Iceland Day 7: Jökulsárgljúfur (Vatnajökull National Park)

On sunny bright Monday, we headed clockwise around Tjörnes, the penninsula on which Húsavík lies, with our destination being Jökulsárgljúfur, the northern section of Vatnajökull National Park.

Looking north eastish from the just-east-of-north tip of Tjörnes

Same as above, but looking ESE

Since we approached Jökulsárgljúfur from the north, we worked our way from north to south through the park. Our first stop was a hike along Eyjan, the "island" inside the horseshoe canyon Ásbyrgi.

Cairns are the graffiti of Iceland

The reward for the hike: view of the canyon from the end of the trail

Next stop: the Hljóðaklettar parking area, for a hike along the "Karl og Kerling" trail. The trail map said Karl and Kerling are trolls; no idea if we saw them or not among the amazing rock formations.

We continued our drive through the park, passing lunar landscapes...

...on our way to Europe's "most powerful" waterfall, Dettifoss (click on the photo to enlarge; seriously, do it)...

...and a short walk away, Selfoss.

We were so tuckered out from the sun, wind, and hiking that we didn't have the energy to stop at Lake Mývatn on the way back to Húsavík. We admired the steaming hills, mudflats, and gorgeous lake views from the car as we zipped through the sulfur-scented air past the scads of tourists. Maybe we'll stop the next time we're in Iceland.