“Local legend says a Viking settler hid a chest of gold behind Skogafoss — and the only thing ever recovered was a single ring, said to have ended up on a church door.”
About Skógafoss
Skogafoss marks what was once the coastline; the sea has since retreated several kilometres, leaving the falls inland at the foot of former sea cliffs. The Skogar area was an early settlement, and the treasure legend has clung to the falls for centuries. The staircase and the trail above it now form the start of the popular Fimmvorduhals trek toward Thorsmork.
Overview Skogafoss drops 60 metres in a single broad curtain on Iceland's south coast, wide enough and powerful enough to throw constant spray that, on sunny days, hangs a rainbow — sometimes a double — across its base. A steep staircase climbs the cliff beside it to a platform at the lip, where the Skoga river continues upstream past a string of lesser falls toward the Fimmvorduhals hiking pass.
A steep staircase climbs the cliff beside it to a platform at the lip, where the Skoga river continues upstream past a string of lesser falls toward the Fimmvorduhals hiking pass.
The Legend Folklore says the area's first Viking settler hid a chest of gold in a cave behind the falls. A local later grabbed a ring from the chest before it slipped away forever; the ring supposedly ended up on a church door. The treasure, the story goes, is still back there.
The Experience
From the base you can walk right up to the spray curtain until you are soaked and a rainbow arcs at your feet. Climb the long metal staircase on the right and the perspective flips: you look down the full drop and out across the flat green plain to the distant sea. The crowds thin sharply above the first platform.
Why It Matters
Skogafoss is one of the defining images of Iceland's south coast and the gateway to the Fimmvorduhals pass, the trail that crosses between two glaciers and past the craters of the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. Its sheer accessibility from the ring road makes it one of the most photographed waterfalls in the country.
Its sheer accessibility from the ring road makes it one of the most photographed waterfalls in the country.
Why Visit
Few waterfalls let you stand this close to a 60-metre drop and then climb to its lip in twenty minutes. Go early to catch the rainbow without the crowd, and walk at least a little way up the river trail above the falls for the views most visitors miss.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Climb the staircase on the right for a top-down view and to escape the crowd gathered at the base.
- 2
Stand close to the foot on a sunny day for the rainbow, but expect to get thoroughly soaked by spray.
- 3
It sits directly off the ring road with a large car park — easy to pair with Seljalandsfoss nearby.
- 4
The trail continuing up the Skoga river leads toward the Fimmvorduhals pass and dozens more waterfalls.
