Ok
1,170 m
Iceland
Also known as ОкAlso known as
Ок
- Elevation
- 1,170 m
- Prominence
- 562 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Húsafell's signposted route no. 10: up the west side of the Bæjargil canyon behind Húsafell to Drangsteinabrún, past a group of small ponds, then a long, steady climb over the stony basalt shield to the summit crater of Ok, where the dead glacier Okjökull has left a lake. About 24 km and 1,000 m return; 6–8 hours.
About 92% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 5 check notes
- 92% approximate geometry
- last routed vertex 63 m from the summit
- low confidence 0.44
- Húsafell → Ok memorial plaque: dem (unreachable, 12.1 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Bæjargil, Drangsteinabrún
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 13.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,067 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 1,173 m
- Time Up
- 5h 17m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 26m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at Húsafell (hotel and car park, about 130 m). Walk up the western side of the Bæjargil canyon, which has a trail register at a viewpoint and sculptures by the Húsafell artist Páll Guðmundsson along the lower part. At the top of the canyon is the escarpment Drangsteinabrún; a short way south of it lie some small ponds. Pass east of them and head straight for the highest point of Ok. Above the ponds the route climbs the broad, gently angled shield on loose stones and gravel, without a constructed path. The summit area is a shallow crater (Blávatn) where the glacier Okjökull lay until it was declared dead in 2014; the 2019 memorial plaque stands on a rock at 1,114 m on the edge of the old ice. From the top the view takes in Langjökull, Eiríksjökull, Þórisjökull and the shield of Skjaldbreiður. Return the same way. The shield is featureless in cloud and the summit is very exposed to wind: carry a GPS track and turn back in fog. A shorter ascent from the Kaldidalur road (route 550) on the east side is also popular; see the notes.
Start
Húsafell136 m
- None to Húsafell; seasonal tour buses only (not verified).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Húsafell → Ok | 13.3 | 1,067 | 34 | 5h 17m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Húsafell136 m
- Feature: Ok memorial plaque1,109 m
'A letter to the future' (2019) on a rock at the former edge of Okjökull
- Summit: Ok1,170 m
Key Passages
- West side of Bæjargil
- Ponds south of Drangsteinabrún
- Summit crater and memorial plaque
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 44%Overview
A broad basalt shield volcano (about 1,170–1,198 m) between Húsafell and Kaldidalur in west Iceland, whose small ice cap Okjökull became the first Icelandic glacier declared dead, in 2014. A long, easy-angled stony walk leads to its summit crater lake and the 2019 memorial plaque.
Ok is a grey-basalt shield volcano in the West Volcanic Zone, rising west of Langjökull with the Kaldidalur road on its east side and Húsafell below its north-west flank. Like its neighbour Skjaldbreiður it is a broad, gently sloping dome with a summit crater, where a small lake, Blávatn, has formed in place of the ice.
The glacier Okjökull covered about 15–16 km² around 1900 and only 3 km² by 1978. In 2014 the glaciologist Oddur Sigurðsson of the Icelandic Meteorological Office found that it no longer moved and declared it dead. In August 2019 about 100 people, including Iceland's prime minister, climbed for two hours to the summit to unveil a plaque by the writer Andri Snær Magnason, 'A letter to the future', which made the mountain a symbol of climate change.
The ascent is long but technically easy: either about 24 km and 1,000 m return from Húsafell up the Bæjargil canyon, or a shorter walk from the Kaldidalur road. The terrain is loose stones and gravel, and the summit is exposed and often in cloud. From the top there are views over Langjökull, Eiríksjökull, Þórisjökull and Skjaldbreiður.
Climbing Notes
Fitness for a 6–8 hour walk from Húsafell (or a shorter half-day from the Kaldidalur road) is all that is needed technically. Navigation is the main issue: the shield is broad and featureless, so carry a GPS track and the plaque coordinates, and do not go up in fog or strong wind. Wear boots for the loose stony ground, carry full waterproofs and warm layers, and take enough water. Snow lingers on the upper slopes into early summer. Check road 550 status on umferdin.is if you plan to start from Kaldidalur; some rental companies do not allow 2WD cars on it.
History
Okjökull was among Iceland's smallest glaciers. Oddur Sigurðsson declared it dead in 2014, the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status. Rice University anthropologists Cymene Howe and Dominic Boyer made the documentary 'Not Ok' (2018) and proposed the memorial, which was unveiled in August 2019 with Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir and Mary Robinson present. The plaque, in Icelandic and English, records '415 ppm CO2' and ends: 'This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it.'
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; Kaldidalur road closed; short days
- Apr
- Snow-covered; ski ascent possible from Húsafell
- May
- Snow on the upper shield; Kaldidalur road usually opens late May or June
- Jun
- Long days; snow patches high up
- Jul
- Best conditions
- Sep
- Shorter days; first snow possible
- Oct
- Kaldidalur road closes mid to late October
Access & Permits
- Rules
- Off-road driving is illegal in Iceland; park only at existing pull-outs on the Kaldidalur road
- Some car-rental companies prohibit 2WD cars on road 550 (Kaldidalur)
- Getting There
Húsafell (settlement); Reykholt or Borgarnes for services
Keflavík International Airport (KEF); Reykjavík Airport (RKV)
- Car to Húsafell: Route 518 from Reykholt; start at Hótel Húsafell for the Bæjargil route
- Car to Kaldidalur: road 550 (formerly F550) between Húsafell and Þingvellir, open roughly late May/June to mid or late October; start where the summit is closest to the road
- No regular public transport
Hazards
- Weather
- Remoteness