Bárðarbunga
2,014 m
Iceland
Also known as Бардарбунга, ΜπάρδαρμπουνγκαAlso known as
Бардарбунга · Μπάρδαρμπουνγκα
- Elevation
- 2,014 m
- Prominence
- 550 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Apr–May
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 14 Jun 2026
After an intense earthquake swarm in the north-western caldera (largest M4.8 on 13 June 2026), the Icelandic Met Office raised Bárðarbunga's aviation colour code to Yellow on 14 June 2026. No eruption or volcanic tremor was detected. Large earthquakes occur frequently; check the current status on vedur.is.
watchers.news
Routes
1There is no established climbing route: Bárðarbunga is a broad ice dome on north-western Vatnajökull, reached only by self-supported ski or snowmobile expeditions, usually in spring. The shortest approach is from the Gæsavötn hut on the Gæsavatnaleið track (F910), about 15 km south over crevassed outlet-glacier slopes to the caldera rim.
About 100% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 4 check notes
- 100% approximate geometry
- low confidence 0.3
- Gæsavatnaskáli → Bárðarbunga: dem (snap_failed, 14.4 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Rjúpnabrekkujökull
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 14.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,168 m
- −72 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,014 m
- Time Up
- 5h 50m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 54m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Bárðarbunga is a subglacial volcano whose summit is a snow dome at about 2,000 m on the rim of an ice-filled caldera roughly 10 km across. Nothing about it is technical in the rock-climbing sense; the difficulty is entirely remoteness, weather and crevasses. Ascents are made by Icelandic snowmobile and super-jeep groups and by ski-touring parties pulling sledges, almost always between March and May when the ice cap is snow-covered and crevasses are bridged. The nearest roadhead and hut on the north side is Gæsavatnaskáli at Gæsavötn on the F910 Gæsavatnaleið, about 15 km north of the summit. From there parties go onto the ice of Dyngjujökull or Rjúpnabrekkujökull and climb south and south-west onto the dome. Snowmobilers who travelled there in May 2026 described the north-western slopes of Bárðarbunga as heavily crevassed and uninviting, and Rjúpnabrekkujökull as much retreated with little snow; in that spring the ground at Gæsavötn was bare and the hut could not be reached over snow. In 1950 a rescue party from Akureyri reached the crashed airliner Geysir on Bárðarbunga on skis from Kistufell, the nunatak in Dyngjujökull further east. Other approaches cross the ice cap from Jökulheimar in the west or Vonarskarð, often combined with Grímsvötn, which has a club hut on Grímsfjall about 27 km to the south-south-east. The summit is featureless and best located by GPS. Plan for whiteout navigation, storms with very strong winds on the ice cap, deep cold and complete self-sufficiency: tents, sledges, crevasse-rescue kit and a satellite communicator. The volcano is seismically active: check the Icelandic Met Office (vedur.is) alert status before and during any trip. No published time or grade exists; the F grade reflects gentle angles but serious crevasse exposure.
Start
Gæsavatnaskáli915 m
- None. Spring access is by super-jeep or snowmobile from the north (Akureyri, Mývatn) or west (Jökulheimar); highland F roads open only in summer.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gæsavatnaskáli → Bárðarbunga | 14.4 | 1,168 | 72 | 5h 50m |
Waypoints
- Hut: Gæsavatnaskáli915 m
Hut at Gæsavötn on the F910 Gæsavatnaleið; summer road access only
- Summit: Bárðarbunga2,014 m
Key Passages
- F910 Gæsavatnaleið to Gæsavötn
- Crevassed northern slopes of the dome
- Featureless summit plateau on the caldera rim
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 30%Overview
Iceland's second-highest mountain, an ice-covered volcano about 2,000 m high on north-western Vatnajökull. Reaching the top is a remote ski or snowmobile expedition across crevassed glaciers, possible mainly in spring and dependent on the volcano's alert status.
Bárðarbunga is a central volcano buried under the north-western part of Vatnajökull, Iceland's largest ice cap. What rises above the ice is a vast dome: a caldera about 10 km wide and up to 700 m deep, filled with ice up to 850 m thick, whose rim reaches about 2,000 m, making it the second-highest point in Iceland after Hvannadalshnúkur. On its north-west side it falls steeply to Vonarskarð; to the east and south the ice cap slopes away gently for tens of kilometres.
