Gullfoss
7 July 2019
At the very top of the Golden Circle route sits one of the spots I was most excited to see in Iceland- the magnificent Gullfoss! A mighty waterfall that cascades over a series of smaller falls before plummeting down a cliffside into a canyon, Gullfoss was an absolute must-stop on our journey through Iceland!
We pulled into the lot and saw it was fairly crowded, but that is to be expected anywhere along the Golden Circle in July. In the lot there were a few of the arctic busses, the giant 4x4 passenger vans with the huge wheels made for driving over the glaciers! We had to stop for a few pics. We aren’t typically the type to join a tour, but it might be worth it to get a ride in one of those! Our van felt tiny in comparison!
We made our way down the path to the trail that lead to the falls. Most people reached the trail then went right down to the falls edge, but we went back away from the falls downriver into the canyon. The canyon was a beautiful sight- the cliff walls stood high on either side, steeply dropping down to the river below as the sun cast color upon the rock face. The view was just stunning! But as beautiful as the canyon was, the real reason for going back that way was to get a better view of Gullfoss itself. There was one part where the land juts out over the canyon a bit, and from there we got a full-on view of the amazing falls! With the crowd mostly out of the way, and a brilliant rainbow arching through the mist across the canyon, Gullfoss flowed before us in all its glory.
We made our way down the trail toward the falls, being sprayed by the mist kicked up by the sheer power of Gullfoss as we went. Eventually we came to a rocky part right between the small cascading falls and the big plummet, where we could stand at the edge and look right over the top as the water fell to the canyon below. The spray covered the entire area and we got fairly wet, exactly the reason we packed (and were wearing) our rain jackets! It started getting a bit later in the evening, but with the sky still bright overhead and no tour bus to return to, we stayed and enjoyed the majestic falls as the crowds dwindled… feeling the spray on our faces, hearing the sound of the water rushing over the edge, and being mesmerized by the incredible view of the river flowing from the falls down to the canyon.
We made our way back to the top of the trail for more pics from that spot we found, but the wind had shifted and sprayed the cold mist over us and the lens as well! We weathered the storm of spray on our faces for one last view from this angle- getting what pics we could- before seeking refuge back on the trail. Along the trail were plaques displayed remembering Sigríður Tómasdóttir, a local environmental hero who fought for the preservation of Gullfoss. It is because of her work and dedication that we can enjoy the beauty of this place today!
Another trail from the lot took us well over the top of the falls, so we could look down on the entire waterfall into the canyon beyond. It was just so amazing. We were looking forward to visiting Gullfoss since we first started planning our trip to Iceland, and it was certainly worth the anticipation!
