Gullfoss

“Gullfoss exists today because a farmer's daughter, Sigridur Tomasdottir, fought a hydroelectric dam for years and reportedly vowed to throw herself into the falls if it was built.”

About Gullfoss

For centuries Gullfoss was simply a waterfall on a remote glacial river. In the early 1900s foreign investors sought to dam the Hvita for power. Sigridur Tomasdottir, whose father owned the land, campaigned relentlessly against the plan, walking barefoot to Reykjavik to plead the case. The dam was never built, and the falls later passed into public ownership. Sigridur is now remembered as one of Iceland's first environmental campaigners.

Overview Gullfoss — 'Golden Falls' — drops the glacial Hvita river in two stepped tiers, the second of which plunges into a crevice so narrow and at such an angle that from the main viewpoint the river appears to vanish into the earth. It is the third stop on the Golden Circle, the loop of three sights within a couple of hours of Reykjavik, and on a sunny day the spray throws rainbows across the canyon.

The Woman Who Saved It In the early twentieth century investors planned to dam the Hvita and harness Gullfoss for hydroelectricity. Sigridur Tomasdottir, daughter of the landowner, walked to Reykjavik repeatedly to fight the scheme and reportedly threatened to throw herself into the falls if construction began. The lease ultimately fell through, the falls were never dammed, and a stone memorial to her stands above the canyon.

The Experience

You hear Gullfoss before you see it. A path leads along the canyon edge to a rocky promontory where you stand almost level with the second drop, close enough to be soaked by spray. The two tiers sit at an angle to each other, so the lower fall seems to disappear into a gorge rather than continue downstream — the optical trick that makes Gullfoss feel bottomless.

Why It Matters

Gullfoss is the climax of the Golden Circle and a founding story of Icelandic conservation. The fight to save it from damming became a national parable about valuing landscape over short-term power, and it remains a touchstone whenever development threatens wild Icelandic rivers.

Why Visit

It is the most powerful and most accessible of Iceland's classic waterfalls, reachable on a day trip from Reykjavik alongside Geysir and Thingvellir. Come early or late in the day to have the upper viewpoint to yourself and to catch low-angle light on the spray.