Thorufoss

About Thorufoss

Rating: 2.5

Difficulty: 1

Hiking Distance: almost roadside

Suggested Time:

Date first visited: 2007-06-21

Date last visited: 2007-06-21

Waterfall Latitude: 64.25831

Waterfall Longitude: -21.36016

Directions: Get to the waterfall

Vicinity: Find nearby waterfalls

Thorufoss (Icelandic spelling is Þórufoss; pronounced “THOR-oo-foss”) was an obscure yet attractive waterfall we saw on the Laxá í Kjós River. Not only did it have a pretty satisfying size in a raw and Naturesque landscape, but it also featured a somewhat trapezoidal shape.

I called this waterfall obscure because it didn’t seem to be well signposted (if at all). It basically came down to trusting our GPS with map software and hoping that the pre-trip waypoint was correctly put in. The waterfall and ravine that it was in was not visible from the small pullout (see directions below), but we had to walk a short distance towards the river (and the source of the noise of falling water) before it finally revealed itself. As you can see from the photos on this page, we were certainly glad that we persisted on this one!

Apparently, the river Laxá í Kjós was known more for its quantity of feisty Atlantic Salmon. While it did look like it was possible to do the steep scramble to access the river below the waterfall (I’m sure some local anglers have done it), it required scrambling over very steep terrain on loose rocks and boulders. It was definitely not for everyone and we didn’t do it.

This was the approach we took as we had come from the direction of Hvalfjörður (after having visited Glymur and Sjávarfoss.

From the route 47 and 48 junction (at the mouth of the river Laxá í Kjós), we drove about 17km southeast on unpaved route 48 (essentially running parallel to the river) until we saw a pole and a pullout on our left. That pole basically served as a landmark (maybe the sign that was attached to it was taken off or blown down?) to hint to us that perhaps this was the correct place to stop.

It’s a little over 42km from Reykjavik to the route 47 and 48 junction, which is about 12km east of where the Ring Road goes under the Hvalfjörður and you leave the Ring Road to go onto Road 47. Overall, the drive to go this route was about 48km (taking under an hour).

Alternatively, you could also drive from Reykjavik to the Ring Road, then take the Ring Road north for about 10km then turn right onto Route 36. Follow Route 36 for about 17km then turn left onto Route 48. Follow Route 48 for about 5.5km and look for a small pole on the right. The total driving going this way is roughly 40km (a little over 30 minutes drive).