A Trail Connecting Two Sites
The hardest part about this trip was knowing what to google for in order to plan our trip or figure out where the hikes are. Unless we happened upon Seltún Geothermal Area on our last day and followed a side trail, we would not have found a sign that said Austurengjahver. Of course we had no idea if we took this path what was at the end, so we hiked a small part of it. Now that we are home and can google Austurengjahver, we have found some amazing photos of the destination. We recommend you check them out if you are interested in knowing more as our photos are only on the first part of the trail.
Trail to Austurengjahver
We think you can walk to the trail from the Seltún parking lot and cross the street and head in the direction of the sea. We actually drove up to a small parking spot a stone's throw from Seltún because we thought we were only going to look at the wildly blue lake. In following the path around the lake, we found the trail sign and decided to follow it for a bit.
Following the trail, one has to keep an eye out for the next orange wand in the ground. They were not hard to find, but the terrain did not always lend itself to showing a well trodden path. Early on, the trail came to a gate that keeps the horses in, and we had to unhook the fence and re-hook it once we were through so the horses would not leave. It was a bit up hill but not strenuous, though the ground was rough and stony and lent itself well to sturdy hiking shoes. I wish we knew what was at the end, but we did not want to go too far as we had a plane to catch, but even without reaching the end, it was a beautiful journey. I hope to return to hike it to its destination.
This trail was a short dirt road drive from Hafnarfjörður which is the town just south of Reykjavik. Parts of the road are occasionally "paved" and the rest is graded and is fine for any rental car at a slow pace in good conditions. We do not really understand if the rental car agreement considers the road passable, but our VW Polo did just fine. Fuel up before you head out.