On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
MissWimsey
I took to the Ring Road on Day 3. This road circles the island, which is about 1,400 kilometers. I was driving to Hofn in southeast Iceland, which is about 460 km. that was the longest distance I was going to drive on this trip. I did make two stops to break up the drive: Seljalandsfoss and Reynisfjara Beach. I opted to take this trip in the off season, so there wasn’t too many tourists at any of these sites, even though tourism as a whole has been down since the start of the pandemic. That applied to the roads. I saw cars regularly on the drive down to Vik y Myrdal, which is about 110 km from Reikjavik. traffic went down considerably the farther away I got from the capital. It was unnerving (I had visions of a flat tire and googling how to change it) but it didn’t stop me from continuing on my way.
This was my favorite waterfall of the whole trip. There is a track that takes one behind the waterfall. It’s rocky and muddy, but the effort is absolutely worth it.
The rain and lowered visibility just added to the drama of this black sand beach in South Iceland. Basalt columns like these are formed naturally, just lava cooling rapidly.
On the Ring Road, looking south toward the white-capped mountains.
Elsewhere on the Ring Road, looking north.
Green lava fields formed from an eruption thousands of years ago. It’s been long enough that it has formed its own ecosystem. These fields stretched as far as the eye can see.
This canyon looked like it was part of the hobbits journey to Mordor. This site was so peaceful. The path climbed up to the top of the canyon.
This waterfall was the end of the path.
Wag
Your photos are excellent. A great reminder of our similar trip in 8/2017. I loved the moss covered basaltic pillows as well. Otherworldly is the descriptor that comes to mind.
Nicole
Holy cow, we were traveling around the Ring Road almost exactly the same time! We travelled Oct 2-9 and then ended with two days in Reykjavik. I had been planning to send pictures in of our trip to On the Road, but I think yours are nicer. What a nice (lucky) week of weather we got that first ten days in October!
Betty
Dramatic landscape everywhere and beautifully photographed.
stinger
What great pictures! What an experience! Thank you for sharing these!
WaterGirl
That first waterfall, wow!
Standing underneath waterfalls is a magical experience for me. Maybe not surprising from someone who chose the nym WaterGirl.
eclare
Just amazing photos! Thank you so much for sharing!
WaterGirl
Forgot to say that the canyon is spectacular.
Nicole
Forgot to add- the first day we saw the moss covered lava fields, we stepped out onto them, as we’d seen some other tourists do. On my birthday (the reason we scheduled the trip for October) we toured a lava cave on the Snæfellsnes peninsula, and the tour guide mentioned during the tour that people shouldn’t walk on those lava fields because there are lava caves beneath them everywhere and “discovering” a new lava cave could end up being the last thing you ever do. (!) I desperately want to go back (especially for more time on the Peninsula and to see the West Fjords) but I’ll stick to the road where there are lava fields next time!
currants
These are such wonderful photos–thank you!
MissWimsey
@Nicole: I spent just one day in Snaefellsness and I want to go back and take my time exploring that part of the country. It was my favorite part of the trip (and that was hard to narrow down since it’s a beautiful country).
frosty
Your pictures are breathtaking. I just put Iceland on my future travel list.
frosty
@WaterGirl: If you’re ever in Colorado … Rifle Falls State Park has a triple waterfall with an easy path behind one of them.
opiejeanne
@MissWimsey: Thank you for sharing. Your photos are beautiful, and so is Iceland. We were going to stay a couple of days in Iceland on a trip to Europe in the spring of 2020, but the pandemic shut that down. Most of our reservation money was refunded, except a one night stay on Mont-Saint Michel and the hotel in Reykjavik, but the latter one said they’d hold our reservations for when we finally could come. I hope we do get to go before we’re too decrepit.
Fair Economist
Such fantastic pictures! What a great trip you chose.
MissWimsey
@Nicole: yikes! I did not know that! I took the photo at a small tourist stop on the Ring Road in South Iceland (just south of VIk) that had a short loop (maybe a 1/2 mile) into the lava field. The trail was roped off so you couldn’t wander out into the field. The trail was on sharp lava rock (you wouldn’t want to fall so I had to be careful while I was on it). But it made me think of elves. If I was going to see them anywhere on this trip, this would be the place :)
J R in WV
Wow !!!
Just Wow !!!
Thanks for sharing. I know how much effort it can take to prep photos for public display, and I thank all the photographers for their good taste in selecting great pictures and the work needed to provide the photos to Watergurl.
Thank you, everyone!
Edit to ask: Miss Wimsey, any relation to Lord Peter Winsey of literary fame? ;~)
MissWimsey
@J R in WV: :) if by relation, you mean I’ve read those books. Why yes!
Interstadial
Utterly amazed by some of them, and all are beautiful.
There go two miscreants
All of your pictures have been great, but to me that second one (the beach) was WOW! The basalt columns are very cool!
JustRuss
Beautiful. Love the green lava and the canyon.
susanna
Thank you for this series of outstanding, eye-popping photos of Iceland. Now I’ve got the bug, the urge, and plenty of interest to take up an adventurous trip to Iceland. Meanwhile, improving camera skills are in order, although it’s the feelings of being in a place that remain and remind me of delights found.
MissWimsey
@susanna: and I totally get. I took a ride on a Zodiak boat at a glacial lagoon; I can still remember the smell of the freshest air I’ve ever breathed in my life (for some reason it smelled like fresh honeydew). I felt so very small and human on this trip (the photos can’t capture the sense of time and scale of some of these sights).