, which belongs to Stóru-Akrar. The valley forks at Tungufjall mountain where the Tungufjallsá river flows into the Djúpadalsá from the northeast. The Djúpadalsá river's source is in the Grænuvatn lakes, at around an altitude of 900 meters. Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.

Sauðá

The Sauðá river is a spring creek on the western side of Skagafjörður, Iceland, and Sauðárkrókur takes its name from the river. Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Glacial rivers are cold, fast, and dangerous. Never underestimate current strength.

Grafará

Grafará river is a spring creek in Höfðaströnd named after the farm Gröf in Skagafjörður, Iceland. Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Many rivers offer rafting opportunities - operators know the safe sections.

Gönguskarðsá

Gönguskarðsá river is a spring creek in Skagafjörður, Iceland that flows to the ocean in the Gönguskörð estuary in Sauðárkrókur off of the north part of Sauðárkrókur. It is sometimes said to be the deadliest river in Skagafjörður County. Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Fishing permits are required and often expensive for prime salmon rivers.

Heiðará

Heiðará is a spring creek that runs westward through Öxnadalsheiði plateau in Skagafjörður, Iceland and later flows into the Norðurá river where it descends into Norðurárdalur valley. The river originates in Kaldbaksdalur valley, which runs southward just east of the border between Skagafjörður and Eyjafjörður counties on the plateau. Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Many rivers offer rafting opportunities - operators know the safe sections.

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Hjaltadalsá

Hjaltadalsá is a river in Hjaltadalur valley in Skagafjörður, Iceland. It originates from Hjaltadalsjökull glacier and runs the full length of the valley, before many tributaries and lakes flow into it. Further down the river there are lots of rapids and small waterfalls and the current is strong and rough in many places. A little past the town of Sleitustaðir, the Hjaltadalsá and Kolka rivers run together. The river is known as Kolka from that point until it reaches the ocean. Hjaltadalsá often contains outwash, but Kolka has much more of it, which results in a significant color difference wh... Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. Many rivers offer rafting opportunities - operators know the safe sections.

Svartá

The Svartá river is a spring creek on the inner, western side of Skagafjörður, Iceland. A considerable amount of spring water runs in the river up to the highland where it then begins to resemble a direct run-off river as it flows on. The river surfaces in the Eyvindarstaðaheiði plateau and runs through Svartárdalur valley, then continues between Neðribyggð and Reykjatunga where there is a waterfall called Reykjafoss. Some ways below it, around Vindheimamelar, the river’s name changes to Húseyjarkvísl. It flows into the bottom of Varmahlíð and into the Héraðsvötn shortly before reaching Glaumb... Icelandic river shaped by glaciers and volcanic landscape. River conditions change rapidly with weather and glacier melt. Check before attempting crossings.