The volcano feeds a fissure system some 190 km long and has produced some of the largest eruptions in Iceland since the last ice age, including the Þjórsá lava about 8,600 years ago and the Veiðivötn eruption of 1477. In 2014–15 magma drained from beneath the caldera to erupt 40 km to the north-east at Holuhraun, and the caldera floor subsided by about 65 m. Earthquake swarms continue: the aviation colour code was raised to Yellow in January 2025 and again in June 2026, and quakes above magnitude 4 occur several times a year.
For mountaineers the summit is a goal for an ice-cap expedition rather than a climb. There are no marked routes, huts or services on the ice, and very few documented ascents; most visitors are Icelandic snowmobile, jeep and research parties. Anyone going needs full glacier-travel and winter-camping competence, or an Icelandic guiding company willing to run a private trip.
Climbing Notes
Treat this as a polar-style expedition: experience pulling sledges on skis, crevasse rescue, navigation in whiteout and camping in storms are prerequisites. The usual window is March to May, when the ice is snow-covered but before the melt opens crevasses; the highland F roads to the glacier edge (F910 to Gæsavötn, the Jökulheimar track) are snowbound until about late June, so spring access needs a super-jeep or snowmobile support, which some Icelandic operators provide. Recent trip reports describe the northern slopes as heavily crevassed and the outlet glaciers as retreating with thin snow cover.
Before going, check the volcano's status and the aviation colour code on vedur.is, leave a travel plan with SafeTravel (safetravel.is) and carry a satellite communicator. Commercial Vatnajökull ski crossings (for example the 9-day Jökulheimar–Grímsvötn–Skaftafell expedition) do not include Bárðarbunga, which lies about 27 km north-north-west of Grímsvötn; a detour would have to be arranged privately.
History
The mountain is named after the early settler Gnúpa-Bárður; the name means 'Bárður's bulge'. In September 1950 the Loftleiðir airliner Geysir, flying from Luxembourg, crashed on Bárðarbunga; the whole crew survived and was reached after about six days by a rescue party from Akureyri that came up on skis from Kistufell. In 1981 snowcat trips to Bárðarbunga were offered commercially. In 2014–15 magma from Bárðarbunga's chamber fed the Holuhraun eruption north of the glacier, while the caldera floor subsided by about 65 m.
Season
Best Apr–May- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Good (best window)
- May: Good (best window)
- June: Possible
- July: Possible
- August: Possible
- September: Not advisable
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Polar night conditions and storms
- Feb
- Very cold, short days and frequent storms
- Mar
- Spring expedition season begins; very cold
- Apr
- Best period for ski and snowmobile access over snow
- May
- Good snow cover on the ice cap; approaches may already be bare (as at Gæsavötn in May 2026)
- Jun
- Melt opens crevasses; access roads still closed
- Jul
- F910 usually open to the glacier edge, but the ice is wet, slushy and crevassed
- Aug
- Bare, crevassed ice on the outlet glaciers
- Sep
- Autumn storms; roads close
Access & Permits
- Rules
- The mountain lies inside Vatnajökull National Park; national park rules apply, and vehicles may only be driven on marked roads off the glacier
- Bárðarbunga is an active, closely monitored volcano; Civil Protection may close areas around it at short notice during unrest, so check vedur.is and safetravel.is before and during any trip
- Highland F roads (F910 Gæsavatnaleið, the Jökulheimar track) are open only in summer and require a four-wheel-drive vehicle
- Getting There
Mývatn (Reykjahlíð)
Akureyri Airport (AEY); international flights via Keflavík (KEF)
- No public transport. In spring, super-jeep or snowmobile from the north (Mývatn, Akureyri) or the west (Jökulheimar via the Sprengisandur area)
- In summer, 4x4 on the F910 Gæsavatnaleið to Gæsavatnaskáli, the nearest hut to the north
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Weather
- Remoteness
- Volcanic activity
Huts & Shelters
1- 914 m
GæsavatnaskáliHut