Raudfeldsgja Gorge

Imagine exploring a gorge that keeps getting narrower and with really high walls. Sounds interesting? What if I told you there is a small waterfall inside it? This is Raudfeldsgja Gorge, in the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Only those who are not claustrophobic and don’t mind getting wet will be able to explore it.

Keep reading this blog if you want to know everything there is to know about it.

Raudfeldsgja Gorge is a beautiful gorge that is located inside Botnsfjall mountain in the southern part of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. It is a narrow gorge (it keeps getting narrower the more inside it you venture yourself) with walls that are so high that you will feel like you are entering a mountain. Inside the gorge, there is a small creek and several small waterfalls.

Raudfeldsgja translates into English as Red Cloak Rift and it is named after the Icelandic Folklore stories of the Bárðar Saga Snaefellsáss. The saga tells the story of Bárður Snaefellsás, a half-human, half-troll that lived in Hellnar with his daughters. His brother Porkell lived in Arnastapi with his two sons Rauðfeldur and Solvi. One day, the cousins were playing and Rauðfeldur pushed one of Bárður’s daughters, Helga onto an iceberg that drifted away to Greenland. Helga was unharmed and returned to Iceland and told her father about the incident. When Barður learned about it, he was so angry that he killed the two brothers. He pushed Rauðfeldur into this canyon and pushed Solvi off the nearby Sölvahamar Cliff.

Getting to Raudfeldsgja

Raudfeldsgjá Gorge is located in the southern part of the Snaefellsnes peninsula, not far from Budakirkja, the famous black church.

The best and probably the only way to reach it is by renting your own car and driving there yourself. I haven’t found any day tour to the Snaefellsnes peninsula that includes this stop, so if you want to visit it, you will need to have a car.

The parking is located right next to Utnesvegur road (exact location on the map to the right).

Driving times will depend on where you are driving from:

From Reykjavik, it will take you approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
From Grundafjordur, it takes approximately 40 minutes driving.

Accommodation in the Snaefellsnes Peninsula

The Snaefellsnes Peninsula is not that big so no matter how many nights you’ve planned for, you can choose one location and make it your base. Here are some suggestions for different kinds of budgets.

Hellisandur Camping. If you are driving a camper van, this camping might be a good suggestion with beautiful views of the ocean.
Stod Guesthouse and Apartments. We stayed in this guesthouse in Grundafjordur and it was a good option. There was a shared kitchen available with everything necessary to save some money on meals.
Fosshotel Hellnar. If your budget is a bit higher, you can consider staying in this hotel with beautiful views over the Arnastapi cliffs.

Exploring Raudfeldsja Gorge

Hike Summary

This is not really a hike per se, but here is the main information:

Trail Start/End: Raudfeldsjá gorge parking
Distance: 1km
Elevation Gain: 90m
Route type: Linear route
Time needed: 30 minutes (this will depend on how deep inside the gorge you want to venture)

Equipment needed

This visit is not technically difficult. However, if you’re planning on exploring this canyon you will definitely need the following:

Waterproof hiking boots: Inside the gorge, there is a small creek which you will definitely have to step into it. Unless you don’t mind your feet getting wet with really cold water, you should have waterproof shoes.
Waterproof clothes: These are not mandatory but will also be very handy to wear them. Otherwise, you can just have some dry clothes in your car that you can change into once you are done exploring the cave.

My Experience Exploring Raudfeldsgja Gorge

Visiting this gorge was very easy. We parked our car in the parking lot next to the gorge, got our hiking boots on, and started walking towards it. The small hike is very easy, there is a small elevation gain but the view of the small canyon in front of you will make you not even notice it! I felt so small next to the huge mountain in front of me!

In no time, we were right next to the entry. There were a few people coming out of the gorge so we waited for them to get out. The entry to the gorge looks narrow in the photos but in reality, it does fit one or two people. The issue is that there is a small creek of water coming out of it and everyone enters stepping on some rocks on one of the sides.

Once inside there is one small chamber with some dry parts where you can stand. From there, if you want to continue going further into the gorge, you will have to start walking in the water.

We went a bit further inside the gorge and it felt like we were exploring an empty cave. In front of us, the walls kept getting closer to each other and if we looked up, we could see the blue sky in between the rocks. After a few meters, we had to climb a small waterfall (there was a rope to help us up). It didn’t look very difficult but if we continued, we were going to get wet and we were not feeling like it.

The return to the car was also pretty impressive, with the views of the ocean in front of us.

Hope you enjoyed this blog about Raudfeldsgjá Gorge! Let me know what you think in the comments and if you went further inside this canyon!

DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links. Clicking and buying from them will be at no additional cost to you but I will get a small commission.

Raudfeldsgja Gorge