Hofsjökull
1,782 m
Iceland
Also known as ХофсйёкудльAlso known as
Хофсйёкудль
- Elevation
- 1,782 m
- Prominence
- 1,022 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Apr
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 1 Mar 2026
Updated maps of known crevasse areas on Icelandic glaciers, including a Hofsjökull GeoPDF, were published by the Natural Science Institute of Iceland in March 2026 (month only; dated here to 1 March 2026).
safetravel.isAdvisoryReported 1 Jun 2025
A new ice cauldron formed in Hofsjökull in summer 2025, a bit south-west of the centre of the glacier. It is not shown on the March 2026 crevasse maps; Safetravel advises travellers to keep well away and provides a GPX file of its position. The source gives only the season (dated here to 1 June 2025).
safetravel.is
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 5 check notes
- Ingólfsskáli → Hofsjökull: closed above ~826 m (OSM access/foot=no on way 48322470)
- 100% approximate geometry
- low confidence 0.4
- Ingólfsskáli → Hofsjökull: glacier (snap_failed, 22.6 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Sátujökull
There is no marked or guidebook route to the top of Hofsjökull. The most practical line is a long spring ski tour from Ingólfsskáli hut (800 m) on the north side, up the broad northern outlet glacier Sátujökull to the dome summit near the centre of the ice cap: roughly 22 km and 1,000 m of ascent each way, through crevassed lower ice, in fully committing highland conditions.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 22.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +951 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 1,783 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 7h 14m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 6h 37m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Ingólfsskáli, an unstaffed 28-place hut run by Ferðafélag Skagfirðinga in the Lambahraun lava north of the ice cap, is the nearest hut to the summit and the usual base on the north side; NAT gives highland road F72 from Vesturdalur in Skagafjörður as the access when the tracks are open, or by over-snow vehicle or on skis in winter and spring. From the hut, cross Lambahraun south to the snout of Sátujökull at about 900–1,000 m. Sátujökull is the northern ice-flow basin of Hofsjökull and the line used by the Icelandic Meteorological Office for its mass-balance stakes, which run about 20 km from the glacier margin to the summit area. The gradient is gentle, but the lower glacier is crevassed: an experienced 2026 skier crossing the ice cap found bare blue ice and open crevasse fields on the lower slopes when snow cover was thin, and needed three days to pick a line across. Higher up the slope eases to a broad, featureless dome; the summit lies near the centre of the ice cap above the subglacial caldera. Navigation is entirely by GPS. Download the current crevasse map (Natural Science Institute of Iceland, March 2026) and the waypoint file of the cauldron that formed in summer 2025 south-west of the glacier centre, and keep well away from it. Descend the same way. Wind is the main limiting factor: katabatic gales can make travel on the ice impossible for days.
Start
Ingólfsskáli832 m
- None. Access is by private 4x4 on highland tracks in summer, or by over-snow vehicle or super-jeep transfer in winter.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ingólfsskáli → Hofsjökull | 22.6 | 951 | 5 | 7h 14m |
Waypoints
- Hut: Ingólfsskáli832 m
- Summit: Hofsjökull1,782 m
Key Passages
- Crevassed lower Sátujökull
- Featureless summit dome (GPS navigation)
- Area of the 2025 cauldron south-west of the glacier centre (avoid)
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 40%Overview
Iceland's third-largest ice cap (about 830–925 km²), a near-circular dome up to roughly 1,800 m in the middle of the central highlands, covering the country's largest active central volcano. Reaching its summit is a serious, self-reliant glacier expedition rather than a climb.
Hofsjökull ('temple glacier', formerly Arnarfellsjökull) lies in the heart of Iceland between Langjökull and Vatnajökull, with the Kjölur route to the west, the Sprengisandur route to the east and the Kerlingarfjöll mountains just to the south-west. It is a rounded ice cap nearly 40 km across, with ice up to about 1,100 m thick resting on a large subglacial central volcano with a deep, ice-filled caldera. Some 20 outlet glaciers radiate from it, among them Sátujökull to the north, Þjórsárjökull and Múlajökull to the south-east around the mountain Arnarfell hið mikla, and Blágnípujökull to the south-west. Rivers including the Þjórsá, Iceland's longest, and the Blanda drain it and feed several hydropower stations.
There is no marked route to the top. Parties reach the summit dome on skis in late winter and spring, usually from huts on the edge of the highlands such as Ingólfsskáli on the north side, or cross the ice cap as part of longer traverses. Surveyors of the Icelandic Meteorological Office travel the Sátujökull basin to the summit area each year for mass-balance measurements.
The ice cap is relatively steep for an Icelandic dome and its outlet glaciers are heavily crevassed, especially when thin snow cover exposes bare ice. In summer 2025 a new ice cauldron, a sign of subglacial geothermal activity, formed south-west of the centre. Weather is the dominant hazard: violent winds and whiteouts can stop travel for days. Hofsjökull lost about 12% of its volume between 1989 and 2015 and is retreating.
Climbing Notes
Only for parties with solid glacier-travel and crevasse-rescue skills, experience of winter camping in high winds, and GPS navigation; otherwise hire a certified Icelandic glacier guide. Plan for at least two to three days on the ice from a highland hut, with spare days for storms. Before setting out, download the current crevasse map (Natural Science Institute of Iceland) and the Safetravel waypoint file marking the 2025 cauldron, file a travel plan with Safetravel, and carry a satellite communicator. Rope up in teams of at least three on crevassed ground. Spring (March–May) usually gives the best snow cover over crevasses and longer days; in summer the lower glaciers are bare and crevasses open, while in midwinter daylight is short and the highland tracks are closed.
Season
Best Apr- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Good
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Good
- June: Possible
- July: Possible
- August: Possible
- September: Not advisable
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Very short days; highland tracks closed; frequent storms
- Feb
- Expedition ski crossings possible; severe winds
- Mar
- Spring ski touring; good snow bridges
- Apr
- Best time for ski ascents: long days, deep snow cover over crevasses
- May
- Snow softening; highland tracks still closed by snow and mud
- Jun
- Tracks still closed or muddy; snow bridges weakening
- Jul
- Highland tracks open, but lower glacier bare with open crevasses
- Aug
- Bare, crevassed lower ice
- Sep
- Autumn storms; tracks closing
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Ingólfsskáli (28 places, unstaffed) is booked through Ferðafélag Skagfirðinga (ffs.is).
- Fees
- Overnight fees at highland huts such as Ingólfsskáli (Ferðafélag Skagfirðinga)
- Rules
- Off-road driving is illegal in Iceland; highland F-roads are for 4x4 vehicles only and only when officially open
- Keep well away from the ice cauldron that formed in summer 2025 south-west of the centre of the ice cap (position in the Safetravel GPX file)
- Getting There
Varmahlíð (Skagafjörður) on the north side; Flúðir on the south side
Akureyri Airport (AEY); Keflavík International Airport (KEF)
- Summer: 4x4 on highland tracks only; Ingólfsskáli is reached from Vesturdalur in Skagafjörður (road F72 per NAT); the Kjölur road (F35) passes west of the ice cap and Sprengisandur (F26) to the east
- Winter and spring: over-snow vehicle, super-jeep transfer or skis from the edge of the highlands
- No public transport; check road status on umferdin.is
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Weather
- Remoteness
- Volcanic activity
- River crossing
Huts & Shelters
1- 800 m
IngólfsskáliHutUnstaffed
28 beds · Open all year; access tracks closed by snow and mud in winter, spring and early summer