Bláhnúkur and Landmannalaugar
It was gray that morning, and the sky was overcast. After a few minutes of hesitation, we still decided to go to Landmannalaugar where we had planned to do a bit of hiking.
It only took us one hour from our accommodation to arrive there, and the F208 on the northern part was really not complicated.
Frostastaðavatn and Stútur
We stopped near the small volcanic crater of Stútur after first walking near Lake Frostastaðavatn. This lake was absolutely spleidid with the reflections of the Suðurnámur mountain which rose to 920 meters in the background.
We stayed there for a long time before getting back on the road to drive the few kilometers to the Landmannalaugar car park. We decided to hike to Bláhnúkur and the ranger at the campsite information hut recommended climbing the Brennisteinsalda side. That flank was very steep, and it was particularly slippery that day so he recommended that we do it uphill rather than descending.
The Bláhnúkur hike
We left around 2PM under an overcast sky to plunge into the Grænagil canyon, amazed by the green color of the earth on the slopes of Grænagil.
After a rather easy walk down the bottom of the canyon and along the lava fields, we arrived at the foot of Brennisteinsalda in less than 45 minutes. The trail then turned towards Bláhnúkur. After crossing a stream, the ascent began in earnest and very quickly a magnificent view of the rhyolite mountains opened up before us with the colors so typical of the region.
The start of the ascent was indeed extremely slippery, and we had to use our hands to climb the first few dozen meters. Fortunately the ground quickly became drier, more rocky than muddy, allowing us to continue the ascent under more favorable conditions.
We took multiple breaks to catch our breath but above all to enjoy this landscape and snap photos from all angles. Despite the overcast weather and a bit of fog, the colors were superb.
After about an hour and a half we finally reached the summit with its magnificent view, only a little spoiled by the fog that crept up when we arrived near the summit.
On the way back down, the view over Bármur and over the car park was incredible. It took us only 45 minutes to complete the descent on the other side, arriving this time just above Grænagil.
It took 2H15 to complete the 7 km hike which was magnificent, as expected, and we agree it's a must-see among the Landmannalaugar trails. After walking along the foothills of Bármur, and taking a few more photos, we decided to go back to our accommodation to take advantage of our hotpot and relax after this beautiful day of hiking.
