Skoga Trail - The Trail Behind Skogafoss

Skógafoss is one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland and it is for good reason! Almost every person that visits Iceland will at some point find himself admiring this stunning waterfall. But did you know that behind this waterfall there is a beautiful hiking trail with many additional smaller waterfalls? Keep reading this guide to discover the Skoga Trail – The trail behind Skogafoss Waterfall!

Skógafoss & The Skógá River

Interesting Facts About Skógafoss

It is located next to the small village of Skógar.
It is 25m wide and has a drop of 60m.
There is plenty of salmon and char in the river below Skógafoss. This makes it a very popular place for fishermen.
It is very common to see a rainbow next to the waterfall on a sunny day due to the amount of spray that the waterfall produces.

The Skoga River

The Skoga River (Skógá in Icelandic) is a river in the south of Iceland that originates on the glacier Eyjafjallajökull. The river flows all the way down creating numerous waterfalls along its way and ends in the magnificent Skógafoss.

Getting To The Beginning Of The Trail

The Skógá Trail begins at the famous Skógafoss so getting to its starting point is fairly easy.

All you need to do is drive along the Ring Road (N1) until you reach the Skógar exit. This exit will be on your left if you are driving from Reykjavík or on your right if you are driving from Vík.
150m after taking this exit, you will turn left again. This road will take you to the Skógafoss parking lot.

Accommodation Near The Skógá Trail

If you are looking for a place to sleep near this trail, you have two options:

Skógar Campsite: This is the perfect option if you have rented a camper van or you have a tent. The camping is located a few meters away from Skogafoss Waterfall and you will be able to wake up next to one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country.
Hotel or Guesthouse nearby: If camping is not your thing, then you can rent a room in one of the hotels in the nearby villages. I stayed at Hvammbol Guesthouse in Vík and it was one of the best places I stayed during my trip to Iceland.r

Equipment Needed To Hike The Skógá Trail

The Skógá Trail, also known as the Waterfall Way, is a relatively easy hike so you don’t need that many things to hike it. I recommend having the following:

Hiking shoes or boots.
Multiple layers (including waterproof clothing) that you can put on or remove depending on the weather conditions.
A backpack with a reusable water bottle and some snacks for some additional energy along the hike.
Sunscreen (if you get a sunny day).

My Experience Hiking The Skoga Trail

Hike Summary

Trail Start/End: Skógafoss Parking
Distance: 6’8km. The complete hike is 16km (8km each way) but I did a shorter version I found in the All Trails App.
Elevation Gain: 348m
Route Type: Linear
Approximate time: 3h

Admiring Skógafoss

The trail begins and ends at Skogafoss, one of the most popular waterfalls in Iceland. If you want to avoid the big crowds and tourist buses, I recommend getting there early. We were there in June around 1 pm and there were many people next to us. We spent some time admiring the beauty of this waterfall and taking some photos.

Once we were ready, we began with our trail and took the stairs to the right of the waterfall. This is the hardest part of the trail but it is so worth it. In the end, you will get to a breathtaking viewpoint of Skógafoss from above.

Waterfalls along the Skógá River

After admiring Skógafoss from above, we started walking along the Skógá river. The trail is very well marked and easy to follow with all the different waterfalls marked along the way. We slowly started walking north following the trail and admiring the different waterfalls and canyons. We were stopping every 500m because the views keep getting better. Everything is covered in green moss making a beautiful contrast with the water.

The different waterfalls we saw along the way were:

Hestavaðsfoss
Fosstortufoss
Steinbogafoss, etc.

As you can see in the photos, they are all unique and very pretty. In addition, the further away you go from Skogafoss, the fewer people around you. We were enjoying all of these places almost on our own!

The return

After 3km walking, we decided to go back to Skogafoss. We would have loved to complete this hike until the bridge but we had other things planned in our itinerary for this day. Next time I’m in Iceland I will plan a complete day for it!

Skoga Trail – The Trail Behind Skogafoss waterfall