Rejseguide til Glerargil Gorge

Glerá river in Glerárgil. Photo: Berserkur, CC0 1.0

Glerárgil (Icelandic: Glerárgil, "the gorge of the glass river") is the river gorge that runs right through Akureyri, the largest town in North Iceland.

The Glerá river comes down from Glerárdalur, the glacier-fed valley behind the town, and has cut a deep, green, basalt-walled canyon that separates the town centre from the northern district of Glerárhverfi.

A 12-km network of paths and bridges follows the gorge from the sea to a reservoir in the hills, and a zipline course now crosses the canyon five times.

Key Takeaways About Glerárgil

• Glerárgil is the gorge of the Glerá river inside Akureyri, dividing the town centre from Glerárhverfi; the upper gorge is up to 80 m deep.
• About 12 km of paths and eight bridges follow the river from the sea to the reservoir; the paths are free.
• The Glerá lit Akureyri from 1922; Fallorka's Glerárvirkjun II (3.3 MW) opened at Réttarhvammur in 2018.
• Zipline Akureyri runs five lines across the gorge from Þingvallastræti 50; minimum age 8, maximum weight 120 kg.
• Akureyri is about 390 km (5 to 6 hours) from Reykjavík on Route 1; everything here is on paved town roads.

Why visit Glerárgil

Few towns anywhere have a wild gorge in the middle of them. Glerárgil is described by Akureyri's tourist office as one of the deepest and most impressive river gorges in Eyjafjörður and also one of the most richly vegetated.

The upper part, Efra-Glerárgil, is up to 80 metres deep, with birch, willow and rowan clinging to the ledges and the pale, fast Glerá at the bottom. The lower part, Neðra-Glerárgil, is shallower and narrower, and is where most of the town's bridges cross.

Potholes in Glerárgil, around 1900. Photo: Frederick W. W. Howell, public domain

The river itself rises in the mountains of Tröllaskagi, fed by small glaciers and springs in Glerárdalur, and its sediment built the Oddeyri spit on which part of the town stands. The name means "glass river". Potholes drilled into the rock by swirling stones were being photographed here as early as 1900.

The gorge is also where Akureyri's electricity began. The Glerá was dammed and lit the town from 17 September 1922.

The original station is gone, but a small 290 kW plant was opened on the site in 2005 to mark a century of electricity generation in Iceland.

In October 2018 the utility Fallorka commissioned Glerárvirkjun II: a 7-metre dam in Glerárdalur, a 6-km pressure pipe, and a 3.3 MW powerhouse at Réttarhvammur at the top of the gorge, enough for roughly 5,000 homes.

The 2018 project came with a new gravel path, Fallorkustígurinn, running 7 km from the powerhouse to the dam.

In recent years the gorge has gained a second life as an adventure site. Zipline Akureyri runs five cables across the canyon from a base at the old Pálmholt house on the south rim.

Between zips you walk short forest paths along the edge while guides tell local stories, and the course ends with a 10-minute walk back to base. From the lines you look straight down into the river and out over the fjord to the flat-topped mountains across Eyjafjörður.

How to get to Glerárgil

Akureyri is about 390 km from Reykjavík on Route 1, a drive of roughly five to six hours, or a 45-minute flight. The gorge divides the town, so you cannot miss it: Route 1 itself crosses the Glerá on the way north. Hlíðarbraut runs along the north rim and Þingvallastræti along the south.

Footbridge over the Glerá in Glerárgil. Photo: Berserkur, CC0 1.0

For the lower gorge and paved riverside paths, park at the Glerártorg shopping centre near the river mouth or by the bridges off Hlíðarbraut. For the upper gorge, drive up Hlíðarfjallsvegur (the ski-area road) and park at the Glerárvirkjun II powerhouse at Réttarhvammur, where the Fallorkustígur path starts.

The zipline meeting point is Þingvallastræti 50 (Gamla Pálmholt), 600 Akureyri, on the same street as the town swimming pool. Everything is on paved town roads; no 4x4 is needed, and town buses are free.

Best time to visit

June to September is best for walking, when the paths are dry, the birch is in leaf and the river runs full with meltwater. The zipline season runs from about May to September; check the operator's booking calendar for exact dates. Autumn colour comes to the gorge in September.

In winter the paved lower paths through the town are still usable, and the gorge in snow is worth a short walk, but the upper gravel path and the rim trails can be icy and the river banks dangerous.

Safety and practical tips

• Stay on the paths and bridges. The gorge walls are steep, loose in places and up to 80 m high, and the Glerá is cold, fast and unpredictable, especially during spring melt and after rain.
• Keep children and dogs close near the rim; most of the upper gorge is unfenced.
• Zipline: minimum age 8 (with an adult), maximum weight 120 kg, you must be able to walk uneven paths for 10 minutes at a time, and it is not suitable in pregnancy. Wear trail shoes with grip and tie long hair back. The tour runs in most weather and takes 1 to 2 hours. Prices listed on the operator's site at the time of writing were 11,900 ISK for adults and 7,900 ISK for children; check the current price when booking.
• The paths are free. Toilets, cafés and shops are at Glerártorg and in the town centre.
• Check the weather at vedur.is; wind funnels along the gorge.